Rep. Jaime Greene

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan's civil procedure laws to allow courts to award legal costs and fees to the prevailing party in lawsuits involving the state, provided the state's position was not substantially justifiable. It defines "costs and fees" to include reasonable expenses for expert witnesses, studies, and attorney fees, while setting a standard cap of $75 per hour for legal services unless special circumstances justify a higher rate. The legislation also establishes specific eligibility criteria, excluding wealthy individuals and large organizations from receiving these awards, and requires the state to demonstrate that its actions caused the plaintiff to incur the expenses. Additionally, the bill outlines conditions under which a court may deny an award if the state's legal stance was frivolous or if the plaintiff engaged in conduct that unnecessarily prolonged the legal process.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Michigan's Administrative Procedures Act to clarify rules for contested cases and remove certain restrictions on how hearings are conducted. It ensures that all parties receive clear notice of hearings and have the right to present evidence and arguments, while also allowing presiding officers to order rehearings if the initial record is insufficient. A significant provision exempts parole hearings from these administrative procedures, meaning parole decisions will no longer follow the standard contested case rules. Additionally, the bill includes specific instructions for handling hearings involving state legislators, requiring that their testimony or participation be postponed to days when they are not attending legislative sessions.

Maddy summaryHB 5953 limits the late fees or penalties that privately owned toll bridge operators can charge for unpaid tolls to no more than five times the original toll amount. This restriction applies only to privately owned bridges and does not affect international crossings or publicly owned bridges. The bill amends the Michigan Vehicle Code to establish this cap, ensuring that fees for overdue tolls remain proportional to the initial cost.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan's school code to require public school districts to provide a core academic curriculum based on state-developed standards that focus strictly on academic and cognitive skills. Key provisions mandate that reading instruction for grades K-6 adhere to the science of reading and that math standards for grades K-5 be updated by a specific committee by June 2025. The legislation also requires history curricula for grades 8-12 to include learning objectives about genocide, such as the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. Additionally, the bill ensures that state assessments measure only academic proficiency rather than student values or attitudes and requires special assistance for students who do not pass fourth or seventh-grade reading tests.

Maddy summaryHB 5991 primarily appropriates state funding for Michigan public schools for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years, allocating money from various state funds to support education operations and federal compliance. The bill also mandates that districts administering the M-STEP or a new state-administered assessment system must provide detailed item analysis reports showing how individual test questions contribute to student scores. Additionally, it establishes a pilot program allowing districts to use an alternative state-administered assessment system instead of the standard M-STEP for certain high school students taking the Michigan merit examination. The legislation includes provisions for online reporting tools to share assessment data with educators and families while preventing the release of individually identifiable student information to the federal government.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Michigan's Revised School Code to clarify how public school academies must report student test scores. It requires these academies to use either the standard M-STEP assessments or a state-administered assessment system if they are part of a specific pilot program. The changes apply to the legal sections governing academy organization, contracts, and application requirements. By modifying these statutes, the legislation ensures that academies operating under different testing systems are clearly defined in state law.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Michigan school districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies to post a link to a specific transparency dashboard on their public websites by July 1, 2025. Additionally, it mandates that these institutions provide an annual summary of school performance data to every student's parent or legal guardian starting in July 2026. The law also directs the Center for Educational Performance and Information to update its main data website to include information from the transparency dashboard and add a feature that allows users to compare data across public schools in the state.

Maddy summaryHB 5995 proposes to remove fees that schools charge for evaluating student applications for specific programs. This change would directly affect students and families who currently pay these costs to apply for services under the Revised School Code. The bill eliminates the financial barriers by amending existing state laws that authorized these charges. If passed, applicants would no longer need to pay evaluation fees to access the covered programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all public and nonpublic schools in Michigan to implement a mobile panic alert system starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The system must connect schools directly with law enforcement and first responders to facilitate real-time communication during emergencies like lockdowns or active shooter situations. The state will use competitive bidding to purchase the technology, but schools that already have a compliant system can apply for an exemption. Schools that fail to comply with the new requirements may lose eligibility for certain state school safety grants.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Michigan's Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act to explicitly include trade schools as eligible institutions for high school students taking college-level courses. It updates the legal definition of "eligible postsecondary institution" to ensure that trade schools, alongside community colleges and universities, can participate in the program where students pay tuition and fees directly. The legislation does not alter existing rules regarding course limits, eligibility criteria, or tuition caps, focusing instead on clarifying which types of schools can offer these dual-enrollment opportunities. By making this change, the bill allows high schoolers to access vocational and technical training at trade schools through the same funding and enrollment framework currently used for traditional colleges.