Rep. John Fitzgerald

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6293 establishes the MiNURSES program within the state health department to increase the recruitment, placement, and retention of primary care nurses in rural and urban underserved areas. The bill provides financial assistance for nursing education loans or scholarships to nurses who agree to a two-year service obligation working full-time in designated underserved locations. Payments are made as lump sums at the end of each year of service, funded by a new state treasury account that can receive money from various sources. An advisory commission is created to make recommendations on program operations, and the department must publish an annual report detailing the program's cost-effectiveness, successes, and challenges.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6294 creates a new individual income tax credit for health care professionals who serve as preceptors for student clinical rotations at approved state institutions. For tax years between 2027 and 2031, eligible preceptors can claim $1,000 for every 250 hours of supervision completed, with a maximum annual credit of $3,000. To qualify, the professional must not receive any other payment for their preceptor services and must submit certified documentation verifying their hours when filing their tax return. Any portion of the credit that exceeds the taxpayer's total tax liability for the year will be refunded to them.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6318 amends the state election law to explicitly prohibit denying or abridging any citizen's right to vote based on their sex. The bill adds a new section, 492c, to the Michigan Election Code to establish this specific protection. This provision directly affects all voters in the state by ensuring that gender cannot be used as a basis for restricting voting access.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6292 establishes the Michigan Doctors in Underserved, Rural, and Systemic Equity Settings (MiDOCS) program within the state's Department of Health to address physician shortages in underserved communities. The bill requires the department to partner with medical schools to create at least one new primary care residency slot per school and to recruit physicians for these areas. In exchange for a two-year full-time service obligation in an assigned underserved community, the program provides participating physicians with loan repayment assistance paid annually upon completion of their service. Additionally, the legislation creates a dedicated state fund to finance the program and establishes an advisory commission composed of health sector representatives to guide its implementation and oversight.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6295 creates a state grant program to help medical, nursing, and other health professions schools promote primary care careers to middle school and high school students. The Department of Health and Human Services would administer the program by awarding grants to eligible educational institutions that agree to conduct outreach activities targeting these younger student groups. A dedicated fund within the state treasury would support the grants, with money carried over from year to year rather than expiring. The department is also required to publish an annual public report detailing the program's cost-effectiveness, successes, challenges, and recommendations for future changes.

Maddy summaryHB 6289 establishes the Primary Care Access, Improvement, and Transformation Commission within Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services to advise on strategies for expanding access to affordable primary care. The commission will consist of 21 members appointed by the governor from lists provided by various medical, nursing, hospital, and advocacy organizations, representing a broad range of stakeholders including physicians, community health workers, insurers, and patients. Its key duties include recommending ways to increase state spending on primary care by at least 12%, analyzing other states' models and federal innovation programs, and publishing an annual report on workforce trends, payer spending, and the impact of artificial intelligence. The bill also requires the commission to hold regional meetings for public feedback and mandates a review of its continued necessity after eight years, with the act itself expiring ten years after it takes effect.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6291 establishes a new "medical education debt stabilization for students program" administered by the state's higher education loan authority. The bill authorizes loans specifically for residents enrolled in graduate-level medical, nursing, or physician assistant programs within Michigan who are training in high-demand specialties such as family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, psychiatry, and emergency medicine. To be eligible, applicants must have already exhausted the maximum aggregate limit of federal student loans authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965. This program aims to provide additional financial support to medical trainees in these specific fields who can no longer access further federal borrowing.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6290 establishes the Office of Primary Care Transformation within the Department of Health and Human Services to improve access to and the quality of primary care services. The office is tasked with providing technical assistance to medical practices, expanding the healthcare workforce, addressing patient social needs, and strengthening partnerships with community organizations. Additionally, the bill creates a dedicated primary care transformation fund in the state treasury to support these initiatives, with funds remaining available across fiscal years rather than lapsing. This legislation only takes effect if a related companion bill is also enacted into law.

Maddy summaryThis 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.

Maddy summaryMichigan's HB 6265 requires owners and operators of data centers to submit annual reports to the state public service commission detailing their total water and electricity consumption, along with the sources of that water and the percentage of electricity derived from renewable energy. These reporting obligations begin on March 1, 2028, and if the commission finds a submitted report inaccurate or incomplete, it must notify the operator to file corrected information within 30 days. The bill authorizes civil fines of up to $10,000 for each day a violation continues, with collected penalties deposited into the state general fund. This legislation only takes effect if several other specific bills from the current legislative session are also enacted into law.