Michigan House Bill 6309 designates a specific section of highway M-86 in Branch County as the "Casey Rice Memorial Highway." The named portion begins at the intersection with US-12 and extends west to Arbogast Road. This bill amends the state's memorial highway act to formally recognize this stretch of road, serving as a tribute to Casey Rice.
Michigan House Bill 6252 requires developers or operators of large-scale data centers to submit a thermal impact assessment to the state public service commission at least 120 days before beginning construction, expansion, or significant modifications. The bill defines a large-scale data center as one with an information technology load of 25 megawatts or more, or a total electrical demand of 50 megawatts or more, and mandates that these assessments be prepared by qualified professionals using standard scientific practices. Developers must pay a review fee and provide copies of the assessment to local governments, planning commissions, and zoning boards within 30 days of submission to ensure public notice of potential localized heat impacts. The commission will issue a certificate of completeness once it determines the submission is administratively complete, which expires after 24 months unless extended or updated. Violations of these requirements are subject to civil fines of up to $10,000 per day, and the bill explicitly states that it does not create new land use or permitting authority beyond this certification process.
Michigan House Bill 6253 amends the Skilled Trades Regulation Act to clarify that testing backflow prevention assemblies on automatic fire suppression systems does not require a plumbing license. The bill also makes minor grammatical corrections to existing language regarding who is responsible for proper installation and code compliance. These changes directly affect plumbers, contractors, and other professionals working in Michigan by specifying when a license is not required for specific plumbing tasks.
Michigan House Bill 6251 requires developers and operators of large-scale data centers to submit a detailed energy infrastructure and thermal management evaluation to the state public service commission before beginning construction, expansion, or major modifications. A facility is considered large-scale if it has an aggregate critical information technology load of at least 25 megawatts or a total electrical demand of at least 50 megawatts, including phased developments that collectively meet these thresholds. The evaluation must be prepared by a qualified professional and include specific data on anticipated power usage, cooling systems, water consumption, and potential impacts on local infrastructure, with copies required to be filed with affected local governments and electric providers. Developers must pay a review fee and face civil fines of up to $10,000 per day for violations, while the commission is granted authority to issue certificates of completeness that expire after 24 months unless updated or extended.
Michigan House Bill 6272 amends the state vehicle code to establish a default speed limit of 55 miles per hour for county highways with gravel or unimproved surfaces. The bill allows municipalities in counties with populations of one million or more to request that this limit be lowered to 45 miles per hour on specific road segments, with the municipality covering any associated signage costs. Alternatively, if a different speed is requested, the state police must conduct a traffic study after full gravel maintenance protocols are completed to set a new limit based on free-flowing traffic data.
HB 6247 establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework in Michigan for the geologic storage of carbon dioxide, requiring operators to obtain permits from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy that align with federal standards. The bill authorizes the leasing of state-owned lands and pore space for these projects, while permitting specific surface activities on commercial forestland and wilderness areas under strict conditions to protect natural resources. It creates a unitization process to manage shared subsurface interests among multiple property owners and mandates long-term monitoring of storage sites for at least 50 years after injection ceases. Upon successful completion and verification of site safety, the state assumes ownership and liability for the stored carbon dioxide, releasing the original operator from future regulatory responsibilities.
Michigan employers licensed to sell alcohol, such as bars and restaurants, can claim a $250 tax credit for each employee who completes required training on preventing positional asphyxiation. This training is specifically designed for staff members, including bouncers, whose job duties involve the potential restraint of other individuals. The bill mandates that employers cover the costs of this instruction to qualify for the credit against their state income tax withholdings. These provisions are set to take effect for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, provided two related bills from the current legislative session are also enacted into law.
This Michigan bill requires electric providers to offer a voluntary green pricing program that allows customers to choose how much of their electricity comes from renewable sources. It mandates that regulated utilities create a specific "clean technologies accelerator tariff" for commercial and industrial participants, ensuring these businesses directly pay for the renewable energy they procure rather than spreading those costs across all ratepayers. The legislation also protects customers who source at least half of their power through the program from paying certain compliance surcharges and requires providers to notify other participants about additional fees. The bill only takes effect if seven related companion bills are also enacted into law.
This bill amends Michigan's management and budget act to restrict state agencies from purchasing commercial-off-the-shelf software under specific conditions. It prohibits contracting with a vendor if the product requires custom coding to meet agency requirements and either the labor costs exceed the base price of the software or the vendor cannot provide more than one example of a successful implementation. The measure defines commercial-off-the-shelf products as ready-made software available for sale, lease, or license to the general public.
HB 6268 amends Michigan's Revised Judicature Act to establish a clearer, tiered system for determining the proper county where civil lawsuits must be filed. The bill prioritizes counties where a defendant resides, has a place of business, or conducts business, and expands the definition of conducting business to include locations where a defendant's products are sold at retail. If no such county exists for a defendant, the law allows cases to be filed in a county connected to the plaintiff, provided that specific conditions regarding both parties' presence in that county are met. Additionally, the legislation requires actions against court-appointed fiduciaries to be filed in the county of their appointment and permits parties to request venue changes based on hardship or inconvenience.
Michigan House Bill 6257 amends the state's management and budget act to require independent verification and validation services for all information technology projects with a contract value exceeding $10 million. The Department of Technology, Management, and Budget must work with relevant state agencies to secure these external reviews, aiming to keep the cost of such services below 5% of the total project contract. Independent vendors are required to submit progress reports at least quarterly, though monthly reporting is preferred, to a broad list of recipients including legislative committees, fiscal agencies, and the technology vendors involved in the project.
Michigan House Bill 6260 amends the state penal code to modify the legal definition of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and establish stricter sentencing guidelines for offenders. The bill expands the list of aggravating circumstances that elevate a crime to this most serious level, specifically including acts committed by school employees, volunteers, or child care providers who use their professional status to gain access to victims aged 13 to 15. It also broadens the definition of force and coercion to include situations where an actor uses medical treatment unethically or overcomes a victim through concealment or surprise.
Regarding penalties, the bill mandates that anyone convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct must receive lifetime electronic monitoring in addition to their prison sentence. It increases the minimum prison term for adults who commit these acts against children under 13 and imposes a mandatory life sentence without parole for repeat offenders who have previously been convicted of similar crimes against young children.
