What Tom McMillin wants

McMillin’s legislative legacy: Many bills, few laws

State Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) has introduced 183 bills and resolutions during five years in Lansing. Fourteen passed the House and five of those were signed into law. Here’s a summary of some of his legislation, which veer from conservative bills to measures that are generally associated with progressive causes.

Signed into Law

House Bill 4167 of 2011: Increase penalties for traffic violations in school bus zones, including the same 15-year maximum prison sentence for killing a worker in a construction zone. Signed into law June 14, 2011.

House Bill 4725 of 2011: Exempt identifying information about child sex assault victims from release under Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Signed into law Dec. 22, 2012.

House Bill 5196 of 2011: Require the Michigan Civil Service Commission to annually post on its website average pay rates and benefit information for employees. Signed into law Dec. 20, 2012.

House Bill 4334 of 2013: Permit professional limited liability companies (PLCCs) to practice public accounting if more than 50% of the equity and voting rights of the company are held by individuals who are licensed public accountants. Signed into law Oct. 15, 2013.

House Bill 4529 of 2013: Create state commission to establish statewide standards and accountability measures for court-appointed lawyers who represent indigent criminal defendants. Establish a process for requiring counties to conform to the standards. Signed into law July 1, 2013.

Bills that died in committee

House Resolution 0115 of 2009: Urge Eastern Michigan University to respect the religious rights of a graduate student who was expelled from a counseling program for declining, citing her Christian views, to counsel a man about his homosexual relationship.

House Resolution 0313 of 2010: Express strong disappointment over the arrest of four Christian missionaries for proselytizing at the Arab Festival in Dearborn, and urging a state Attorney General investigation.

House Bill 6238 of 2010: Prohibit late-term abortions.

House Bill 6534 of 2010: Prohibit anyone receiving welfare, food stamps or Medicaid from collecting a lottery prize of more than $600.

House Joint Resolution Z of 2011: Create a part-time Legislature.

House Bill 4050 of 2011: Prohibit federal mandate requiring participation in the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare.

House Bill 5039 of 2011: Prohibit local governments from imposing a new ordinance or policy that would establish a protected class — such as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender individuals — not listed in Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.

House Bill 5411 of 2012: Require utility companies to allow electric customers to opt out of having “smart” electrical meters installed.

House Bill 5531 of 2012: Allow the Public Service Commission to regulate Detroit water and sewer system.

Pending legislation

House Resolution 0091 of 2013: Urge Congress to continue to investigate the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. Referred to committee.

House Resolution 0205 of 2013: Urge Congress and the U.S. Attorney General to prosecute National Intelligence Director James Clapper for lying to Congress about the National Security Agency's collection of data on U.S. citizens. Referred to committee.

House Bill 4139 of 2013: Repeal the state peace bond law that allowed a Dearborn judge in 2011 to temporarily jail Terry Jones, a Quran-burning pastor, who wanted to protest outside the country's largest mosque. Passed the House, referred to Senate committee. (McMillin said he disagrees with the pastor’s tactics, but supports his First Amendment right to protest.)

House Bill 4276 of 2013: Prohibit implementation of Common Core educational standards. Referred to committee. The Legislature adopted the standards.

House Bill 4610 of 2013: Require drug testing for business executives who receive state subsidies. (McMillin said he introduced the bill in response to legislation to require drug tests for welfare recipients.) Referred to committee.

House Bill 4643 of 2013: Establish penalties for illegal mass picketing by individuals and labor unions and provide employers with the right to obtain court injunctions without demonstrating irreparable harm. Referred to committee.

House Bill 4879 of 2013: Require governor, legislators and state education officials to take state-mandated student assessment tests and post results online. Referred to committee.

House Bill 4912 of 2013: Set criminal penalties for illegally using Global Positioning Satellite information to track someone's position. Referred to committee.

House Bill 4314 of 2013: Create Open Government Commission to investigate and resolve citizen complaints about the denial of information under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Referred to committee.

House Bills 4455 & 4456 of 2013: Regulate the use and require search warrants or court orders for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) by law enforcement and prescribe penalties for violations. Referred to committee.

House Bill 4914 of 2013: Require police to periodically report detailed information about SWAT team deployments to prevent potential abuses. Referred to committee.

House Bill 5081 of 2013: Require police agencies to file monthly reports detailing property confiscated under Michigan's asset forfeiture laws to prevent abuses. Referred to committee.