Tales from Lansing
Editor’s Note: Forgot to catch up with July, so this is a “twofer”, July and August. Luckily, summer is pretty slow in Lansing.
Sen. Ed McBroom
Email: SenEMcBroom@senate.michigan.gov
Phone: 866-305-2038
Sponsored bills introduced
Sen. Ed McBroom has introduced only two bills since the end of June.
Senate Bill 0595 would allow county taxes on hotel and motel rooms to be extended to short-term rentals (commonly called AirBnBs). It was referred to the Senate Committee on Economic and Small Business Development in mid-July and hasn’t seen any action since.
Senate Bill 0594 would allow counties to impose a 3% tax on short-term rentals, too. It was referred to the same committee.
You can see all the bills Sen. McBroom has sponsored by clicking here.
Votes of note
On July 15, Sen. McBroom voted in favor of repealing the 1945 emergency powers law.
He also supported a bill to spend money supporting auto crash injury rehab facilities after insurance reforms threatened their financial stability, and the waiving of drivers license renewal late fees until the Secretary of State fully reopens (for walk-in service).
You can review Sen. McBroom’s voting record by clicking here.
Rep. Greg Markkanen
Email: GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-0850
Sponsored bills introduced
Rep. Greg Markkanen has introduced one bill since the last update.
House Bill 5256 establishes new rules for debt collectors, specifically, that written notice must be sent to debtors five days ahead of any other contact. The notice must include the amount of the debt claim, the name of the original creditor, the name of the collection agency, and more.
It also requires the collection agency to “contact a debtor” about claims of economic abuse but doesn’t specify what action should be taken if that economic abuse is proven. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Regulatory Reform and has seen no action since.
The bill is tie-barred with House Bill 5257.
Votes of note
Rep. Markkanen voted in favor of House Bill 4788, which would allow for local voter initiatives that could place term limits on village councilors. It passed the House 59 to 49 and is now in the Senate Committee on Elections.
Rep. Markkanen also favored making some drunk driving convictions expungable by voting for HB 4219 and 4220, and extending the .08 blood/alcohol content limit for drunk driving. The BAC limit was originally lowered from .1 to .08 to maintain access to federal gas tax dollars. These three bills have all been signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.