Inside 208

This week, the governor signed the state budget, the school aid budget, and several bills that were negotiated as part of the budget deal. Below is a quick recap of the key bills that were signed.

Economic Development:

The governor signed three bipartisan bills to expand local abatement and transformational brownfield programs, allowing more businesses and communities to rehabilitate and redevelop blighted sites.

• Senate Bill 723, sponsored by state Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), expands the transformational brownfield program, increases transparency and reporting requirements, and requires approved projects to include annual milestones. The bill also emphasizes affordable housing projects in residential developments while streamlining the entire redevelopment process. (The League supported this legislation)
• Senate Bill 721 and 722, sponsored by state Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), extend the sunsets on the Commercial Redevelopment and Commercial Rehabilitation acts to allow both important programs to continue to operate. Both bills incentivize the refurbishing and development of commercial properties at local discretion. (The League supported this legislation)

Housing

The governor signed several housing bills that will continue to help local communities and the state address our housing needs. Each of these bills received bipartisan support and did not preempt local decision making.

• Michigan Housing Opportunity Tax Credit: House Bill 5806, sponsored by state Rep. Joseph Aragona (R-Clinton Township), House Bill 5807, sponsored by state Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids), and Senate Bill 966, sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) establish and implement a state low-income housing tax credit that operates in tandem with the federal credit. Michigan now joins over 30 other states with similar programs that provide capital funding for affordable housing projects. Eligible projects must ensure a set number of units are reserved for renters at or below 60% of the area median income. The new credits will allow MSHDA to fund approximately 2,500 new units across the state each year. Up to $42 million a year in credits will be allocated, nearly doubling the state’s ongoing investments in affordable housing. (The League supported this legislation)
• Single staircase: House Bill 5570, sponsored by state Rep. Parker Fairbairn (R-Harbor Springs), and House Bill 5571, sponsored by state Rep. Stephen Wooden (D-Grand Rapids), amend the State Construction code to allow for residential buildings to be built up to 4-stories with a single staircase, up from a previous 3-story restriction. This modernizes the building codes to allow for more flexibility in housing construction projects, while still ensuring safety. (The League supported this legislation)
• Institutional Investors: House Bill 6074, sponsored by state Rep. Karl Bohnak (R-Deerton), prohibits large institutional investors from purchasing a single-family home in Michigan. This bill mirrors recently enacted bipartisan legislation from Congress, but with a lower cap of 100 single-family homes. (The League did not take a position on this legislation).

We would like to thank the sponsors of these bills as they will help us continue to create vibrant and thriving communities and address our local housing needs.

As the legislative session winds down, more needs to be done in both areas. The League will continue to push for extending the expiring sunset on the Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act (Senate Bill 792) and for the legislature to create the MI Home Program. As we continue to celebrate the passage of the 21^st Century Road to Housing Act, the MI Home Program (House Bill 5660 and 5661) embraces the same incentive-based approach to expanding housing opportunities. Click here to see the strong alignment between the 21^st Century ROAD to Housing Act and the MI Home Program.

John LaMacchia is the League’s director of state & federal affairs. He can be reached at [email protected] or 517-908-0303.