Auto insurance rates, amnesty for drivers’ fees up for debate in Legislature
"For far too long, action on this issue has been waylaid and stymied by people who tend to gain from the system. They're supporting the status quo. We aren't. We want to see absolute change," said state Rep.
The bill, which will have its first hearing at
The hearings are sure to be packed with interests on all sides of the issue, with severely injured car-crash victims and medical professionals lined up against the bill and the business community and some lawmakers testifying in support of the legislation.
More: Proposed auto insurance bills could drastically cut rates in
More: Dreaded driver responsibility fees would end, be forgiven under House bills
Other bills introduced last week also would have a dramatic impact on some drivers, if driver responsibility fees are eliminated a year early and
Bills introduced last week:
HB 5001-5002: Provide for the registration of foresters. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5003: Require drivers to maintain a 5-foot buffer distance when passing a bicyclist. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5004: Require individuals to provide photo ID when applying for unemployment benefits. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5005-5008: Require restitution of lost income from rental properties made uninhabitable by theft of appliances. Sponsors: Reps.
HB 5009: Create a renewable energy and energy efficiency loan fund for school districts. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5010: Include the crime of armed robbery in the 10-year category of the statute of limitations. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5011: Prohibit the sale and use of sky lanterns. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5012: Change the definition of an aggrieved candidate in the state's recount law to include a candidate who believes that but for fraud or mistake, the candidate would have a reasonable chance of winning the election. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5013: Overhaul the state's no-fault auto insurance system. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5014 and SB 599-600: Allow an applicant for a medical marijuana dispensary license to continue to operate during the licensing process. Sponsors: Rep.
HB 5015: Establish disclosure requirements for veterans' benefit services. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5016: Allow the implantion of microchips in children with special needs or vulnerable adults for the purpose of locating the person if they become lost or missing. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5017-5018: Prohibit and enact penalties for cyberbullying. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5019-5020: Create the biometric privacy act and regulate the protection and disclosure of personal information by Internet and online service providers. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5021: Create the local infrastructure improvement act. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5022: Provide access for grandparents to central adoption registry. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5023-5024: Create reasonable and prudent standards and require training for parents of foster care children. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5025: Provide for administrative procedures for withholding tax refunds for unpaid city income taxes administered by the state. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5026: Modify the definition of facility operator in the MISS DIG underground facility act. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5027-5030: Create four crime categories for elder abuse and embezzlement carrying felony sentences ranging from four to 25 years in prison and require nursing home administrators to be trained in detection of elder abuse and exploitation. Sponsors: Reps.
HB 5031: Require licensure of assisted living facilities. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5032: Establish a definition of consent in the crime of embezzlement against vulnerable adults. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5033: Revise the cap on interest of a public school employee reporting unit's late fee. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5034: Clarify the limitations and restrictions on retirement or pension benefit income deduction for a surviving spouse. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5035-5036: Require insurance coverage and create an advisory council for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders. Sponsors: Reps.
HB 5037: Provide for guardians and conservators to have to power to implant a tracking device in a ward. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5038: Require use of standardized hereditary breast and ovarian cancer screening questions by physicians. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5039: Modify the motor fuel tax exemptions. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5040-5046: Speed up the phaseout of driver responsibility fees, provide for fee forgiveness for drivers, set up education outreach for the amnesty program and for people trying to get their drivers' license back. Sponsor: Reps.
HB 5047: Exclude health maintenance organizations from the definition of an insurance company. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5048: Prohibit administrative rule-making when that authority isn't expressly stated in statute. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5049-5050: Expand the prohibition on texting while driving to include all handheld devices that can connect to the Internet. Sponsor: Rep.
HB 5051: Require that emergency manager membership on a receivership transition board to be as a nonvoting member only. Sponsor: Rep.
SB 587-588: Provide for the reduction of the sales and use tax on the difference between any rebate, discount, or price reduction and purchase price of new vehicle, watercraft, or recreational vehicle. Sponsor: Sen.
SB 589: Permit the use of electric patrol vehicles on sidewalks. Sponsor: Rep. PeterMacGregor, R-
SB 590-593: Modify the computation of net indebtedness for cities, townships and villages to include eligible reimbursements under the local community stabilization act. Sponsors: Sens.
SB 594-595: Allow a municipality or an organized entity to create a special police agency to provide law enforcement services. Sponsor: Sen.
SB 596: Provide for the development and management of recreation trails. Sponsor: Sen.
SB 597: Require physicians and hospitals to obtain consent for procedures to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment. Sponsor: Sen.
SB 598: Provide for a court determination of whether a patient advocate is acting in the best interest of a patient. Sponsor: Sen.
SB 601-603: Create a supplemental appropriations for the 2017-18 state budget. Sponsor: Sen.
For more information on the bills, go to www.legislature.mi.gov
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