Rep. Rachel Hood

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance companies operating in Michigan to cover mental health screenings for new mothers during the postpartum period. The law directly affects health insurers and the women who receive their coverage, ensuring these specific screenings are included in their policies. It achieves this by amending the state's insurance code to mandate compliance with existing public health guidelines regarding postpartum care. The measure becomes effective on April 2, 2025, provided a related companion bill is also enacted.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan election procedures to allow the Board of State Canvassers to use statistical random sampling when checking signatures on ballot initiatives and other petitions. It establishes rules for verifying voter registration and signature authenticity, creating a rebuttable presumption that a signature is invalid if the voter was not registered or did not live in the correct district at the time of signing. The legislation also requires the board to refer signatures that appear obviously fraudulent to the Attorney General for further investigation. Additionally, it sets specific deadlines for declaring petitions sufficient and mandates that the board complete its review at least two months before the relevant election.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new tax credit for Michigan employers to encourage research and development spending starting in 2025. The credit amount depends on company size, offering a higher percentage of expenses for businesses with fewer than 250 employees and an additional bonus for those that partner with in-state universities. To receive the credit, companies must submit a preliminary claim by April 1, 2026, and the total amount of all credits awarded in any single year is capped at $100 million, which may require reducing individual claims if the limit is reached.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund in Michigan to manage money from specific sources, including sales tax revenues and donations. The fund will distribute money to cities, villages, and townships to support public safety initiatives, with a portion of the funds going to a grant program for community violence intervention and another part to a crime victim's rights fund. A key provision ties future funding to crime reduction goals, where local governments that fail to meet specific violent crime decrease targets will see their distributions reduced. The state treasurer is responsible for managing the fund and ensuring that unspent money at the end of each fiscal year remains available for future distribution rather than being returned to the general fund.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "Protection from Intimate Deep Fakes Act" to provide legal remedies for individuals harmed by nonconsensual deep fake images depicting sexual conduct. It allows victims to file civil lawsuits against anyone who creates or shares these realistic but fake videos, provided the creator knew or should have known the content would cause harm and was made using artificial technology rather than physical impersonation. The law defines specific protections for identifiable individuals and clarifies that consent is not a valid defense unless it is documented in a clear, signed agreement describing exactly what the fake image entails. Additionally, the legislation sets rules for where lawsuits can be filed and ensures that plaintiffs can use pseudonyms to protect their privacy during legal proceedings.

Maddy summaryHB 5570 updates Michigan's sentencing guidelines to include specific rules for cases involving the creation or distribution of deepfake sexual images. The bill modifies an existing section of the state's criminal procedure code to ensure that judges and prosecutors have clear standards when determining penalties for these offenses. By adding these provisions to the official sentencing framework, the legislation aims to provide consistency in how courts handle new types of digital sexual exploitation. This change directly affects judges, prosecutors, and defendants involved in cases related to non-consensual deepfake imagery.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes the expiration date from Michigan's Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which allows qualified physicians to practice in multiple states with a single license. By eliminating the sunset provision, the law ensures that this streamlined licensing process remains in effect permanently rather than requiring renewal or reauthorization. The change directly impacts doctors who wish to work across state lines and the administrative bodies that oversee medical licensing in Michigan.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act to shield individuals from strategic lawsuits aimed at discouraging them from participating in public discourse or exercising constitutional rights. It allows people who are sued over their speech, press, assembly, or petitioning activities to file a special motion that immediately pauses most court proceedings, including discovery, to determine if the lawsuit is valid. If the court finds the suit lacks merit, it will be dismissed quickly, and the plaintiff may face penalties for filing the frivolous case. However, the law excludes lawsuits brought by government entities regarding public safety threats and does not apply to claims involving employment discrimination, whistleblower protections, or other specific civil rights violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies the composition of Michigan's Board of Psychology to include more licensed professionals by replacing public members with psychologists who hold limited licenses. It establishes a new limited license category for individuals with a master's degree in psychology, allowing them to practice under specific supervision and advertising restrictions. To qualify for this limited license, applicants must have a master's degree from an accredited program and complete one year of supervised postgraduate experience in a healthcare setting. The legislation also updates the board's membership requirements to ensure that at least five of its voting members hold a doctoral degree in psychology.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the duties of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to include providing legal representation for youth in juvenile court cases, in addition to its existing role for adults. By amending the state's indigent defense act, the legislation ensures that young people facing delinquency charges receive effective legal counsel starting from their initial court appearance. The commission will be responsible for setting minimum standards for how local courts deliver these services to both adults and youth, while also managing funding adjustments based on economic indicators. Ultimately, the bill aims to standardize the quality of legal defense available to financially unable defendants across the state's juvenile justice system.