Governor
Snyder Signs Recreational Vehicle Reform
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed
legislation Tuesday, designed to provide recreational vehicle (RV) dealers the
same regulatory structure for the sale of motorized and non-motorized RVs.
House Bills 4052
and 4053,
both sponsored by Representative Ken Kurtz (R-Coldwater) are now Public Acts 16
and 17, respectively.
Dem
Legislators Call for Peters to Run for U.S. Senate
U.S. Representative Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield
Hills) is the frontrunner and most probable Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.
This was supported when 54 Democratic members of the Legislature signed an open
letter calling for Mr. Peters to run. Congressman Gary Peters has shown interest
in running but up until this point has not provided a definitive response;
however, it seems imminent Mr. Peters will announce he is running, especially
given the fact that his one potential major opponent, Debbie Dingell, has
declared she will not run.
Attorney
General Rules Natural Resource Fund Not For Dredging
Attorney General Bill Schuette ruled that the
Natural Resource Trust Fund was created, by voters in 1984, to finance specific
environmental projects and purposes but that dredging harbors along the Great
Lakes was not one of those purposes. The trust fund was created most notably
for: the acquisition of land, acquisition of land rights for recreational
purposes or for the land’s environmental importance or scenic qualities or to
develop public recreation facilities. Mr. Schuette made it clear that dredging
existing harbors is considered maintenance of already developed facilities,
therefore; cannot be considered development of new recreational facilities. The
State Parks Endowment Fund and the Conservation and Recreation Legacy Fund both
include maintenance as acceptable uses of their funds.
Report
Shows Effects of 2009 Smoking Ban Legislation
The Department of Community Health released a
report showing the effects of the legislation banning smoking in workplaces,
Public Act 188 (PA
188), now that almost three years has elapsed. The biggest overall effect
in restaurants and bars is that compliance rate is now 95 percent across the
state. The report also cited research conducted by the University of Michigan
showing that no significant affect can be associated with the ban on aggregate
restaurant and bar sales. Furthermore, the 1,250 reported violations of the ban
from 2010-11 fell to 560 reported violations in 2011-12.
Attorney
General Names New Chief Legal Counsel
Attorney General Bill Schuette has named
Matthew Schneider to be his new Chief Legal Counsel. Matthew Schneider
currently is Chief of Staff and General Counsel at the Michigan Supreme Court
and previously was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of
Michigan. Mr. Schneider will be succeeding Richard Bandstra, upon his
retirement on the 31st of May.
Slight
Error Correction
In last week’s PAAdvisory, U.S.
Representative Gary Peters was mistakenly identified as a Republican.
Rest-assured, Mr. Peters has not changed party affiliation.