Rep. Cam Cavitt

Maddy summaryHB 4974 requires electric utilities in Michigan to reimburse certain individuals and local governments for costs incurred during power outages. It directly affects renters (whose landlords pay utilities) and local governments, providing $50 for outages lasting 4-24 hours (or actual food/lodging costs, whichever is higher) and $200 for outages over 24 hours. Local governments can also claim reimbursement for emergency services, warming/cooling centers, backup power, or other outage-related costs. Utilities must pay approved amounts within 30 days after the Michigan Public Service Commission reviews cost claims submitted within 90 days of the outage. This is an additional remedy beyond existing legal options.

Maddy summaryHB 4973 requires electric utilities in Michigan to automatically provide bill credits to customers experiencing power outages during a billing cycle. Residential customers receive credits ranging from $5 per hour for short outages up to $25 per hour for outages lasting 72+ hours, while nonresidential credits use a formula based on the customer's average hourly energy use. Credits apply to the next bill and carry forward if they exceed the current bill amount. The credits adjust every five years using the Consumer Price Index to account for inflation, as specified in the bill's Section 9g.

Maddy summaryHB 4978 amends Michigan's Public Utilities Act to change the process for utilities seeking rate increases. It requires electric utilities serving over 1 million customers to coordinate with the Public Service Commission (PSC) before filing rate cases to avoid overlapping filings, and the PSC may order a 21-day spacing between such filings. Gas utilities serving fewer than 1 million customers can now request partial, immediate rate relief, with the PSC required to decide within 180 days. If the PSC doesn't issue a final order within 180 days for a rate case, the utility may implement the proposed rate increase but must refund overpayments if the final order is lower.

Maddy summaryHB 4977 requires Michigan electric utilities to include standardized outage information on customer bills, directly affecting residential and business electricity users. The bill mandates disclosure of three specific metrics per billing cycle: the number of service interruptions lasting over 5 minutes, total interruption duration, and the number of momentary interruptions (under 5 minutes). Utilities must also annually report outage causes affecting over 1,000 customers, tree trimming efforts, grid reliability projects, and worst-performing circuits to the public service commission. Violations can result in fines up to $1,000 per incident, with customer reports or meter data used as evidence.

Maddy summaryHB 4976 prohibits electric utilities in Michigan from seeking to recover revenue they were required to pay as service outage credits to customers. This directly affects electric utilities serving Michigan residents and businesses, as it prevents them from later reclaiming refunds paid for power outages. The key provision states that once an electric utility issues outage credits (refunds for service interruptions), it cannot attempt to get that money back through future rate adjustments. This ensures customers who received outage credits retain the full benefit without utilities offsetting those payments against future bills.

Maddy summaryHB 4975 requires Michigan electric utilities to automatically provide residential customers with $100 credits on their bills if they experienced 4 or more power outages lasting over an hour in the past year, or $200 credits for more than 4 outages. The bill mandates these credits be applied without customer action, directly benefiting households with frequent service disruptions. Credits will adjust every five years based on inflation using the Detroit-area Consumer Price Index, with changes announced by June 1 each adjustment year. This policy change aims to compensate for unreliable service through automatic billing adjustments under Michigan's utility regulations.

Maddy summaryHB 4664 prohibits blocking state highways during assemblies of individuals, amending Michigan's existing traffic law (MCL 257.676b). It directly affects protesters or assembly participants who obstruct highway traffic, making such obstruction a misdemeanor offense. The key provision adds a specific penalty for blocking highways while engaging in group assemblies, moving beyond general traffic violations. This law clarifies that highway obstruction during protests is a criminal act, not merely a traffic infraction.

Maddy summaryHB 4856 requires Michigan public school districts and intermediate school districts to allow homeschooled or nonpublic school students to participate in extracurricular activities like sports teams, theater, band, and debate. It prohibits school boards from blocking these students' participation and mandates that districts avoid joining athletic conferences or associations with exclusionary policies. The bill defines an "eligible child" as one residing within the district, homeschooled or attending a nonpublic school, and meeting standard eligibility requirements. This directly affects homeschooled and nonpublic school students seeking access to school-run activities. The law amends the Revised School Code (MCL 380.1 et seq.) by adding Section 1290.

Maddy summaryHB 4755 strengthens Michigan's consumer protection law by adding Section 3j to prohibit deceptive ticket sales practices. It directly affects ticket sellers (like event organizers and vendors) and protects consumers by banning false claims about ticket availability, hidden fees, and misleading pricing. Key provisions require clear disclosure of all costs upfront, prevent sellers from falsely claiming tickets are "sold out" to pressure purchases, and stop hidden fees from appearing only at checkout. The law applies to all ticket transactions and became effective immediately after its passage on September 9, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 4024 requires public K-12 schools to restrict student access to restrooms and changing areas based on biological sex. This policy directly affects all students in these schools, particularly those whose gender identity does not align with their biological sex. The bill establishes new requirements for schools to enforce this policy, mandating that facility access be determined by biological sex rather than gender identity. It passed the legislature with immediate effect on September 9, 2025, and is now in force.