The package of blight bills related to communities who have administrative hearings bureaus, SB 35-39, were signed into law by Governor Snyder.  They are now PA 188-192.

Along the lines of blight and financial institutions, there have been problems throughout the state with the lack of appropriate contact information when dealing with blighted property notices on financial institution owned property.  In response to those concerns and because of this legislation, the Michigan Department of Information and Financial Services is currently working on integrating a list of registered agents at financial institutions with their website.  In the meantime, anyone who might be interested in that agent information can call DIFS toll-free at 877-999-6442 or DIFS Corporate Review directly at 517-373-7236.

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 legislature had a fast and furious finish to the 2013 session year and will return January 8, 2014.

League offices are closed beginning Tuesday, December 24, 2013 and reopening, January 2, 2014.

Expect the next installment of the Legislative Link on Tuesday, January 7, 2014.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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 US House of Representatives passed a budget agreement on their last day of session last week, entitled the Bipartisan Budget Act, on a 334-94 vote. This budget agreement set the spending levels for FYs 2014 and 2015, and is the beginning of the end of shutdown deadlines. However, Congress still has to pass actual appropriation bills by January 15th to avoid the next shutdown as that is when the current Continuing Resolution expires. The spending levels, as passed, are $63 Billion over the levels set by sequenstration for both years. The Senate is expected to support the legislation today. With this action, Congress has begun to get back to the typical budget process, rather than legislate through a series of contuing resolutions.

Summer Minnick is the Director of Policy Initiatives and Federal Affairs. She can be reached at 517-908.0301 or sminnick@mml.org

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

Earlier this week the House Local Government Committee reported HB 5074, a bill that would change the monthly interest rate that a county treasurer can charge other taxable units in the county that have delinquent property taxes due. The current monthly rate of interest is one percent. Under the bill, the monthly rate of interest would be “up to” one percent.

Under Michigan’s tax reversion process, county treasurers can assess “chargebacks” under the protocol they follow when local units of government have borrowed from a county’s delinquent tax revolving fund. If summer and winter property taxes are not collected by March 1 of the following year that the tax is owed, local treasurers pass on notices of unpaid or delinquent taxes to county treasurers. In many counties, the county treasurer runs a delinquent tax revolving fund.

Earlier this week the House Local Government Committee reported HB 5102, a bill that would eliminate the requirement that county treasurers make a printed copy of the tax rolls available for inspection, if the tax roll is maintained on a computerized database.

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 Michigan Senate, by a unanimous vote of 38-0, approved HB 5073 and it has been sent to the Governor for his signature. This bill would allow MDOT to approved angled parking on state trunklines at the request of a local municipality. The Michigan Municipal League would like to thank Rep. Peter Pettalia for sponsoring this legislation and his commitment to getting this legislation enacted.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

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.