Michigan lawmakers passed 'Taylor Swift' bills, others while stalling some proposals

When they adjourned for their summer break after passing a new state budget , Michigan lawmakers took last-minute action to advance a slew of policies while leaving other proposals untouched. The final week of the legislative session before the break provides clues about lawmakers' top priorities for the rest of the year with Democratic control of the state House on the line.

Expansion of Michigan's public records law

In a nearly unanimous vote last Wednesday, the state Senate passed legislation to expand Michigan's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to require public records disclosures from the Governor's office and state lawmakers' offices. Legislation to expand FOIA had withered in the chamber for years. Michigan's open records law currently exempting the governor and state Legislature from such disclosures has made the state a laggard on transparency nationally. It is one of two states that does not subject those offices to disclosures in response to public records requests.

The bills next head to the state House for consideration.

Unemployment benefits expansion

In a party-line vote, Democrats in the state House passed a bill to increase the maximum number of weeks an unemployed worker in Michigan can claim unemployment benefits from 20 to 26 weeks. Democrats never referred the bill to a legislative committee for a hearing, so the bill received no public testimony before lawmakers passed it.

GOP lawmakers expressed concerns that an additional six weeks to claim benefits would disincentivize unemployed workers from trying to quickly wrap up their job search. The vote for the legislation comes after the Michigan AFL-CIO pushed for restoring the six weeks of unemployment benefits cut by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in 2011. Michigan is among the minority of states that provide fewer than 26 weeks of unemployment, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities , a policy research organization.

Consumer protection measures dubbed 'Taylor Swift' bills pass

A pair of bills to expand Michigan's consumer protection laws to crack down on online ticket purchases by bots passed the state House with wide bipartisan support. Lawmakers dubbed the legislation the "Taylor Swift" bills after automated bots that purchased tickets to the pop star's Eras Tour increased prices for fans. The bills would bar anyone from trying to skirt measures to limit ticket purchases and empower the attorney general to investigate potential violations.

The state Senate may take up both the unemployment and ticketing bills when lawmakers return from their summer break.

But while these and other bills gained momentum last week, some stalled.

Indigent defense for juveniles

Michigan lawmakers last year celebrated a series of bills signed into law aimed at overhauling Michigan's juvenile justice system. But they left one bill out of the package that would ensure legal representation for youths who cannot afford it and didn't provide funding for legal defense for indigent youths in the state budget.

"We are deeply disappointed that the state budget approved by the Legislature early this morning fails to provide necessary funding for the legal defense of children entangled in Michigan’s juvenile justice system," said the State Bar of Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and other groups advocating for the funding in a joint statement.

The state House passed a bill that would allow the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to develop standards to make sure children have access to lawyers in the state's juvenile justice system last fall. But that bill never made its way to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk along with the rest of the juvenile justice package and has since stalled in the state Senate.

Corporate subsidy overhaul

Democratic lawmakers have approved large sums for corporate subsidies aiming to spur job growth in Michigan but have eyed changes to Michigan's biggest economic development fund. The latest proposal would require weighing whether subsidized jobs will be located in a high-unemployment area among other considerations and earmark funding for corporate subsidies — set to expire next year — for another decade. It would also create a new transit fund and extend proposed funding for housing and community investments. Whitmer celebrated when a House committee advanced the legislation to the floor for a vote.

"I am grateful to my partners in the Michigan House for their action today, and I look forward to reviewing this fiscally responsible economic development package when it reaches my desk," she said in a statement at the time.

But a pair of Democrats in the state House wanted to see changes to the bills such as an increase in the corporate tax rate and a cut in the proposed corporate subsidy funding. That left the party without enough support to pass it on their own. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers open to supporting the plan pushed their own amendments to ensure funding for Michigan companies and prevent funds from going to just a single region.

Michigan Budget: Lawmakers approve $82.5-billion state budget for 2025: What's in it

Auto no-fault changes

Last fall, the Michigan Senate passed legislation to modify the state's 2019 no-fault auto insurance overhaul that aimed to lower costs for drivers but led some medical providers to close their doors to car crash victims. But the proposed increase to reimbursement rates for providers has stalled in the state House. The head of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) came out against the bill package in the state Senate, predicting it would raise insurance costs. Proponents of the Senate legislation have expressed frustrations that the state House hasn't taken up the bills, which they characterize as a needed fix to the unintended consequences of 2019 auto insurance overhaul.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen .

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan lawmakers passed 'Taylor Swift' bills, others while stalling some proposals