Governor Rick Snyder Signs Legislation Supporting Military Families

Press Release

Gov. Rick Snyder today signed legislation providing military spouses with temporary occupational licenses.

"Military families are often asked to relocate, making it difficult to find steady employment," Snyder said. "These bills support the husbands and wives of active military members as they pursue job searches in Michigan."

Senate Bills 741 and 742, sponsored by state Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, require the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) to issue temporary six-month health professional or occupational licenses to spouses of active military men and women. The spouses must hold a valid out-of-state license. They are now PAs 148 and 149.

The governor signed an additional eight licensing bills:

SB 418, sponsored by state Sen. Joe Hune, eliminates the licensure requirement for insurance agents if travel insurance is the only form of insurance they actively sell. The travel insurance must be sold with or used for planned travel. It is now PA 150.

SBs 476 and 477, sponsored by state Sen. Dave Hildenbrand, respectively, eliminate the registration process and licensing registration fee for auctioneers. They are now PAs 151 and 152.

SB 494 and House Bill 4377, sponsored by state Sen. Bruce Caswell and state Rep. Tim Kelly, respectively, eliminate the registration process and licensing registration fee for community planners. They are PAs 153 and 154.

SB 607 and HB 4392, sponsored by state Sen. Roger Kahn and state Rep. Harold Haugh, respectively, eliminate the registration process and licensing registration fee for professionals skilled in the design and fitting of ocular prostheses. They are now PAs 155 and 156.

HB 4376, sponsored by state Rep. Ed McBroom, removes the permitting requirement for solicitors of schools offering certificates and training less than a four-year degree. It is now PA 157.

Snyder also signed six other bills:

SB 409, sponsored by state Sen. Rick Jones, adds unlawful imprisonment to the list of supporting crimes used to establish felony murder. Unlawful imprisonment is defined as the act of knowingly restraining another using the threat of a dangerous instrument, with secret confinement or to aid in facilitating another crime. It is now PA 158 of 2014.

SB 714, sponsored by state Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, clarifies the procedures for using collaborative law outside of the courtroom. The bill establishes the requirements of a collaborative law agreement, determines that an attorney representing a client in a collaborative dispute cannot represent the same client in court at a later date, disallows statements from a collaborative discussion from being used inside a courtroom and allows a court to approve a collaborative law resolution. It is now PA 159.

SB 759, sponsored by state Sen. Tom Casperson, makes it legal for fur dealers to trap beaver, which was previously prohibited. It is now PA 160.

SBs 893 and 913, sponsored by state Sen. Roger Kahn, optimize federal Medicaid matching funds through reinstating the Use Tax for Medicaid managed care organizations and reduce the taxation rate of the Health Insurance Claims Assessment (HICA). The bills are now PAs 161 and 162, respectively.

HB 4691, sponsored by state Rep. Andrea LaFontaine, streamlines the carnival oversight process. The bill dissolves the Carnival Amusement Safety Board, but allows LARA to retain the authority to issue permits, establish operating standards and inspect carnival and amusement rides. It is now PA 163.

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