The capitol report

Rep. Ray Franz

The Capitol Report comes from the office of Rep. Ray Franz, R-Onekama, Michigan 101st District. 

LANSING — This is the Capitol Report for the week of April 28-May 2.

On Tuesday, we took up five bills and four of them pass unanimously.

Three of the bills (HB 5216, HB 5217, HB 5218) were part of a package that will allow parolees to get back into the workforce and reduce recidivism. They also provide some immunity form tort actions for employers who hire a parolee.

Another bill, HB 5220, would allow public accounting firms to be owned and operated by non-CPAs.

Finally, HB 4341 would allow any accredited Michigan medical school to accept a cadaver.

Currently, only the medical schools at MSU, Wayne State and U of M are allowed to accept dead bodies. Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Oakland universities now have med schools that could use this teaching tool.

Wednesday and Thursday were taken up by second readings and bill introductions as work continues in the appropriation process to have a budget done by the end of May, as we have done for the past three years. This allows schools and municipalities to know what their revenue level will be from the state budget as they put together their spending plans.

We are also working on a way to provide more funding for roads with mostly existing dollars. It’s a matter of prioritizing.

That’s what happened in Lansing this week.

For more information or questions about your state government, contact me toll free 1-855-DIST-101 (1-855-347-8101), email rayfranz@house.mi.gov, and connect with my online office website at www.RepRayFranz.com.