HB 5990 modifies Michigan's child care licensing laws to clarify that foster family homes are not subject to the same licensing rules as standard child care centers. The bill requires foster families to provide a recent medical statement from a licensed physician or nurse practitioner confirming that no household member has a known condition that could affect a child's care, but it explicitly exempts these families from mandatory vaccination requirements for all household members. Additionally, the legislation outlines specific procedures for placing older children and adults with disabilities in various foster care settings, ensuring that such placements are reviewed periodically to confirm they remain in the best interests of the individuals involved.
This bill prohibits the installation and operation of cryptocurrency kiosks in Michigan, which are defined as automated terminals used to buy, sell, or exchange money for digital currency. It directly affects businesses and individuals who own or manage these kiosks, as well as property owners who allow them on their premises. Violations of the ban could result in daily fines of up to $100 and the suspension of any existing lottery sales agent licenses for 90 days. The law includes specific reporting requirements for prosecutors and the attorney general regarding enforcement actions. The bill will not take effect unless it is tied to a companion bill, HB 5987, which is also required to be enacted into law.
This bill requires Michigan health insurers and health maintenance organizations to offer a program that synchronizes multiple maintenance prescription drugs for patients with chronic long-term conditions, provided the patient, physician, and pharmacist agree it is in the patient's best interest. The law mandates that if a step therapy protocol is used to restrict drug coverage, the criteria for these protocols must be based on high-quality clinical practice guidelines developed by an unbiased, multidisciplinary panel that includes public review opportunities. Additionally, the bill establishes specific conditions under which a step therapy exception must be granted quickly, such as when a drug is contraindicated, ineffective, or causes harm, and it ensures that all relevant clinical review criteria are transparently available to patients and healthcare providers.
Senate Bill 991 amends Michigan's Consumer Protection Act to prohibit businesses from using certain algorithms and protected class data to set prices. This law directly affects companies that sell goods or services by banning the practice of adjusting prices based on factors like race, age, or other personal characteristics. The bill adds a new section to the statute to explicitly make this pricing behavior unlawful, ensuring that consumers are not charged different amounts for the same items based on their personal data.
Senate Bill 993 amends the Michigan Consumer Protection Act to explicitly classify certain violations of the Shopping Reform and Modernization Act as unfair trade practices. The bill directly affects businesses and consumers by clarifying that specific deceptive acts, such as false environmental claims about recyclability or misleading representations of product origin, are unlawful. It updates existing definitions to include new categories of consumer fraud, ensuring these specific violations are treated with the same legal weight as other deceptive business practices.
This bill requires the Michigan Department of Education to establish a list of approved elementary reading curriculum materials that schools must use. It mandates the department to approve specific screening and progress-monitoring assessments while also developing a literacy coach model to support teachers in implementing evidence-based reading instruction. The legislation outlines detailed duties for literacy coaches, such as modeling strategies and providing data-driven intervention, and sets a deadline for districts to report on individual reading improvement plans by the 2027-2028 school year. Additionally, the bill directs the department to create dyslexia expertise and regularly update a dyslexia resource guide to assist schools in addressing reading difficulties. These changes directly affect public school districts, academies, and the educators who work within them.
This bill prohibits retailers in Michigan from using dynamic pricing systems that change the total price of consumer items based on factors like time of day, weather, or customer demographics. It allows businesses to adjust prices only for spoilage, restocking, or limited promotions if an employee makes the change uniformly and clearly displays the new price. The legislation also permits digital price tags as long as the displayed price matches the final charge and remains static. Any violation of these rules would be treated as a breach of the state's consumer protection laws. The bill currently includes a provision that prevents it from taking effect until a companion bill, SB 0993, is also passed.
SB 995 proposes to create a new state tax credit for Michigan employers starting in 2026, allowing them to reduce their income tax liability by 50% of the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit they would have received. This credit is available only to businesses that hire Michigan residents who are certified by the state unemployment agency as members of specific targeted groups facing employment barriers. The bill specifies that any unused portion of the credit cannot be refunded if it exceeds the employer's tax bill, and it includes provisions for flow-through entities to claim credits based on their share of business income.
SB 985 amends Michigan's zoning enabling act to temporarily prevent local governments from adopting or enforcing new residential zoning regulations for a two-year period. This restriction applies only to rules governing land development for residential use and does not affect other types of zoning or existing ordinances. The bill is designed to pause changes in residential zoning rules while allowing local units of government to continue managing other land uses and addressing non-residential issues.
Senate Bill 984 requires state agencies in Michigan to use software that accurately reproduces a person's name on official documents. Specifically, the law mandates that such software must correctly display hyphens, bicapitalization, and apostrophes within names. This provision directly affects government employees who create communications or records containing individual names. The bill aims to prevent errors in how names appear on state-issued paperwork by setting a technical standard for the software used.
This bill allows Michigan cities, villages, and townships to vote on whether to impose a 3% excise tax on short-term rentals of accommodations to guests staying fewer than 30 days. If approved by local voters, the tax would be collected by either the property owner or online booking platforms and administered by the state Department of Treasury. The law requires local governments to publicly report how much tax revenue they collect and how they spend it, while also establishing a process for the state to withhold funds if a locality fails to submit these reports.
This bill allows certain Michigan nonprofit organizations to claim a tax credit against state income tax withholdings for wages paid to qualified employees. The credit applies to tax years starting on or after January 1, 2026, and is limited to 50% of the amount the employer would have received under a federal work opportunity credit. To qualify, employees must be Michigan residents certified by the state unemployment agency as members of a targeted group, and the credit cannot be refunded if it exceeds the employer's withholding tax liability. The legislation also requires that any unused federal credits from previous years be excluded from the calculation. The bill will only take effect if a companion bill, SB 995, is also passed into law.
