Inside 208

CALL MISS-DIG. Under the legislation passed unanimously yesterday by the House, a local unit of government faces penalties if they do not call the MISS-DIG system when beginning a project that involves digging. If a local unit does call MISS-DIG there is no liability. This morning the House Energy and [...]

Over the past few weeks many members have received a letter from the Michigan Department of Transportation about complying with section 18j of Public Act 51 (MCL 247.668j). A copy of the letter can be found here. Act 51 Letter The League became aware of this letter when a member [...]

The House Elections and Ethics committee took up a package of bills to limit when new elections could be placed on the ballot yesterday.  HB 4887 (Rep. Dan Lauwers) is among the package (including HB 5115-5116 dealing with schools sponsored by Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons) and would only allow local [...]

Yesterday the Senate Government Operations Committee considered SJR V, a joint resolution that would petition the Congress of the United States to call a convention of the states for the limited purpose of proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring a balanced budget, in the absence of a national [...]

The Michigan House of Representatives passed the crowdfunding legislation, HB 4996, with 108 yes votes and 0 no votes!  It moves one step closer to full passage and assisting a segment of our economy that will prove to be huge economic drivers, those new small businesses and those wishing to [...]

The package of blight bills related to communities who have administrative hearings bureaus, SB 35-39, passed the House Local Government committee on Thursday. If you recall, financial institutions and credit unions are exempt from the enhanced penalties outlined in the legislation. However, and amendment was added stating that any entity [...]

This afternoon the Senate Energy & Technology held a hearing on Senate Bill 314, a bill that would lift the yard waste ban for landfills that meet certain criteria. This is, however, a community option. The League is supportive of this legislation as we have for the last few legislative [...]

A bill to allow local communities to enter into written agreements with other local governmental units for election activities passed the House Ethics and Election Committee.  HB 4878 would allow a city or township clerk to enter into a written contract with the county or another city or township to [...]

Last week the House Financial Liabilities Reform Committee heard a second week of testimony on a package of bills, Senate Bills 541-545, that make positive clarifying changes to PA 152 of 2011, the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act. Senate Bill 541 would amend the definition of “medical benefit plan”, [...]

Last week the House Local Government Committee reported on House Bill 4939, a bill that would allow a department head to serve as a city manager. The legislation was prompted by a community in Rep. Knezek’s district where the police chief if serving as interim city manager. Under the current [...]