HB 4003:  Would rename a portion of US-131 in Mecosta County as the Sgt. Matthew Webber memorial highway.

Sponsor:  Rep. Kunse (R)                           

Passage:  108-0 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: Our military personnel continually place themselves in danger on behalf of our citizens and state.

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HB 4046:  Would rename a portion of US-31 in Grand Traverse County as the Trooper James E. Boland Memorial Highway.

Sponsor:  Rep. Roth (R)                              

Passage:  108-0 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: This highway naming allows us to express our gratitude and appreciation for Trooper James E. Boland for his service to the state.

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HB 4018:  Clarifies how law enforcement may transport a juvenile who commits a crime and is arrested with an adult. Under the bill, if a juvenile and an adult meeting certain age requirements are taken into custody at the same time, for the same offense, or from the same vehicle, then the juvenile may be transported with the adult to the appropriate location and then must be separated at the earliest available time.

Sponsor:  Rep. Mueller (R)                       

Passage:  74-34 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: The current sight and sound separation requirement can be problematic in certain cases and can unnecessarily tie up local law enforcement resources. Small jurisdictions may not have the resources to have two separate law enforcement vehicles unavailable to answer other calls for service.

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HB 4060:  Allows intermediate school districts (ISDs) to contract with other ISDs to operate their Career and Technical Education (CTE) program.

Sponsor:  Rep. VanderWall (R)               

Passage:  107-2 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: Allowing more flexibility for ISDs to partner with other ISDs could lead to increased CTE program access for students, especially in more remote areas.

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HB 4150:  Amends the Revised School Code to waive fees for initial teacher license applications and renewals.

Sponsor:  Rep. Tisdel (R)                           

Passage:  83-26 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: In the interest in growing our population and filling teacher vacancies, the state should not be charging higher fees to out-of-state teachers moving to Michigan..

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HB 4151:  Amends the Revised School Code to allow additional endorsements for a subject area to be issued to an individual who passed the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) for that subject area.

Sponsor:  Rep. Martin (R)                          

Passage:  96-13 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: Passing the MTTC for a given subject area demonstrates that a teacher knows the subject well enough to teach it.

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HB 4153:  Allows school districts to issue local teaching certificates.

Sponsor:  Rep. DeBoer (R)                        

Passage:  57-52 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: Local districts know their needs and how to meet them, this bill allows local districts to establish any requirement they see fit to issue a local teaching certificate.

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BILL PACKAGE HBs 4025 & 4026:  Amends the General Sales Tax Act and the Use Tax Act respectively by exempting firearm safety devices from sales and use tax.

Sponsors:  Reps. Price (D) & Paquette (R)                         

HB 4025 Passage:  96-11 with Immediate Effect

HB 4026 Passage:  95-12 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES: This will help promote gun safety and encourage gun owners to purchase firearm safety devices that could prevent accidents.