Rep. Mike McFall

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new Rare Disease Advisory Council within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to advise the state on research, diagnosis, and treatment for rare diseases. The council will be composed of a diverse group of members, including medical professionals, patient advocates, industry representatives, and individuals with rare diseases, who will serve four-year terms. Once established, the council is authorized to hold public hearings, consult with experts, and apply for grants to develop recommendations for improving care and support for those affected by conditions that impact fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.

Maddy summaryThis bill restricts hospitals in Michigan from requiring registered professional nurses to work more than their regularly scheduled hours, except during declared state emergencies, mass casualty incidents, or when a nurse voluntarily accepts extra shifts. It also prohibits hospitals from disciplining or discriminating against nurses who refuse mandatory overtime and mandates that hospitals provide eight consecutive hours of off-duty time after any 12-hour shift. To enforce these rules, the legislation requires hospitals to post notices informing staff of their rights and outlines specific administrative fines for violations. Additionally, the law includes a provision that delays its application in facilities with existing collective bargaining agreements that currently prevent compliance with the new overtime limits.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan's insurance code to clarify the rules for sponsored captive insurance companies. It allows a wider range of business entities, including associations and trusts, to participate in these companies without needing to be shareholders or affiliates. The legislation also permits sponsors to participate in their own sponsored captives and requires that participants generally insure only their own risks or those of their affiliates, unless approved by the state insurance director. These changes aim to provide clearer guidelines on who can join such insurance structures and what risks they can cover.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan's insurance code to clarify which entities are eligible to sponsor a sponsored captive insurance company. It specifies that sponsors must be licensed insurers, holding companies, reinsurers, or certain captive companies, while explicitly excluding risk retention groups from acting as sponsors or participants. The legislation also outlines specific requirements for securing business written by these captives, mandating that it be backed by a licensed insurer, state-approved reinsurance, or a secured trust fund. Additionally, the bill directs the insurance director to evaluate proposed sponsors based on their financial stability, experience, and business reputation.

Maddy summaryHB 5851 amends Michigan's Child Protection Law to update the official definitions of key terms used throughout the statute. The bill clarifies who is considered responsible for a child's welfare, including parents, guardians, and staff at licensed child care and foster care facilities. It also provides precise definitions for serious offenses such as confirmed sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and exposure to methamphetamine production. By standardizing these terms, the legislation aims to ensure consistent application of child protection rules across the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires juveniles under state supervision who are convicted of specific sex-related offenses to provide DNA samples before being released from wardship. It applies to minors found responsible for crimes such as prostitution, soliciting minors for sexual acts, and indecent exposure, mandating that these samples be collected by juvenile agencies without the need for a court order or the juvenile's consent. The collected DNA profiles are restricted to law enforcement identification, judicial proceedings, and de-identified academic or research use, while a $60 assessment fee is imposed to cover the costs of processing and storing these samples.

Maddy summaryHB 5864 amends Michigan's sentencing guidelines to ensure that crimes involving prostitution are consistently classified as felonies rather than misdemeanors. This change directly affects judges, prosecutors, and defendants by requiring them to apply stricter sentencing standards for prostitution-related offenses. The bill removes previous language that allowed for the classification of these crimes as less serious felonies or misdemeanors, thereby standardizing how such cases are handled within the state's legal system.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan's insurance code to update the rules for Special Purpose Financial Captives, which are companies that pool risk for specific financial products. It clarifies that issuing new securities to continue securitization activities or swapping out a counterparty for one with a similar or higher credit rating does not count as a major change to the company's plan. The legislation also sets specific deadlines for filing audited financial statements and statements of operations, requires captive insurers to respond to regulator inquiries within 30 days, and establishes a penalty of up to $5,000 plus daily fines for failing to meet these reporting requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Public Library Freedom to Read Act, which creates new rules for how public libraries in Michigan select and remove books and other materials. It requires libraries to adopt written policies that outline their standards for choosing items and the specific steps they must follow when someone requests a book be reconsidered or removed. Under the new law, library directors have the final say on collection decisions, and requests for reconsideration are only reviewed if they come from residents of the library's local area and meet specific conditions, such as the requester having read the entire item. The act defines what counts as a library material and clarifies that it does not apply to websites, interlibrary loans, or programs not run by the library itself.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the ability of individuals in Michigan to have their criminal convictions set aside, specifically adding a provision for people who were convicted of crimes while being victims of human trafficking. Under the new rules, a person who was a victim of human trafficking can apply to clear any conviction they received as a direct result of that trafficking, provided they still meet the general limits on the number of offenses that can be expunged. The legislation also clarifies how certain deferred and dismissed charges are counted toward these limits and defines specific types of crimes, such as assaultive offenses and domestic violence, that are subject to stricter restrictions. By amending existing state law, the bill allows eligible individuals to petition the court for relief without changing the fundamental eligibility criteria for other applicants.