BILL PACKAGE HBs 5450-5451:  HB 5450 (Beson) – prevents municipalities from imposing fees, taxes, or assessments on mobile food establishments. HB 5451 (H-1) (Aragona) – creates a uniform fire safety standard for mobile food establishments.

Sponsors:  Reps. Beson (R) & Aragona (R)                        

HB 5450 Passage:  63-43 with Immediate Effect

HB 5451 Passage:  96-10 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: Streamlining this process and eliminating burdensome fees helps food trucks stay profitable and remain a viable business opportunity.

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HB 5364:  Requires legislative approval for revisions to academic standards.

Sponsor:  Rep. Johnsen (R)                      

Passage:  56-50 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: The bill stops the state board of education from implementing controversial changes to the academic standards without broader public input or legislative approval.

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HB 5467:  Clarifies when a replacement candidate may be chosen and when ballots must be reprinted if a candidate dies before an election.

Sponsor:  Rep. Smit (R)                             

Passage:  60-46 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: The window ensures that multiple ballots are not in circulation when early or absentee voting has begun. Putting these timelines into law gives local election officials certainty in difficult situations. Clerks shouldn’t face legal threats simply for doing their jobs during unexpected circumstances.

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HB 5468:  Clarifies what information must appear on a candidate’s filing affidavit and requires Congressional candidates to indicate whether they are residents of the district they seek to represent.

Sponsor:  Rep. Smit (R)                             

Passage:  103-3 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: The only people who oppose requiring congressional candidates to disclose where they live are the carpetbaggers who trick voters while living it up at a luxury beach house or swanky downtown apartment outside the community they’re trying to represent. Voters deserve to know whether someone is truly their neighbor or just claiming to be.

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HB 4572:  Funding for Selfridge Air National Guard Base

Sponsor:  Rep. Robinson (R)                    

Passage:  65-41 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: This funding will ensure the construction is done at the base to secure the new fighter jets and refueling tankers.

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HB 5162:  Reduces the timeframe for scheduling controlled substances after federal changes.

Sponsor:  Rep. St. Germaine (R)                            

Passage:  99-7 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: This avoids any delays for new substances and could help patients receive new drugs timelier.

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BILL PACKAGE HBs 5380-5386:  HB 5380 (Tisdel) would ease requirements to become a captive sponsor. HB 5381 (Cavitt) would expand the definition of “participant” and “sponsor” to include any approved party. HB 5382 (Young) would strike calendar date requirements to align regulatory compliance with captives that use Fiscal Years. HB 5383 (Neyer) would change the captive application fee from $10,000 to $5,000 as well as the renewal fee due date from March 1st to 90 days after the captive’s Fiscal Year ends. HB 5384 (B. Carter) would require participants to ensure the risks of affiliates or controlled unaffiliated businesses. HB 5385 (Aragona) would allow captives to write excess worker’s compensation insurance, keep records out of state, and align application fees and certificate renewal dates with changes made by HB 5382. HB 5386 (Schuette) would codify the requirement that captives licensed under Chapter 46 of the Insurance Code file audited financial statements with DIFS.

Sponsors:  Reps. Tisdel (R), Cavitt (R), Young (D), Neyer (R), B. Carter (D), Aragona (R), Schuette (R)                  

HBs 5380-5382 & 5384-5386 Passages:  104-2 with Immediate Effect

HB 5383 Passage:  106-0 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: Insurance captives can offer important benefits for users, including reduced overhead, more customized coverage options tailored to the company’s specific needs, and more.

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BILL PACKAGE HBs 5232-5233:  Require that firefighters and police officers who are also members of the National Guard or reserves to be granted at least 26 paid military leave days per year.

Sponsors:  Reps. Koleszar (D) & Robinson (R)                 

Passages:  101-8 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: Service in the armed forces should be facilitated and not discouraged, especially for first responders who serve this state and country both on the job and as a member of the reserves.

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BILL PACKAGE HBs 4790-4791:  Mandate the option of a menopause continued education course for physicians and require the department to implement a menopause education program.

Sponsors:  Reps. Thompson (R) & Steckloff (D)                              

Passage:  100-9 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO: Continuing education courses on menopause are already available.