Michigan lawmakers tackled bills on to-do list: 5 last-minute things you might've missed
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Michigan's 2023 legislative session will officially come to a close next week with a formal adjournment for the year. But lawmakers capped off their final week of voting for the year Thursday, sending dozens of bills to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before heading home.
Democrats crossed off some big-ticket items from their to-do list such as a package of bills to set and achieve new clean energy targets in Michigan. Lawmakers also met their end-of-the-year deadline to implement disclosure requirements approved by voters last fall, who passed a ballot measure mandating politicians to share information about their finances with the public.
Here's a look at some of the other bills they took up in a flurry of last-minute legislative activity before wrapping up.
Bill would end decades-old immunity law protecting drug makers
Lawmakers sent to Whitmer a bill to eliminate Michigan's broad immunity protection for drug manufacturers and sellers from product liability lawsuits. The current drug immunity law creates an exemption from product liability actions if the drug and its labeling is in compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval at the time of its distribution or sale. The law creates an exception to the drug immunity in cases when the FDA's approval was fraudulently obtained.
Widely considered the nation's toughest drug immunity protection, state lawmakers have attempted to amend or repeal the Michigan immunity law for decades.
"I'm happy that we finally repealed this bad law and restored rights to all Michiganians to hold companies accountable when their pharmaceutical product hurts or kills," said bill sponsor state Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, in a social media post after the House passed the bill Wednesday.
Proposed language access plan for state agencies
Billsheaded to Whitmer would require state departments, agencies and entities to take "reasonable steps to provide meaningful language access to public services for individuals with limited English proficiency." That includes providing oral language services and translating documents ordinarily provided to the public.
"Michigan is becoming a more diverse state and includes a large and growing immigrant population that should all have access to state government services regardless of ability to speak or understand English," said state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, in a June statement announcing the introduction of her bill. "This is an important piece of legislation that will help move Michigan forward and not leave immigrant communities behind."
Legislation would require dental assessments for children
Under a bill that received wide bipartisan support, children registering for the first time in kindergarten or first grade in a Michigan school must undergo a dental oral assessment starting in the 2024-2025 school year. It would exempt children whose parent, guardian or person in loco parentis of the child provides a written statement that the requirement violates their personal religious beliefs.
The legislation essentially makes permanent an oral health pilot program that was set to expire at the end of the year.
Series of election bills head to Whitmer
Lawmakers also sent to Whitmer a series of election-related bills. One would enable individuals who are at least 16 years old to preregister to vote so that when they turn 17.5 years old, they become automatically registered to vote and can cast their first ballot once they turn 18. A pair of bills would make it a crime to intimidate election officials and workers. Otherbills would require disclaimers in political advertisements that include content generated using artificial intelligence.
Bill would allow grad student RAs to unionize
On party-line votes, Democrats passed a bill to classify graduate student research assistants at public universities as public employees entitled to collective bargaining rights.
A 2012 change to Michigan's Public Employment Relations Act approved by former Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, prevented graduate student research assistants from organizing. Snyder approved the legislation amid a unionization drive among graduate student research assistants at the University of Michigan.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Final action on Michigan bills in last week of voting
