Macomb legislators march in lockstep on key votes

House Bill 4361 — Gov. Snyder’s business and personal income tax overhaul: Passed 19 to 19 in the Senate (Lt. Gov. Calley broke tie)
To replace the Michigan Business Tax with a 6 percent corporate income tax; eliminate several corporate tax breaks and subsidies; repeal a gradual cut in the personal income rate from 4.25 percent to 3.95 percent; scale-back the current income tax exemption for pension income; reduce the Earned Income Tax Credit for low income workers by 70 percent; eliminate or reduce other income tax deductions and credits, including the homestead property tax credit, personal exemption and dependent child credit; and make many other tax code revisions. The Senate version preserves some corporate tax breaks and subsidies.

Senate Bill 7 — Mandate 20 percent out-of-pocket costs for government employees’ health benefits: Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate
To prohibit local governments and public schools from providing employee health insurance benefits unless employees contribute at least 20 percent toward the cost, or the value of the insurance coverage falls below certain dollar amounts, with a number of exceptions.

House Bill 4408 — Reduce future unemployment benefits: Passed 24 to 13 in the Senate
To reduce from 26 weeks to 20 weeks the amount of time that laid off employees can collect state unemployment insurance benefits.

Senate Bill 806 — Revise unemployment insurance: Passed 23 to 11 in the Senate
To revise various elements of the state unemployment insurance system, including employer payroll tax assessments; requiring beneficiaries to accept alternative work at lower pay, and more. This is part of the package authorizing state borrowing to pay off some $3.2 billion in unemployment system debt, owed because benefit payments exceeded payroll tax revenues.

Senate Bill 165 — Ban “project labor agreements”: Passed 26 to 12 in the Senate
To prohibit “project labor agreements” in state, school and local public construction projects. These PLAs require a non-union contractor to comply with union contract conditions and pay scales.

House Bill 4325 — 2011-12 K-16 education budget: Passed 21 to 17 in the Senate
Appropriates $12.6 billion for K-12 public schools in 2011-2012, compared to $13.1 billion the previous year (an amount inflated by $420 million in federal stimulus money). Per-pupil grants were reduced by around $100 for schools that adopt specified reforms, and another $100 for those that don’t. The bill also appropriates $1.4 billion for state universities, compared to $1.6 billion the previous year.

House Bill 4625 — Make it easier to fire ineffective teachers: Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate
To revise the standards for granting a public school teacher “tenure,” and streamline the procedures for taking it away.

House Bill 4627 — Ban layoff procedures that adhere to teachers’ seniority, instead establishing a grading system in which administrators can target “ineffective” teachers for layoffs: Passed 20 to 17 in the Senate
To prohibit public schools from using seniority as the determining factor when making layoff or recall decisions (“last in first out”), and prohibit giving preference to a teacher rated “ineffective” over ones rated “minimally effective” or above.

Senate Bill 618 — Eliminate charter school cap: Passed 22 to 16 in the Senate
To eliminate the cap of 150 on the number of charter schools that can be authorized by state universities, starting in 2015, with 300 allowed in 2012 and 500 in 2013 and 2014.