House Bill 4119
This bill makes it easier for seniors, disabled people, and eligible members of the military to qualify to defer their winter property tax bill. Currently, in order to qualify, eligible taxpayers must provide a copy of their application for their Homestead Property Tax Credit by February 15. Once these taxpayers receive their Homestead Credit refund, they can use it to pay their winter tax bill. However, many taxpayers do not have their Homestead Credit application completed by February 15 since W-2s and other documentation needed to complete one’s Income Taxes is often not sent until late January. This bill would make it easier to obtain the Homestead Property Tax Credit by allowing taxpayers to use their previous year's Homestead Credit application, along with proof that they still reside at the same residence. HB 4119 passed the House unanimously on March 17, 2009, and is pending before the Senate Finance Committee.
House Bill 4237
Last session, the Michigan Legislature enacted new penalties for people who attempt to fraudulently return beverage containers and collect a bottle deposit when they never paid the deposit on those containers in the first place. House Bill 4237 would create sentencing guidelines for people who are convicted of these new crimes. HB 4237 passed the House unanimously on May 19, 2009 and is pending before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
House Bill 4476
This bill would require insurance companies to cover treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as prescribed by a physician or psychologist. Currently, many families facing a diagnosis of autism also discover the devastating reality that their insurance company will not cover treatment for ASD. Proven therapies such as applied behavioral analysis, speech and language instruction, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and psychological evaluation can dramatically improve the functioning of those with autism, but insurance companies often will not cover these services even though they would be covered for patients with a different diagnosis. This is discrimination. Costs for treatment may exceed $50,000 per year for a child with autism. Research has shown that this investment, while significant, will pay for itself many times over through savings to schools and the health care system when autism is treated early.
House Bill 4476 passed the House with a strong, bipartisan vote of 83 to 25 on June 24, 2009. It is pending before the Senate Economic Development and Regulatory Reform Committee.
House Bill 4477
House Bill 4477 creates a check off on Michigan's Income Tax forms by which individuals could contribute to a proposed autism research fund. Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder typically lasting throughout a person's lifetime. Autism impairs the ability to communicate and relate to others. It is associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. In Michigan, the number of children in public schools diagnosed with autism increased by more than 100 percent between 2001 and 2006. Despite all this, autism currently receives less than 5 percent of the research funding directed toward less prevalent childhood diseases. HB 4477 passed the House on April 2, 2009 and is pending before the Senate Finance Committee.
House Bill 4503
This bill would allow for the submission of an affidavit to correct errors or omissions on documents at the Register of Deeds. Currently, Michigan law does not provide a property owner any easy way to fix errors in a deed once they are discovered, and this bill would a means to do so. Under HB 4503, the person submitting the affidavit must be knowledgeable about the particular facts behind the affidavit. In Michigan, the Register of Deeds office is the place where people record documents relating to land transactions, including land contracts, mortgages, liens, and lease agreements. HB 4503 passed the House overwhelmingly on August 26, 2009 and is pending before the Senate Local, Urban, and State Affairs Committee.
House Bill 4586
This bill one of 11 bills House Democrats have introduced to combat predatory lending practices. Together, the bills would rename the Consumer Mortgage Protection Act as the Home Loan Protection Act (HLPA) and include high-cost home loans, and would prohibit a creditor from extending a home loan unless the borrower was reasonably determined to be able to repay the loan. The bills also prohibit a creditor from making a high-cost home loan without documentation that the borrower received counseling on the advisability of the loan, and prohibit charging prepayment fees or penalties, among other safeguards.
House Bill 4586, specifically, updates the "Borrowers Bill of Rights" and "Consumer Caution and Home Ownership Counseling Notice" that lenders are required to provide to applicants for a mortgage loan.
House Bill 4729
House Bill 4729 is one of ten bills aimed at protecting consumers in Michigan from identity theft.  According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Michigan and across the country. About 10 million people become victims of identity theft each year at a total cost of $49 billion in 2006.
This bill, specifically, would create an eleven-member Identity Theft Commission within the Department of Information Technology. The Commission would regularly make recommendations to the Legislature about further actions Michigan could take to protect consumers from identity theft. HB 4729 passed the House by a vote of 103 to 5 on September 9, 2009, and is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
House Bill 4953
This is one of two bills introduced to draw interstate truck drivers into Michigan. House Bills 4953 and 4954 provide interstate trucks the option to pay for diesel sales tax either at the pump or on their quarterly federal International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reports, which is acceptable in neighboring states. Michigan originally had this option until 2002, but the new tax structure required the change to the current law of paying for the taxes directly at the pump. Since diesel taxes currently appear less expensive in neighboring states, many fuel stops and small businesses along the southern border of Michigan are struggling as a result of trucks keeping their business outside the state line.
House Bill 5091, 5106, 5107, 5108, and 5109
House Bill 5091 will allow chiropractors to offer patient care on a broader scope, giving them the chance to utilize the skills and proficiencies already learned during their schooling. It also gives the Department of Community Health and the Michigan Board of Chiropractic more control in regards to oversight and education, ensuring that chiropractors practice this expanded scope in a manner that is both beneficial and safe for citizens of Michigan. In addition, HB 5091 requires additional continued education courses or practice hours – a measure that has been encouraged but never required in statute.
This important measure will allow citizens of the state of Michigan to receive the same sort of chiropractic care that residents of other states enjoy, without having to venture to other border states that hold a more expanded scope of practice. HB's 5106 – 5109 would clarify that insurance carriers are not required to cover the expanded scope of practice for chiropractic treatment.
House Bill 5327
This bill would specify that in order to receive an abatement, new personal property could not have previously been placed in service by an eligible business claiming a property tax exemption. Currently, in order to qualify for abatement, a company must purchase personal property that was not previously placed in service anywhere in Michigan.
With the economy forcing so many Michigan businesses to close or downsize, good deals exist for our remaining businesses to purchase used equipment. Unfortunately, under current law, that equipment would not qualify for a tax abatement. Current law forces companies to buy personal property from out of state because they needed the tax incentive. This state-sponsored incentive to purchase equipment outside Michigan makes little sense. What is more, it is particularly distressing in a border community such as ours, where it is so easy to cross state lines in order to save money.
House Bill 5370
House Bill 5370 requires the state to provide health insurance coverage for the spouse and dependents of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty. Public safety officers would include a firefighter, law enforcement officer, or emergency first responder. Currently, only dependents are eligible for such coverage, not spouses who are caring for dependent children. Under HB 5370, the insurance provided must be comparable to that received by the public safety officer before his or her death. Coverage would continue until a spouse qualifies for comparable health insurance coverage elsewhere and until a dependent reaches 18 years of age. The House passed this legislation almost unanimously in 2007, but unfortunately, the Senate chose not to consider the bill. The legislation has received support from the Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union and the Police Officers Association of Michigan.
You can follow the status of all legislation in the state House and Senate at www.legislature.mi.gov.