Rep. Tom Kunse

Maddy summaryHB 4059 exempts specific baby and toddler items from Michigan's use tax, meaning parents won't pay tax when purchasing these products. The bill adds 15 categories to the tax exemption list, including cribs, strollers, safety gates, breast pumps, bottles, diapers, and clothing accessories designed for infants or toddlers. It also defines detailed terms like "breast pump collection supplies" to clarify which products qualify for the exemption. This directly affects parents and caregivers buying essential infant products, making them tax-free at point of sale.

Maddy summaryHB 4056 creates Michigan's Child Care Savings Program, allowing residents to open tax-advantaged savings accounts for child care costs. Account holders can deduct contributions from their state income tax and withdraw funds penalty-free to cover eligible child care expenses for children under 14. To claim deductions, account holders must submit receipts for care costs, account statements, and financial institution forms with their tax returns. The program, effective January 2026, requires documentation but does not obligate financial institutions to track account usage or verify eligibility. It directly affects Michigan parents or guardians paying for child care for qualifying children.

Maddy summaryThis is a symbolic resolution, not a policy bill. It declares February 2025 as "American Heart Month" and February 5, 2025, as "National Wear Red Day" in Michigan. The resolution aims to raise public awareness about heart disease, particularly its impact on women, through educational efforts and community recognition. It does not create new laws, allocate funding, or impose requirements on any group.

Maddy summaryHB 4051 amends Michigan's individual income tax law to increase the deduction limit for retirement and pension benefits. It establishes a $42,240 annual deduction for single filers and $84,480 for joint filers on retirement income (previously higher limits existed but were not explicitly capped), with these amounts automatically adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index. The bill directly affects Michigan taxpayers receiving retirement benefits by allowing them to deduct a larger portion of that income from their taxable income. This change modifies existing tax code provisions to provide a clearer, inflation-adjusted deduction threshold for retirement income.

Maddy summaryHB 4001 updates Michigan's minimum wage schedule, setting new rates that increase to $12.00 per hour starting February 21, 2025, and reaching $15.00 by 2029. It replaces the previous 2018 law (PA 337) and adds an annual adjustment mechanism: starting in 2019, the wage will rise each January based on Midwest-region inflation data, capped at 3.5% per year. The bill also modifies youth wage rules, allowing employers to pay new workers under 20 a training rate of 75% of the minimum wage for their first 90 days, while prohibiting displacement of existing workers to hire at this lower rate. This directly affects all hourly workers in Michigan covered by state minimum wage laws, including young workers and employers subject to wage requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 4031, the "Female Athletics Integrity of Records (FAIR) Act," requires publicly funded individual sports programs in Michigan to categorize awards, rankings, and records based on competitors' biological sex - not the gender category they compete in. It applies specifically to publicly funded sports events with separate male and female competitions where athletes compete individually. The bill mandates that official records must reflect each athlete's biological sex (defined as innate at conception) regardless of which competition they entered. This policy change affects publicly funded athletic programs organizing separate male/female events, ensuring records align with biological sex as the standard for official outcomes.

Maddy summaryHB 4030 amends Michigan's Youth Employment Standards Act to allow parents or legal guardians of homeschooled minors to issue work permits for their children. The bill changes the definition of "issuing officer" to explicitly include a minor's parent or guardian when the child is educated under Michigan's homeschooling law (MCL 380.1561). This directly affects homeschooled minors under 18 who seek employment, removing the prior requirement for school district authorization. The key mechanism updates the permit process to accommodate homeschooling families, streamlining access to work permits without school district involvement.

Maddy summaryHB 4019 requires Michigan's Department of Treasury to mail individual income tax filers a single-page annual report starting in 2025. The report will show how tax revenue is collected (from wages, quarterly payments, business taxes, and annual payments) and distributed to specific state funds like the general fund, school aid, transportation, and campaign funds. It directly affects all Michigan residents who file individual income tax returns. The bill mandates this transparency without changing tax rates or filing requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 4015, the "Cash for Tolls Act," requires state and local governments to accept cash payments for tolls on public infrastructure like bridges, highways, and tunnels they own or operate. It mandates that cash must be accepted as a payment option and prohibits requiring electronic payments (like credit cards) instead. The bill applies only to tolls on publicly managed infrastructure, excluding privately owned toll roads. This change directly affects drivers who pay tolls with cash and public toll operators who must adjust their payment systems. The bill is currently in committee after being introduced on January 14, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 4016 designates May of each year as "Huntington's Disease Awareness Month" in Michigan. This symbolic resolution aims to raise public and medical awareness about Huntington's disease, which affects thousands of Michiganders and has no cure. It does not create new funding, regulations, or policy changes - it simply aligns Michigan with national recognition efforts for this progressive neurological condition. The bill was introduced in January 2025 and referred to committee for further review.