Inside 208

The Senate Transportation committee passed out HB 4629 yesterday, a bill to regulate digital billboards.  This bill was created in most part to deal with issues that were presented to MDOT from a federal audit done on the Highway Advertising Act. If these issues (definition for digital billboards, definition for [...]

Last week the Senate Economic Development committee took up and passed out a package of bills dealing with scrap metal.  The bills, HB 4593 and 4595 together would, among other things, outline the penalties for committing larceny by stealing nonferrous metal, required scrap metal dealers to maintain required records (picture [...]

Currently state statute prohibits angled parking on state trunklines in Michigan. As more and more communities look to reinvent their downtown’s there is a great need for flexibility to help create vibrant and livable spaces. Many of our cities and villages across Michigan have state trunklines that are a main [...]

This morning the House Judiciary Committee passed various bills addressing medical marijuana including House Bill 4271, a bill that would allow local units of government to regulate (or ban) provisioning centers (i.e. dispensaries). Back in May the League testified about the need for local control and clarity in the Act. [...]

The Michigan Municipal League is a strong advocate of improving and investing in our public transportation systems as a proven way to create vibrant livable communities. Transportation Riders United (TRU) has released a survey that continues to prove the demand for quality public transportation and the willingness of the public [...]

Key elements in utility coordination are “communication, coordination, and cooperation.” The 6th Annual Michigan Utility Coordination Conference (MUCC) will have participants interactivity communicating with conference presenters. Please consider reserving your calendar for Wednesday, January 22, 2014 and plan on attending what is set up to be the best MUCC yet. [...]

The Michigan House of Representative passed three pieces of legislation changing the way aviation fuel tax is collected. The Michigan Municipal League advocated that local communities revenue not be impacted by this change and that protection of their funding remain tied to the constitution and not an appropriation. Under the [...]

Yesterday morning the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on various bills addressing medical marijuana including House Bill 4271, a bill that would allow local units of government to regulate (or ban) provisioning centers (i.e. dispensaries). Back in May the League testified about the need for local control and clarity [...]

Back in October the Senate passed positive tweaks to PA 152 of 2011.  The House Financial Liabilities Reform Committee has held numerous hearings on the package of bills, Senate Bills 541-545, that make positive clarifying changes to PA 152 of 2011, the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act. The bills [...]

This afternoon the Senate reported Senate Bill 636, a bill that would give phone companies the ability to transition from traditional land lines to internet-based service beginning January 1, 2017. The bill would amend the Michigan Telecommunications Act to do make a number of changes including eliminating a requirement for [...]