Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed 39 bills, including 36 bipartisan bills, into law on Tuesday.
Thus far, Whitmer has signed a record 1,382 bipartisan bills since taking office.
Bills signed into law Tuesday include:
Senate Bill 350, sponsored by state Senator Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield), amends the Michigan Promise Zone Authority Act to provide more financial help for education. Currently, the Act only covers certain school costs, like tuition. This bill expands to cover other student needs such as housing, food, and transportation. It will also help with fees for federal student loans and other small expenses.
Senate Bill 388 and Senate Bill 389 sponsored by state Senator Veronica Klinefelt (D-Eastpointe), amends the dormancy periods for certain kinds of unclaimed property owned by active-duty members in Michigan. These bills would extend certain dormancy periods, (a period where the property remains unused, or dormant) from three years to five.
Senate Bill 398, sponsored by state Senator Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), ensures that state agencies have the tools needed to enforce environmental regulations and promptly respond to emergencies by
authorizing the director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to issue written emergency orders to protect public health and safety.
Senate Bill 449 and Senate Bill 450, sponsored by state Senator Kevin Daley (R-Lum), make sure the people who need specialized medical equipment, or quality complex rehabilitation technology have access to them through the Social Welfare Act and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The focus of these bills is to reduce the barriers that prevent people from receiving specialized equipment and to increase accessibility.
Senate Bill 482, sponsored by state Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City), aims to provide flexibility to medical facilities by allowing some used medical and health materials to be stored for more than 90 days, before it is disposed of, if it is in a container that is no more than 75% full.
Senate Bill 501, sponsored by state Senator Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), amends the Michigan Vehicle Code to permit vehicles, or a combination of vehicles, with a gross weight of up to 82,000 pounds, powered by electric batteries, to exceed certain axle loading maximums.
Senate Bill 544 and Senate Bill 545, sponsored by state Senator Veronica Klinefelt (D-Eastpointe), establish licensing for refrigeration facilities to store dead human bodies and certification requirements, along with application fees, for removal services handling deceased individuals. These bills aim to uphold specific regulations to enhance the quality of post-mortem care.
Senate Bill 555, sponsored by state Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), requires that an individual appointed to a promise zone authority board—a governing body responsible for overseeing a promise zone, which helps to increase educational attainment—reside in the promise zone or within reasonable proximity to the zone.
Senate Bill 571, sponsored by state Senator John Cherry (D-Flint), requires prevailing wage to be paid for certain renewable energy project construction and that contractors register with the state before bidding on a state project. This bill will foster a more competitive and equitable process for state projects. It will also prioritize local manufacturing and development, boosting Michigan’s economy and promoting homegrown solutions.
Senate Bill 599, sponsored by state Senator Erika Geiss (D-Taylor), modifies parole eligibility for medically frail inmates while maintaining public safety guardrails. This bill amends the Corrections Code to allow a medically frail prisoner eligible for medical parole to be released to a placement approved by the parole board, instead of a parole board approved medical facility. This bill allows medically frail prisoners to receive the appropriate care they need in potentially more suitable environments, while also reducing the burden on Michigan’s correctional medical facilities.
Senate Bill 706 and Senate Bill 799, sponsored by state Senator Veronica Klinefelt (D-Eastpointe), allows the Secretary of State to reinstate the driver’s license of an individual, whose license was suspended for failure to pay Driver Responsibility fees, without requiring them to pay the license reinstatement fee. Driver Responsibility fees were eliminated in 2019. This bill seeks to streamline the process for drivers, eliminating financial barriers to having their driving privileges reinstated. Not only does this bill support Michiganders by helping them regain their driving privileges more easily, but it also supports economic mobility by reducing the financial burden of drivers, potentially decreasing the number of uninsured motorists and improving overall road safety.
House Bill 4332, sponsored by state Representative Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit), increases the legal penalty for failure to correct a blight violation. Blight violations include a wide range of offenses, ranging from property damage to dumping. This bill will ensure that offenders are incentivized to correct their violations in a timely manner, ensuring that local communities are repaired and revitalized while also maintaining the state’s commitment to public safety.
House Bill 4718, sponsored by state Representative Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), makes Michigan the 20th state to outlaw the “gay or transgender panic defense” in a court of law. This defense uses the discovery of a person’s actual or perceived gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation as justification for the commission of a crime.
This bill expands legal safeguards for the LGBTQ+ community by protecting them from violent acts of discrimination, prejudice, and hate crimes.
House Bill 5182 and House Bill 5183, sponsored by state Representative Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) and Representative Denise Mentzer (D-Mt. Clemens), make it a crime to possess, use, or intended use of a computer or similar technology, commonly known as “ProPAD” devices to program a key code for automobile thefts.
House Bill 5460, sponsored by state Representative Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn), reduces the barriers individuals face when trying to purchase a car by allowing car buyers to make unequal payments. The bill also prohibits sellers from charging a fee based solely on the fact that the contract allowed for unequal car payments.
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