The full senate passed HB 4629 today, a bill to regulate digital billboards, the last day of session until the new year.  This bill was created in most part to deal with issues that were presented to MDOT from a federal audit done on the Highway Advertising Act. If these issues (definition for digital billboards, definition for non-conforming billboard, etc) are not address, the state will lose a portion of their federal transportation funding.  This bill would allow a local unit of government to create a more stringent policy than that at the state level if they so choose to.  We also asked that the word “operation” be added into what can be regulated by the local unit of government to ensure that digital billboards would be encompassed in that definition.

There were many amendments made this week (many of them dealing with MDOT) to the legislation but the local control piece and the addition of “operation” remained a part of the finished product leaving committee.

Once the full House concurs with the changes (since it was a house originated bill) it will be sent to the governor for his signature.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305

HB 5140, a bill to allow a transfer of an escrowed Specially Designated Distributor (SDD – off premise) liquor license to any municipality within the county in which the SDD license was located, passed the full senate yesterday.  As introduced, the transfer would require local approval before it could occur.  However, that local approval language was stripped during the Senate Regulatory Reform committee yesterday afternoon and then passed through the entire Senate and concurred with by the House yesterday afternoon/evening. The actual bill was never posted on the committee agenda and there was no communication with the League that this would be coming up for discussion.

Currently, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission does not require local approval for a new SDD license or for the transfer of ownership of an SDD license.

Additionally, language was added in saying that prior to a new SDD license being issued, the applicant must state they attempted to secure an escrowed SDD license within the county and that one was not readily available.

As this law is implemented and you experience this in your community, please contact me with any issues you encounter so that I can be communicating any problems our local municipalities are facing because of this to legislators and the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

The Senate passed HB 4593 and 4595 yesterday, a package of bills to help deal with scrap metal theft, with changes made to HB 4593 after a 3 day hold of payment provision was taken out in Senate committee.  The changes made to the bill added back in the three day hold starting Oct 1, 2014 for catalytic converters, copper wire (including burnt copper), and AC units unless the industry, in coordination with the Michigan State Police, creates and implements a statewide database accessible by law enforcement for these items.

After concurrence by the full House (since they are house originated bills), they will make their way to the governor’s desk for his signature.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

The Senate unanimously passed HB 4996, the crowdfunding legislation, today!  All that is left for this to become law is for the House to concur (since it was a house originated bill) and a signature from the governor. We are an arm’s reach away from being able to assist a segment of our economy that will prove to be huge economic drivers, those new small businesses and those wishing to expand.

HB 4996, a creative approach to economic development, will allow the sales of securities to an unlimited number of non-accredited investors, provided the issuer registers with the State of Michigan.  Any Michiganders who do not fit the federal definition of an accredited investor are given the opportunity to support their local entrepreneurs, existing small businesses, and real estate investments.

Additionally, here are a few documents with information on crowdfunding to help get you thinking if you are looking to start something like this in your community.  These documents were prepared by students in U of M’s Ford School of Public Policy who have done extensive research on this.  The first is a document for local investors (crowdfunding_investors) and the second for local businesses (crowdfunding_businesses).

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

The Senate Transportation committee passed out HB 4629 yesterday, a bill to regulate digital billboards.  This bill was created in most part to deal with issues that were presented to MDOT from a federal audit done on the Highway Advertising Act. If these issues (definition for digital billboards, definition for non-conforming billboard, etc) are not address, the state will lose a portion of their federal transportation funding.  This bill would allow a local unit of government to create a more stringent policy than that at the state level if they so choose to.  We also asked that the word “operation” be added into what can be regulated by the local unit of government to ensure that digital billboards would be encompassed in that definition.

There were many amendments made (many of them dealing with MDOT) to the legislation but the local control piece and the addition of “operation” remained a part of the finished product leaving committee.

