Rep. Emily Dievendorf

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a "Bill of Rights for the Homeless" in Michigan to ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness are not denied public services or subjected to discrimination based on their housing status. It grants specific protections, including the right to use public spaces freely, access emergency medical care, maintain privacy in personal belongings, and enroll in school without delay. While the law guarantees these rights, it explicitly clarifies that it does not prevent local governments from enforcing existing rules regarding public conduct, such as limits on how long someone can occupy a park or the removal of unattended property. Additionally, the legislation allows local units of government to designate "safe outdoor spaces" as sanctioned encampment areas and provides a legal remedy for individuals who believe their rights under this act have been violated.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases disposal fees for nonhazardous solid waste and coal ash in Michigan landfills, with higher rates for general waste and lower rates for specific industrial byproducts. Landfill owners and operators must collect these new surcharges from waste generators and pay them quarterly to the state, while captive facilities face fixed annual fees based on their waste volume. The collected funds are distributed among several state accounts, including a new host communities grant fund that provides direct financial support to the cities and townships where these landfills are located. Additionally, the bill establishes a mechanism to adjust these fees every five years based on inflation to maintain their real value over time.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Michigan's zoning laws to prevent local governments from repeatedly requiring developers to submit the same environmental or technical studies for a single project. It establishes that once a site plan is approved, officials can only ask for new or revised studies if the original submission was incomplete, failed to meet technical standards, or if the project scope has materially changed. The legislation directly affects local planning departments and land developers by creating clearer rules for when additional documentation is necessary after initial approval. By limiting the ability to demand repeat studies, the bill aims to streamline the approval process while still ensuring projects comply with zoning ordinances and state regulations.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Michigan's zoning enabling act to prevent local governments from restricting signs that honor police officers, firefighters, medical first responders, military members, corrections officers, or veterans. It also establishes a state limit requiring that residential properties do not need more than 1.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit. By setting these boundaries, the legislation directly affects how municipalities can regulate signage and parking requirements for homes. The measure seeks to clarify rules on commemorative displays and minimum parking standards without dictating specific local outcomes.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Michigan's zoning laws to clarify how residents can protest proposed changes to city or village zoning ordinances. It requires that any such protest petition be submitted to the local legislative body before the final vote on the amendment. The law sets specific thresholds for who can sign these petitions, demanding signatures from owners of at least 20% of the affected land area or a similar percentage of nearby land, with higher requirements of 50% if the change increases development intensity. Additionally, the bill specifies that publicly owned land should not be counted when calculating the percentage of land area needed to file a protest.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan's zoning laws to allow residential duplexes in areas currently zoned for single-family homes. The change applies only to cities and villages within or next to metropolitan statistical areas, excluding townships. Under the new rules, building a duplex would follow the same permitting process as constructing a single-family home. The legislation takes effect 180 days after it is signed into law.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Michigan's Lobbyist Act to clarify which items and services do not count as "gifts" that public employees must report. It explicitly excludes standard campaign contributions, routine business loans, meals, and contributions to registered legal defense funds from the definition of a reportable gift. Additionally, the legislation sets specific monetary limits for small, de minimis items, allowing public officials to accept single items under $20 or a total of $80 worth of items within a three-month period without triggering reporting requirements. These changes aim to reduce administrative burdens for public officials while maintaining transparency around larger or more significant transfers of value.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Michigan's financial disclosure requirements for state representatives, senators, and other high-ranking public officials. It clarifies definitions for terms like "gift," "lobbyist," and "earned income" while expanding the specific details officers must report on their financial forms. Key changes include requiring the disclosure of a spouse's employment and lobbyist registration, adjusting asset and debt reporting thresholds to account for inflation, and specifying which types of investments and business positions must be listed. The legislation directly affects the transparency of financial interests for elected officials and their immediate families by standardizing how this information is collected and reported.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Michigan's public health code to strengthen the regulation of onsite wastewater treatment systems, such as septic tanks, for properties not connected to public sewer lines. It establishes new definitions for various waste systems and grants local health departments expanded authority to inspect, evaluate, and enforce compliance with these regulations. The legislation also clarifies that connecting to an available public sewer system is a priority for public health and safety.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new Technical Advisory Committee within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to guide regulations on onsite wastewater treatment systems. The committee will consist of 21 members representing local health departments, engineers, scientists, manufacturers, installers, and other stakeholders to advise on standards, testing, and ethical guidelines. It establishes specific requirements for registering and continuing education for evaluators and practitioners who design, construct, maintain, or manage these systems. The committee will also provide guidance on how local health departments should handle older systems that were permitted before the new statewide sewage code took effect.