Sen. Ed McBroom

Email: SenEMcBroom@senate.michigan.gov

Phone: 866-305-2038

Sponsored bills introduced

Sen. Ed McBroom only introduced one bill in September. Senate Bill 633 would modify the Open Meetings Act to allow certain government bodies to meet electronically. No vote has occurred, but it has been forwarded from the Committee on Oversight back to the “Committee of the Whole” which is the entire Senate. There are several bills that have been proposed along these lines since the pandemic forced most government meetings to be held virtually.

There are some benefits and drawbacks for the citizenry if their leaders hold meetings electronically, and I’ll review a few later this week in the Inside Scoop.

Votes of note

Sen. McBroom voted in favor of limiting the use of the public warning system to emergencies involving immediate or imminent loss of life or property as part of House Bill 4061. This bill was vetoed by the governor and has been returned to the House.

He also voted in favor of House Bill 4272, to assert the immunity of gas cans from federal regulation as long as they’re made and sold entirely in Michigan. This bill has also been vetoed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a clear violation of federal law and a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Sen. McBroom voted in favor of voting change bills, House Bill 4837, which restricts outside groups’ access to the state voter file; House Bill 4838, which prohibits internet connections to state poll books; House Bill 4528, which requires training for partisan polling place challengers; and House Bill 4492, which would expand allowable polling places to various tax-exempt locations under certain restrictions, rather than only publicly-owned buildings. Gov. Whitmer vetoed these bills, writing that 4837, 4838, and 4492 were either attempts to suppress the vote or perpetuate the “Big Lie” of widespread voter fraud. She wrote that 4528 was worth “further consideration” but needed to be funded.

Sen. McBroom supported Senate Bill 280, which would require ballot initiative signatures to be reviewed by the canvassing board within 100 days and that if the signatures are declared to be sufficient, that the bill immediately and automatically is forwarded to the legislature for consideration. If the petition is filed at least 160 days before the next general November election, the law would require the canvass to be complete at least 100 days before the election.

This bill would accelerate a process the Republican legislative majority has used several times to amend and adopt weaker versions of citizen-initiated bills. The bill is now in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Greg Markkanen

Email: GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov

Phone: 517-373-0850

Sponsored bills introduced

None in September.

Votes of note

Rep. Greg Markkanen also favored House Bills 4837, 4838, 4528, and 4492 written about above.

He has also voted in favor of Senate Bill 277, which would create a required process for removing deceased voters from the qualified voter file and posting data. This bill has been passed by the Senate, then the House then returned to the Senate for a concurring vote, which it hasn’t received yet.

Other ‘Tales’

House Bill 4471, which would ban COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of employment, hasn’t seen any movement since March.

Senate Bill 446 would prohibit local governments from using zoning laws to control Airbnb-style rentals. It hasn’t seen any movement since May.

Senate Bill 412 has received broad support, including from Sen. McBroom when it passed the Senate in September. It would exclude AIDS medication from prior authorization provisions in Medicaid.