The bill now moves onto the full Senate for a vote.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

Last week the Senate Economic Development committee took up and passed out a package of bills dealing with scrap metal.  The bills, HB 4593 and 4595 together would, among other things, outline the penalties for committing larceny by stealing nonferrous metal, required scrap metal dealers to maintain required records (picture IDs, etc), participate in a database registration system and place a three day hold on payment for catalytic converters, AC units and copper wire (the three most widely stolen objects).  This would give law enforcement time to be notified and take action against a potential thief.

Before passing HB 4593, however, the senate economic development committee stripped the three day hold on payment if, by October 1, 2014, the scrap metal industry implemented and maintained a database that included each purchase by a scrap metal dealer of items requiring the payment delay.

Sen. Jim Ananich has a substitute that he will be offering on the Senate floor today that would require the scrap metal industry get approval of the database by the Michigan State Police (MSP), the 3 day delay would begin immediately, but would sunset 90 days after the MSP-approved database is implemented, and reinstate a 7-day tag and hold on 3 items, copper wire, catalytic converters, and air conditioner components.

I will keep you update as this process moves further in this last week of session before the end of the year.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

HB 4996, the crowdfunding legislation, is one step further in becoming law after the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions committee unanimously passed it out today!  It now moves to the Senate floor for full passage.  We are one step closer to assisting a segment of our economy that will prove to be huge economic drivers, those new small businesses and those wishing to expand.

HB 4996, a creative approach to economic development, will allow the sales of securities to an unlimited number of non-accredited investors, provided the issuer registers with the State of Michigan.  Any Michiganders who do not fit the federal definition of an accredited investor are given the opportunity to support their local entrepreneurs, existing small businesses, and real estate investments.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

HB 4887, a bill limiting when new millages can be placed on local ballots, will likely see another committee hearing next week with the potential of being voted on as well. A big thank you to all of you who responded to the action alert and contacted your legislator and those on the Ethics and Elections Committee! Your participation is greatly appreciated.

HB 4887 (Rep. Dan Lauwers) is among a package of bills (including HB 5115-5116 dealing with schools sponsored by Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons) and would only allow local municipalities to place new millages on the ballot for the August regular election date or the November regular election date (straight renewals can be done at any of the four election dates).  The argument of the bill sponsor is there is greater voter turnout in the August and November elections so new millages should only be allowed to be voted on during those times. The introduced version of the legislation only allowed a millage to be placed on the ballot for the November General Election but a substitute changing it to each August and November election was adopted.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.

The Michigan House of Representatives passed HB 4257 (Denby, R-Fowlerville), a reintroduction from last session, today. This bill amends the Michigan liquor control code dealing with redevelopment liquor licenses. According to a recent determination by the Liquor Control Commission, only businesses in cities are eligible for redevelopment liquor licenses. This determination is counter to the last six years, where the Liquor Control Commission has allowed the redevelopment licenses in TIF districts to be for cities, villages, or townships. This bill is an attempt to rectify this issue and clarifies eligibility for the redevelopment liquor licenses in the development districts to cities, villages, and townships. We have heard from multiple villages worried about this because their redevelopment efforts are coming to a halt without being eligible for these redevelopment licenses.

Towards the end of session last year this bill became an issue because the Restaurant Association and the Licensed Beverage Association wanted an amendment that expanded the search for a quota license to the entire county instead of only the municipality prior to seeking a redevelopment license, a problem from the League’s perspective because there are so many different cost inconsistencies from one area of the county to another. It passed out of the House last session without the amendment but there was a commitment by the chair of the senate committee it was in to add that amendment on. However, it died in that committee at the end of session.

Rep. Denby is committed to doing this for the communities who have been using this as a redevelopment tool but will now not be able to do so unless this is changed. Knowing what happened last session and that it would be the same fight this session, she and her staff tried to work a solution that would work for both municipalities and the industry. The substitute version states the countywide search is only necessary in the areas where the license fair market value is the same as the municipality where the establishment is located.

This bill now moves onto the Senate.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.