Legislative Update, March 2021
Sen. Ed McBroom
Senator Ed McBroom
Sen. McBroom has introduced 23 pieces of legislation in March, although many have not received a vote.
On March 4, he introduced a bill to mandate certain nurse-patient ratios. This has been referred to committee.
On March 9, he introduced a series of bills. Two were to exempt a person from needing to wear a helmet when riding an ORV or snowmobile if they have a note from their doctor that they can’t wear a helmet. Both passed out of the Senate to the house on March 17. Paired with that legislation was also a bill to hold a physician exempt from liability for civil damages that result from not writing such a note. It also passed.
McBroom also introduced a pair of resolutions on March 9. One to urge the creation of wolf hunting and trapping programs, and the other to end a study on the effectiveness of antler point restrictions in Chronic Wasting Disease management. Both resolutions were immediately passed on a voice vote and sent to the House, where they have been referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation.
On March 11, McBroom introduced bills to make county commissioner terms four years instead of two, to expand open records laws to the legislature and governor’s office, and to waive liquor license fees during the epidemic. None of these has received a vote. He also introduced a resolution to require that meetings of university boards be open to the public, which also has not emerged from committee.
On March 17, he introduced a revision to commercial fishing law. This would redefine the rulemaking authority of the Department of Natural Resources, and require a trawling license to be provided to any commercial fisher who was granted one before 1970. This bill has been referred to the committee on natural resources, which Sen. McBroom chairs.
On March 23, McBroom introduced a bill to provide discounts on hunting and fishing licenses for certain 'qualified nonresidents’.
On March 24, McBroom introduced a series of bills about elections and canvassing. I recommend reading the Associated Press’s story, by David Eggert. From Eggert:
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Republicans on Wednesday proposed a slew of election bills that would require voters to submit a photo ID, prohibit the unsolicited mass mailing of absentee ballot applications, and restrict the hours in which people could drop their ballot in curbside boxes.
Chair of the state Republican Party Ron Weiser has said the party will spearhead a ballot initiative to avoid a veto from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. You can read the series of four bills for yourself here; SB 0298, SB 0297, SB 0296, and SB 0286. They have all been referred to committee.
On March 25, Sen. McBroom introduced a bill to require state agencies to publish all records related to COVID-19 to a website. This bill is now in committee. He also introduced a bill that would require the Department of Corrections to produce a report balancing the savings of the state against the impact to the local economy before closing a correctional facility. This has been referred to the committee on local government.
Sen. Ed McBroom:
Email: SenEMcBroom@senate.michigan.gov
Phone: 866-305-2038
Rep. Greg Markkanen has introduced no bills in March.
Email: GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-0850
Rep. Greg Markkanen
Key Votes
Many of the votes in March had to do with limiting Gov. Whitmer’s powers, or appropriating federal coronavirus aid money.
On March 23, Sen. McBroom voted in favor of prohibiting epidemic emergency orders from limiting members of a family or household gathering together in public, specifically at restaurants and sporting events. He also supported prescribed thresholds for lockdown restrictions.
On March 3, Rep. Markkanen voted in favor of limiting the use of the “Integrated Public Alert Warning System” strictly to emergencies involving imminent loss of life or property.
Markkanen and McBroom both supported the exemption of some developer’s broadband equipment from personal property tax on March 25.
Markkanen also supported a telehealth bill that narrowly passed the House on March 24. The bill establishes that medical service professionals in another state do not need to be licensed in Michigan to provide Michigan patients with service.
Markkanen has voted in favor of two House bills that would expand open records laws to the governor’s office and legislators. The votes took place on March 18, during Sunshine Week.
Sen. McBroom supported Senate Resolution 31, denouncing the Attorney General’s refusal to investigate nursing home deaths. Attorney General Dana Nessel has said she has found no cause for an investigation.
This is not an exhaustive list of bills currently in the legislature, or votes by our local representatives. For more information, you can search bills on the Michigan Legislature website by category, sponsor, committee, year, keyword and more.