Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Michigan Department of Corrections to assist prisoners in obtaining identification documents, such as those needed for a driver's license, and to provide written information about voter registration and election processes while they are incarcerated. The legislation mandates that the department help eligible inmates secure these resources before their release on parole or discharge, and it allows the Secretary of State to access prisoner data electronically to verify identities for license applications. Additionally, the bill creates a new "reentry success fund" to finance these reentry activities and updates procedures for how the parole board considers victim statements and conducts interviews prior to granting parole.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Michigan public school districts to publish detailed financial information on their websites to improve transparency and allow the public to track how school funds are used. Under the new rules, districts must post their annual budgets, expense charts broken down by category such as salaries and instruction, and links to collective bargaining agreements and audit reports. The legislation also mandates that districts disclose specific details regarding high-paid employees, credit card usage, out-of-state travel, and spending on lobbying services. Additionally, the bill clarifies that up to 20% of certain state aid funds can be used for debt service or capital projects and permits districts to contract with third parties for noninstructional services.
Maddy summarySB 1197 amends Michigan's Candidate for Office Financial Disclosure Act to update how candidates report their personal financial information. The bill clarifies definitions for terms like "gift," "earned income," and "liabilities," while establishing specific thresholds for reporting assets, unearned income, and debts. Candidates for state and federal offices in Michigan must file annual reports detailing their employment, spouse's occupation, business interests, and investments that meet certain monetary limits. The legislation also introduces inflation adjustments for asset valuations every four years and simplifies reporting requirements for candidates who are not elected.
Maddy summaryThis bill updates the timeline for filing legal claims related to groundwater contamination and environmental cleanup costs under Michigan's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. It establishes specific deadlines for lawsuits seeking response costs or natural resource damages, generally requiring claims to be filed within six years of starting cleanup work or three years after cleanup finishes. The legislation also sets a fixed cutoff date of July 1, 1994, for claims involving incidents that occurred before that time, while clarifying that this rule applies retroactively to ensure consistency with the original law.
Maddy summaryThis bill updates Michigan's ethics laws by clarifying how the value of gifts and services is calculated for public employees and lobbyists. It establishes a specific method for determining fair market value based on the date of exchange and requires lobbyists to provide evidence of these values within nine days when requested. The legislation also refines the definition of a reportable gift, setting the threshold at over $25 in a month while explicitly excluding routine business loans, family contributions, and standard campaign donations.
Maddy summarySenate Bill 607 amends Michigan's Administrative Procedures Act to clarify what counts as a formal "rule" by explicitly excluding cleanup criteria and target detection limits set by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. This change ensures that specific environmental standards used to determine when a site is clean enough for reuse are not subject to the same rulemaking procedures as other agency regulations. The bill directly affects the state environmental agency by removing these technical environmental thresholds from the definition of a rule, while leaving the rest of the act's definitions largely unchanged.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan's Local Government Labor Regulatory Limitation Act to restrict local governments from passing rules that force employers to pay wages higher than state or federal minimums. It also prevents municipalities from enacting ordinances that regulate employee work hours and scheduling, with specific exceptions for businesses operating on government-funded projects or those covered by project labor agreements. By repealing several previous sections, the legislation removes certain local authority to set labor standards, aiming to limit the ability of cities and towns to impose additional financial or scheduling requirements on private employers.
Maddy summaryThis bill restricts how Michigan public school academies can purchase or lease real estate from specific entities to prevent conflicts of interest. It prohibits these academies from buying or renting property from educational management organizations, their affiliated real estate holding companies, or any person connected to those companies. Additionally, the bill requires that all real estate transactions be approved by the academy's board of directors based on an independent appraisal to ensure market value and must be reviewed by the academy's authorizing body. If the authorizing body suspects a violation of these rules, it must notify the state superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Michigan's civil laws to update how the legal clock starts for lawsuits involving hazardous substances like groundwater contamination. Under the new rule, a victim's right to file a claim begins when they discover the harm or when they should have reasonably known about it, rather than from the date the contamination initially occurred. This change directly affects individuals or businesses seeking damages for environmental injuries by aligning the start of the legal filing period with the discovery of the problem. The provision simplifies the process for plaintiffs by ensuring the statute of limitations reflects when the issue became known to them.
Maddy summarySB 1196 updates the Michigan Public Officers Financial Disclosure Act to clarify definitions and modify reporting requirements for state representatives, senators, and other public officers. The bill establishes new rules for how assets, liabilities, and income must be reported, including inflation adjustments for asset values every four years and specific thresholds for disclosing stocks, real estate, and debts. It also expands the scope of required disclosures to include details about a public officer's spouse, such as their occupation and whether they registered as a lobbyist. Additionally, the legislation refines the definition of a "gift" and clarifies what constitutes "earned" versus "unearned" income for the purpose of financial transparency.