Updates About Legislation

With the passing of Proposal 22-1, the Senate needs to adhere to the deadline given by the end of this year to pass financial disclosure legisaltion. Senate Bill 613-616 was introduced Tuesday, October 24, to keep state legislators accountable by mandating that they disclose their financial status as well as limit their total years served in Lansing to a maximum of 12 years.

However, legislators found that the bill has some loopholes. Legislators currently do not need to disclose gifts and their spouse’s financial income, which some view as joint income.

Michigan is currently one of two states that do not require state legislators to report their financial assets to the public.

On October 4, Michigan’s House passed four bills that amend automatic voter registration. This package would help to increase Michigan’s voter registration even more as recent reports show that Michigan sits at the third highest state to vote, having 77% of the voting age population vote in the past election.

Representative Tsernoglou’s (D-East Lansing) Bill 4983 would automatically enroll eligible voters through their state identification application to vote. This would include a Michigan resident’s driver’s license. House bill 4984, 4985, 4986, sponsored by Representative Skaggs (D-East Grand Rapids), Dievendorf (D-Lansing), and Wilson (D-Ypsilanti), makes it more clear how to decline automatic voter registration on state issued identification. Residents would receive a form that they can return to the Secretary of State if they wish to opt out of voting.

Some legislative members were not supportive of this bill package as they claim it would take more manpower in the clerk’s office because of the additional form within the driver’s license application. However, some clerks have come out in support of the bills saying it would help their election load. This bill also was opposed with concerns it could allow some non-eligible voters to be registered, although it was argued that this identification application would filter out the non-eligible voters.

A package of bills that have been finalized by the Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Task Force (EATF) received their first hearing on Wednesday, September 27, in the House Judiciary Committee. The EATF, formed in 2019, has more than 100 members and 55 organizations organized to create access to training and information, as well as advocating for legislation to protect the elderly. The package of bills introduced are set to be a part of their initiatives to implement protections for the elderly.

House Bills 4909, 4910, 4911, 4912, and 5047 would amend several provisions in the Estates and Protected Individuals Code (EPIC) as it pertains to guardians and conservators in Michigan. Notable changes include requiring professionals to be licensed and certified, establishing advisory and demonstrative bodies to handle certification and licensure, setting asset/income threshold for the appointment of a conservator, requiring visitation frequency, updating duties of a guardian ad litem for proceedings, and improving protections for those facing guardian/conservatorship as well as family members involved in the process.