VanderWall, O’Malley vote on marijuana rules, teenagers stocking liquor, school pensions

• 2021 House Bill 4205, Authorize a no-fee snowmobile weekend

To designate one weekend each winter in which the state’s snowmobile trails would be open with no requirement to register and pay fees.

Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

• 2021 House Bill 4994, Authorize unclaimed shoe repair contributions

To create a new state law prescribing that a cobbler or other person engaged in the business of shoe repair may donate unclaimed shoes to a charitable organization registered with the state after six months.

Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

• 2021 Senate Bill 726, Authorize more school pension “double dipping”

To reduce from a year to four months the time period a former public school employee must be retired to be eligible to collect a paycheck as a substitute teacher while also collecting pension checks.

Passed 34 to 2 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

• 2021 House Bill 5525, Authorize supplemental state spending

To appropriate $135.7 million to state’s unemployment compensation fund and agency for benefits and specified operations including fraud investigations, and $4 million to the attorney general to help with the epidemic-related unemployment fraud issues.

Passed 98 to 5 in the House

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2021 House Bill 5525, Authorize “supplemental” state spending

To appropriate $135.7 million to state’s unemployment compensation fund and agency for benefits and specified operations including fraud investigations, and $4 million to the attorney general to help with the epidemic-related unemployment fraud issues.

Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

• 2021 Senate Bill 565, Appropriate federal money to water programs

To appropriate $4.7 billion to spend on water and wastewater infrastructure programs and grants. Of this $4.13 billion comes from federal “stimulus” and relief dollars, with the rest money collected by the state.

Passed 95 to 7 in the House

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2021 Senate Bill 565, Appropriate federal money to water programs

To appropriate $4.7 billion to spend on water and wastewater infrastructure programs and grants. Of this $4.13 billion comes from federal “stimulus” and relief dollars, with the rest money collected by the state.

Passed 34 to 3 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

• 2022 House Bill 5695, Let minors age 16 stock liquor store shelves

To permit minors age 16 and up to stock shelves and do related functions in a business that sells liquor.

Passed 83 to 19 in the House

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2021 Senate Bill 302, Republican election rules package

To add to the declarations an individual makes when registering to vote a statement that the individual “understands it is a felony to offer to vote or attempt to vote more than once at the same election, in either the same or another voting precinct.” This is part of a Republican election integrity package that comprises Senate Bills 273 to 311.

Passed 62 to 40 in the House

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2022 House Bill 5871, Revise marijuana business rule detail

To revise a provision of the complex, highly detailed — and profitable to the state —  marijuana business licensure regime, so as to permit transferring medical marijuana from one form of licensed “facility” to another.

Passed 101 to 2 in the House

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2022 House Bill 5726, Revise restrictions on minors working in liquor industry

Passed 84 to 19 in the House

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2021 House Bill 4811, Remove assessment scores from public school transcripts

Passed 104 to 1 in the House

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2021 House Bill 5384, Revise high school diploma rule details

To exempt certain “specialty schools” from certain curriculum requirements.

Passed 103 to 2 in the House

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2022 House Bill 5704, Ease state restrictions on home-based “cottage food” operations

To authorize and define the “third-party food delivery platforms” that House Bill 5671 would mandate home-based “cottage food” operations would have to use to make internet or mail-order sales.

Passed 61 to 44 in the House 

State Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure.

• 2021 Senate Bill 247, Mandate standard electronic prescription authorization process

Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

• 2022 Senate Bill 940, Waive certain school funding requirements post-2020-2021 school year

To waive in the 2021-22 school year certain hours of instruction and attendance requirements a public school must meet to obtain full state funding, if it met those requirements in the 2020-21 school year. The bill would also authorize giving schools permission to not administer the annual Michigan Merit Examination given to 11th graders to assess what they have learned.

Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

• 2022 Senate Bill 941, Create exception for school violating teacher rating requirement

To exempt in the 2021-22 school year a particular school district from a rule that requires each public school to assess the performance of its teachers after each school year.

Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.