Rep. Tim Kelly

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6284 updates the state's sentencing guidelines by amending Section 16m of the Code of Criminal Procedure to include specific firearm-related felonies. The bill creates a comprehensive list of offenses, ranging from selling firearms to minors and prohibited persons to discharging guns in vehicles or at dwellings, assigning each a specific classification level and maximum prison sentence. These classifications determine how judges calculate sentences for these crimes, with penalties varying based on the severity of the act and any resulting injuries or deaths. The legislation is tied to House Bill 6285 and will not take effect unless that companion bill is also enacted into law.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates euchre as the official game of the state of Michigan. It creates a new act to formally establish this title in state law. The legislation does not impose any regulations or restrictions on how the game is played, but rather serves as a symbolic designation for the state.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6287 modifies the state's public health code to streamline how new birth certificates are issued for individuals who have undergone adoptions, established parentage through assisted reproduction, or requested a change in their sex designation. The bill specifies that the state registrar must issue a new certificate when presented with specific legal documents, such as adoption reports or court orders, and restricts additional documentation requirements for sex designation changes to a signed form and any applicable name change order. It also updates procedures for handling name changes on birth records, distinguishing between cases where an addendum is sufficient versus those requiring a completely new certificate. Additionally, the legislation revises fee structures for vital record searches and corrections, introducing specific charges for various services while providing free copies to veterans seeking benefits, licensed child placing agencies, and individuals who can verify their homeless status through designated federal documentation.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6281 amends the Motor Fuels Quality Act to update regulations for gasoline and diesel fuel sold in the state. The bill directs the director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to establish specific standards for fuel purity, additives, and octane ratings, while mandating a vapor pressure limit of 9.0 psi for most retail outlets during the summer months from June 1 to September 15. It also clarifies that certain counties with stricter air quality requirements must continue using lower vapor pressure fuels of 7.0 or 7.8 psi unless federal and state agencies determine those standards are no longer necessary. Additionally, the legislation permits the year-round sale of E15 fuel, which contains 10.5% to 15% ethanol, provided that dispensing pumps are clearly labeled in accordance with federal law.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6285 removes state-level restrictions on the manufacture, sale, and possession of silencers, shotguns with barrels shorter than 18 inches, and rifles with barrels shorter than 16 inches. The bill amends the Michigan penal code to eliminate these specific items from the list of prohibited weapons, effectively legalizing them for private citizens while maintaining existing federal regulations. It also repeals a separate section of the law that previously addressed short-barreled shotguns, ensuring consistency in the state's firearm statutes.

Maddy summaryMichigan House Bill 6286 creates a new legal standard that allows injured parties to sue freight brokers and carriers for damages caused by commercial motor vehicles. The bill holds these companies liable if they hire, retain, supervise, or train an employee or independent contractor who has a specific unfitness that poses a danger to others. To be held responsible, the broker or carrier must have known or should have known about this particular unfitness at the time of hiring or supervision, and that unfitness must have directly caused the injury. The law defines "particular unfitness" as a specific trait or prior conduct indicating unsuitability for a task, explicitly excluding general incompetence from liability.

Maddy summaryThis 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.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryMichigan 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.

Maddy summaryThis Michigan bill amends the Legislative Council Act to require state fiscal agencies in both the House and Senate to include specific estimates of costs for local governments in their financial analyses of bills. The new requirement mandates that these analyses detail the direct and indirect expenses local units of government would incur to comply with state laws or regulations created by the legislation. To ensure accuracy, the bill stipulates that these cost estimates must be developed in part through consultations with representatives from the affected local governments. These updated fiscal notes must be provided to committee clerks and made available to the public on the internet, with revisions required if the bill text changes.