Michigan Roll Call: How your legislators voted in Lansing
MichiganVotes.org
House Bill 4448, Prohibit limiting government open records disclosures during emergency: Passed 21 to 15 in the Senate
To establish that an executive order, proclamation, or directive issued under the law that authorizes the governor to declare an emergency may not lengthen the required government agency response times or otherwise limit the scope of a public body s duties to provide records requested under the state Freedom of Information Act. Such an order was imposed in April 2020 and rescinded that June.
Yes: Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton; Sen. Roger Victory, R-Hudsonville
Senate Bill 457, Ban emergency orders that mandate minors get vaccination: Passed 20 to 16 in the Senate
Victims of human trafficking ‘have suffered enough,’ says lawmaker advocating for more legal leniency
Updated Apr 28, 2021;
Posted Apr 28, 2021
This well-worn brass plate on a gavel block atop the Senate rostrum shows a lot of wear from years of trying to call senators into order or trying to restore order.
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Members of the Michigan House Judiciary Committee heard testimony Wednesday, April 28 on a set of bills that would broaden state laws on criminal record expungement for human trafficking victims.
Rep. Mary Whiteford, R-South Haven, said in a March 2 presentation the bill package strengthens the state’s existing tools for prosecutors and judges to support victims of human trafficking by allowing adult and juvenile survivors to have any crime on their record expunged if it occurred while they were trafficked.
Georgia
Georgia Medical Marijuana Expansion Bill Filed. State Rep. Pedro Marin (D-Duluth) has filed House Bill 738, which would make it legal to manufacture, produce and dispense medical marijuana to people who need it. Currently, Georgia law only provides for the prescription of a limited low THC oil for Georgians with severe medical conditions, Marin said. Legalizing medical marijuana, not just low THC oil, would benefit and help relieve pain that people living with serious medical conditions experience every day.
Mississippi
Mississippi House Kills Substitute Medical Marijuana Bill. The House last Wednesday killed Senate Bill 2765, which had been filed as a more restrictive alternative to the medical marijuana initiative approved by voters in November and now under challenge in the state Supreme Court.
The Maryland House has approved sweeping police reforms including limits on no-knock raids. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy
Key Congressional Chair Will Refile Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), head of the House Judiciary Committee, announced Thursday that he will reintroduce his bill to legalize marijuana this session. The bill, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, passed the House last year, but was not taken up in the Republican-controlled Senate. This year, the Democrats control both houses.
Rhode Island Governor Includes Marijuana Legalization Plan in Budget Proposal. Gov. Dan McKee (D) on Thursday released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2022, which includes a plan for legalizing marijuana. McKee is calling for 25 retailers to be licensed in each of the first three years of legalization, with five being earmarked for minority-owned businesses, including those owned by women. Legislative leaders filed their