On Tuesday, both the House and Senate held their final session day before their summer legislative break. “During the long sessions, each chamber passed many reforms and caucus priorities, in addition to finishing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, before beginning their in-district work periods and hitting the campaign trail for most of the next two months,” explained Tim Ward, president of MLC. 

Highlights include:

• The House and Senate gave their final approval to the state budgets for the upcoming 2018-2019 Fiscal Year, beginning on October 1.
• The House passed legislation disallowing local governments from imposing licenses on occupations that are regulated at the state level. The proposal will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
• The House passed a bill creating a K-12 model program emphasizing career learning and themes for each grade level. It also permits schools to hire professional trade instructors to teach classes aligning with their expertise. The bill will be sent to Governor Rick Snyder for final consideration.
• Legislation was passed bringing Michigan’s ballast water laws in line with Federal regulations, it will be sent to Governor Snyder for final consideration.
• A Senate bill designating a portion of U.S. 23 as the “Peter A. Pettalia Memorial Highway” has been sent to the Governor. The bill is named after former Representative Pettalia who passed away during his term in office.
• A package of House and Senate bills were passed increasing protections for cyclists on roadways. They will be sent to the Governor for consideration.
• Legislation creating an oversight board within the Department of Environmental Quality was given approval and is on its way to the Governor for review.
• Legislation implementing Governor Snyder’s Marshall Plan for Talent was given legislative approval and will be sent to him for his signature.
• The House passed a package of bills creating penalties for making certain threats against students and/or schools employees while on school property. The bills have been sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.

The next scheduled session day for both the House and Senate is Wednesday, July 25, but the Legislature is not expected to be back in session formally until after the August 7 Primary Election.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.