From Pot to Prison Reform, What Did and Didn't Happen in Lame Duck Session

Among the bills that are on their way to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk are those that would make it easier for non-violent criminals to get their records expunged, and another that would establish a commission to review sentencing guidelines; however, law enforcement officials pushed back against parole and probation reform. (Photo via Shutterstock)

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From the Detroit Free Press, here’s a list of bills that made it out of the Michigan Legislature’s lame duck session, and a couple that didn’t.

Medical marijuana expansion is dead for now, though the 2015 Legislature could take up a pair of bills the Senate adjourned without taking up.

One of two bills would have allowed communities to vote on medical marijuana dispensaries in their communities and regulate them. Another bill would have legalized cannabis-infused edibles and oils.

Both bills had strong support, but law enforcement and some health professionals lobbied against medical marijuana expansion.

Among the dozens that did receive final passage before the Legislature and sent to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature are those that would:

• Make it easier for some non-violent criminals to apply to a judge to have their records expunged.
• Make it more expensive to ask for a recount of election results. The cost would increase to $25 from $10 per precinct. If the candidate requesting the recount lost by more than 50 votes, the cost would increase to $125 per precinct.
• Finalize the transfer of 126 acres of land and 15 buildings at the now-closed Detroit House of Corrections and the Western Wayne County Correctional Facility in Plymouth to the Land Bank Fast Track Authority. Cleaning up the property, an open dump site used by the city of Detroit for 30 years, could cost as much as $20 million.
• Make it easier to restructure property tax debt under three bills that reduce interest rates on delinquent property taxes, allow homeowners to enter into 5-year repayment plans, or forgive debt to ensure the late tax bill is no more than 25 percent of the value of the home’s market value.
• Establish protocols allowing police officers to carry the drug Narcan and provides training for them and other first responders in the administration of the drug, which can reverse often fatal results of a heroin overdose.
• Remove a restriction that people circulating election petitions have to be registered to vote in the district where the candidate is running or a ballot issue will appear. The legislation responds to a situation earlier this year in which long-serving U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, was kicked off the ballot until a federal judge ruled the residency requirement was unconstitutional.
• Establish a commission to review sentencing guidelines. Amid vocal opposition from law enforcement and Attorney General Bill Schuette, legislation that would have reformed parole and probation policies failed, mostly along party-line votes.

Tell Us:

• Do you feel strongly about whether Gov. Snyder should or should not sign these bills? What priorities should Michigan lawmakers focus on in 2015?