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Each month, The Michigan Daily publishes a compilation of bills in the Michigan legislature to inform students at the University of Michigan about what is happening in their state.
The following article explains five bills that have been introduced, passed or signed into law by the Michigan Legislature or Gov. Gretchen Whitmer throughout the month of September.
1. Michigan Voting Rights Act
Status: Passed in the Senate
Leading up to the 2024 election, the Michigan Senate passed Senate Bills 401, 402, 403 and 404 — collectively known as the Michigan Voting Rights Act — concertedly on Sept. 17 in an effort to protect and increase the equitability and accessibility of the election process. State Senators Darrin Camilleri, D-Wayne; Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield; Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit; Erika Geiss, D-Taylor and Paul Wojno, D-Warren sponsored the legislation, which aims to prevent discrimination and disenfranchisement in voting.
Senate Bill 401, the State Voting Rights Act, focuses on encouraging and protecting participation of all eligible voters, particularly those belonging to disenfranchised groups. The bill prohibits policy that would, intentionally or not, result in disparities in the opportunity or ability of disenfranchised voters to participate in voting or other parts of the democratic process. Governing bodies have until June 2025 to fix existing policies that do not abide by the new legislation, after which the state circuit court holds the right to mandate policies, institute oversight or fine the violating governances.
The bill also creates a Michigan voting rights assistance fund, which would be supervised by the Department of Civil Rights. The fund will be used to educate citizens on voting rights, voter registration and other aspects of the electoral process. It will also educate voters on changes in voting laws, procedures and polling locations. Some funding will be directed to employees and volunteers at polling and voting locations.
Senate Bill 402, the Voting and Elections Database and Institute Act, will work alongside the State Voting Rights Act in educating voters. This bill requires the secretary of state to partner with one or more public research universities in Michigan by November of next year to create the Michigan Voting and Elections Database and Institute. The Institute would create a public registry of state voting data that would include the demographic makeup of each local government, voting locations and accessibility across the state. The universities would also sponsor research on the best voting and election practices to further the equitability, accessibility and trust in elections.
Senate Bill 403, the Language Assistance for Elections Act, would require local governments to provide language assistance for elections if a substantial percentage of its population speaks a single shared language other than English and has limited English proficiency.
Senate Bill 404 aimed to amend sections 726, 736 and 751 of Act 116 of 1954, or the Michigan election law, and add or remove parts of different acts in the law. The law reorganizes, consolidates and adds to previous election laws in the state, prescribing specific powers to officials.
The bill sets deadlines on when local governments must provide notice about changes to the ballot. These changes might include changing the hours, days or locations available for voting. In addition, it outlines deadlines for when the department of state must post relevant information on its website to ensure posting is available and accessible to individuals with disabilities or who have limited English proficiency.
Bill sponsor Geiss emphasized the achievement of these bills and their importance in promoting a healthy democratic process in a press release.
“Every voter in our state should be able to safely and confidently exercise their fundamental right to vote,” Geiss said. “We all deserve access to a welcoming democratic process without fear of intimidation or discrimination, and with the passage of (these bills), I’m proud to say that we’re one step closer to achieving that reality here in Michigan.”
2. Housing discrimination protections
Status: Passed by the House and Senate
Amendments to the Landlord-Tenant Act and the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, sponsored by almost a dozen Democratic senators, were rolled out this month. The amendments would expand existing housing discrimination protections such as those regarding race, gender and sexuality to include income-based discrimination.
Senate Bills 205 and 206 amended the Landlord-Tenant Act to prohibit landlords from discriminating against tenants and prospective tenants based on their source of income. They also would prohibit landlords from stating requirements or preferences about prospective tenants’ source of income when they advertise properties. Finally, the bills require landlords to apply rent vouchers or subsidies to their unit’s required minimum threshold of income.
Senate Bill 207 made similar prohibitions as Bills 205 and 206 but applied them to home buyers. Bill 207 would ban real estate agents, brokers and general sellers from discriminating against a prospective buyer based on their source of income.
3. Commission on Middle Eastern American affairs
Status: Referred to Committee on Government Operations
House Bill 5936, introduced by state Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn, would create a committee working to promote Middle Eastern American welfare in the state.
The committee would act as an advising body to the state on issues facing Middle Eastern Americans. It would advise the state on ways to improve the welfare and equality of Middle Eastern Americans and make specific recommendations regarding changes to existing programs and policies to do so. In addition to their advising duties, the commission would be tasked with actively developing policies and programs to promote the social, economic and political equality of Middle Eastern Americans.
The commission would also work to publicize programs, resources and opportunities available to Middle Eastern residents, and promote the recognition of Middle Eastern accomplishments and contributions to society. The body would also serve as a reporting agency for anti-Middle Eastern harassment or discrimination.
Farhat explained to the Michigan House of Representatives in Lansing that this board is vital given the large Middle Eastern American population in Michigan.
“Our state is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Middle Eastern American communities in the country,” Farhat said. “This commission will provide a platform for their voices and allow their lived experiences to inform the betterment of our state.”
4. Protections for children in court
Status: Signed by Whitmer
The Court-Appointed Special Advocate Act, sponsored by over a dozen Democratic state representatives, aims to protect the best interests of children whose custody arrangements are under the jurisdiction of state courts.
The bill offers courts a program that would screen, train and supervise CASA volunteers on how to advocate for children’s rights and interests. CASA volunteers must independently look into the best interests of the child to make recommendations to the court about placement, visitation and services for the child and their family. Volunteers are then tasked with following up with children and their families to assess the efficacy of their recommendations and report back to the court.
5. Social media restrictions for minors
Status: Referred to Committee on Health Policy
House Bill 5920, introduced by state Reps. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester; Donni Steele, R-Bloomfield and Tom Kuhn, R-Macomb, aims to protect the well-being of minors on social media.
The bill requires social media companies to verify the age of their users and — if a user is a minor — obtain parental consent for the account. The parent or guardian who expressed consent for the minor’s account would have access to see all posts by the account, as well as messages to and from the account. Additionally, time limits and hours of use would be under the parent or guardian’s control.
The bill also prevents minors’ accounts from showing up in online search results unless the minor account is linked to other accounts through friending. The bill would also prohibit targeted groups, services, products and posts to a minor’s account.
More specific rules regarding methods of implementation would be up to Attorney General Dana Nessel (D), who would decide how to verify age and parental consent, identify state membership and protect minors’ information.
Daily Staff Reporter Lyra Wilder can be reached at lyrawild@umich.edu.
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