Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024
I voted NO on HB 5527(S-2) (Rep. Fitzgerald) Would require all public schools to have a cardiac emergency response plan in place that includes the use of school personnel to respond to a sudden cardiac arrest on the school’s campus. AEDs would be required to be on-site. Also requires that any public high school athletic coach must be trained and certified in CPR and AED use. EXPLANATION: The increased cost to the school aid budget would be enormous and school districts should be able to decide on how best to spend the money within their respective communities.
PASSED: 77-30

I voted NO on HB 4618 (Rep. Coffia) Would incorporate regional airport authorities into the publicly funded health insurance contribution act. EXPLANATION: Giving only some airports more latitude in the compensation packages they are able to offer amounts to more special carve outs for some regional airports while still excluding others. Going from allowing some airports this latitude, to a different amount of some, is not fair.
PASSED 83-24

Tuesday, April 24th, 2024
I voted NO on HB 4519 (Rep. Scott) Would designate May 2nd as “Negro Leagues Day”. EXPLANATION: The state does not need to memorialize days for flowery reasons and good feels, instead the state should be solving real problems, repealing unconstitutional laws and getting out of the way.
PASSED 104-3

I voted NO on HB 5077&78 (Reps. Vanderwall & Rheingans) Would add distribution to authorized opioid antagonist activities by employees or agents of a Michigan agency and modify the public health code to reflect changes made. EXPLANATION: Michigan taxpayers should not have to fund this ridiculous measure that could quickly lead to state agents handing them out like candy.
PASSED 96-11; PASSED 96-11

I voted NO on HB 4169 &70 (Reps. Rogers & Wozniak) Would create the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact to allow for the privilege to practice in member states under the compact and state requirements. EXPLANATION: This represents yet another opportunity for private businesses to become entangled with the state in a manner inviting corruption. While licensure reciprocity is generally better than not, giving more power and blank checks to unelected bureaucrats is not advisable.
PASSED 53-44

I voted NO on HB 5534 (Rep. Breen) Would create a new act titled as the “Trial Court Funding Act of 2024.” The bill would grant new powers to the State Court Administrative Office to determine the amount of court costs that can be imposed on a criminal defendant at time of sentencing. EXPLANATION: The laundry list of communist buzzwords in this tie-barred bill is as long as they come; central planning, robin hooding, redistribution of wealth, new powers, removing local control, surrender. Instead of a government solution to a government made problem, the state should restore the court’s ability to arrest convicted criminals for nonpayment.
FAILED 53-52

I voted NO on HB 5392 (Lightner) Would extend the sunset date on trial courts’ ability to impose court costs when sentencing a criminal defendant. Currently, the sunset date is May 1, 2024. EXPLANATION: This bill should be tie-barred to a tax-cut of some kind. This is an opportunity to constrain the government because the government would be forced to otherwise fund the courts using other mechanisms. Always constrain the government, or the government will constrain you.