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LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND:

State Representative  (55^th District)                                                1998 - 2002                             
Represented portions of Lenawee, Monroe & Washtenaw Counties   

Sponsored 15 Public Acts

State Representative  (52^nd District – post redistricting)                2003 – 2004

Represented northern & western Washtenaw County 

Sponsored 9 Public Acts

Candidate, 7^th District U.S. House of Representatives                   2003 – 2004

Committee assignments included:

Transportation (Chair)                         

Agriculture & Resource Management (Chair)

Land Use and Environment

Local Government & Urban Policy

Family & Children Services (Vice Chair)                      

Health Policy               

Conservation & Outdoor Recreation                            

House Bipartisan Children’s Caucus                             

NCSL Transportation Committee                                            

NCSL Children, Families, and Health Committee         

House Republican Campaign Committee (Chair)

1999-2004, LEGISLATION SPONSORED:

2003-2004 SSESSION:

PA 5 of 2003--PA 198 abatement for biodiesel facilities

·        This bill provides property tax incentives to eligible businesses to renovate or expand aging manufacturing plants or to build new plants THAT PRODUCE BIODIESEL FUEL.

PA 223 of 2003—Washtenaw Co. Sunday hunting repeal

·        Repeals the Washtenaw County Sunday hunting ban.

PA 420 of 2005 —truck length & misload clarification

·        The bill also makes truck length provisions uniform across all roads in the state and it standardizes the financial penalty for driving a “misloaded” truck in the state.

PA 260 of 2003—Land Bank/tax reverted process

·        Architect of a bipartisan package, which establishes a new method to clear titles by allowing local governments to exempt tax reverted parcels from property taxes for up to five years and borrow money at low interest rates from the state to facilitate clearing additional titles. 

·        A new tax would be imposed on the property with half the proceeds going to help local government’s clear titles on other tax reverted property or repay state loans.  The remainder of the tax revenue would go to state and local services.

PA – of 2004 (to be signed)

·        Allows a municipality to rescind an Industrial Development District at any time so long as an approved abatement is not currently in effect in the District.

PA 394 of 2004

·        Streamlines the Michigan Education Savings Program, MESP, to provide a tax deduction and removes the requirement for proof of expenses for withdrawals.

 PA 387 or 2004 -- Changes to the Michigan Education Savings Plan

PA 388 of 2004 -- Changes to the Michigan Education Trust

PA 362 of 2004 -- SOS, CDL federal compliance standards

HB 4012—MCCA audit requirement

·        Would require an annual audit of the MI Catastrophic Claims Association

HB 4035—SBT credit for costs incurred to process recyclable materials

·        Provides a SBT credit for the purchase and installation of equipment to process recyclable materials.

HB 4217—Amend PA 116 to offer “use-value” program

·        The bill would allow farmland to be protected within the open space preservation program.

·        Local units could hold the development rights on farmland for a minimum of 10 years ensuring that development does not occur.  In return, the local unit would exempt the development rights from taxation.

HB 4277 – Exempt student home-building programs from Real Estate Transfer Tax

·        The bill amends the state real estate transfer tax to provide for an exemption for transfer of property constructed by student homebuilding programs.

HB 4339—Farmer owned cooperative

·        The bill exempts property owned by a farmer-owned cooperative from the collection of tax. 

House Resolution 23—ITP resolution

·        Encourages Congress to support the Interstate Traveler Project and any federal application for federal funding in the development and construction of a magnetic-levitation rail passenger/freight system in the State of Michigan.

HB 4455—Jury service exemption

·        This bill would allow a parent or guardian of one or more children under the age of four who is solely responsible for their care for at least 20 hours during M-F to be excused from jury service.

House Resolution 189 of 2004 

·        A resolution to urge the United States Food and Drug Administration not to approve Plan B®, “the morning-after pill,” as an over-the-counter medication.

House Bill 5535

·        Allows Community College board of control to provide for eligibility of employees for participation in optional retirement programs.

House Bill 5600

·        Requires statewide uniform language that a CPL certificate of completion must read “This course complies with the requirements of PA 372 of 1927, as amended by PA 719 of 2002.”  

HR 206

·        A resolution to support the construction of the new Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health on the campus of Michigan State University. 

House Bill 5886

·        Streamline permitting/licensing for Asbestos training

House Bill 5989

·        CPL renewal permits shall be issued within 30 days of renewal application.  If not, the original license will be extended 6 months.  Fingerprint requirements will also be waived.

2001-2002 SESSION

PA 18 of 2001—Disabled Parking Permit Reform

·        Requires the SOS to grant a handicapped sticker for a person, whose application was signed by a physician licensed to practice in another state if accompanied by a copy of that physician’s current medical license.

PA 164 of 2001—Regulatory Correction to state Board of Mechanical Rules

·        Authorizes the state Mechanical Board to hear appeals from local construction boards of appeals under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code.

PA 176 of 2001—Agriculture Pollution Prevention Measure

·        Requires the Department of Agriculture to establish and administer programs to prevent pollution from agricultural and private landowner activities through voluntary, incentive driven strategies. 

PA 239 of 2001—Part of the End of Life Care Package

·        Requires physicians to disclose certain information regarding pain management to patients and strikes references to “life expectancy of less than 6 months” and replaces with language referring to “a patient with limited life expectancy due to advanced illness”.

PA 192 of 2001—Part of the Domestic Violence Package

·        Allows a county to establish a domestic violence death review team.  The purpose is to review deaths attributed to domestic violence and recommend statutory changes pertaining to these incidents.  Information obtained from these reviews will be used to develop strategies for the prevention of domestic violence homicides. 

PA 129 & 629 of 2002—Computer Crime legislation

·        Criminalize possession of child pornography as a felony; maximum 4-year term of imprisonment or fine of $10,000 or both.  Current law is classified a misdemeanor with a 1 year term of imprisonment or fine of $10,000 or both.

·        Creates a general criminal jurisdiction statute that would allow Michigan’s criminal laws to be applied as broadly as possible consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

PA 215 of 2001—Changes to the MI Education Savings Program (MESP)

·        Changes included, eliminating the penalty for unqualified withdrawals, increasing flexibility for account owners, and allowing charitable organizations to open accounts.

PA 229 of 2001—SBT and Franchise Fees

·        Excludes franchise payments from sales totals under the Single Business Tax.  A companion measure clarifies tax liability for franchisers and franchisees.

PA 214 of 2002—Technical revisions to the Revised Municipal Finance Act

·        In 2001, legislation was enacted that revised the statute which governs how municipalities may borrow money.

PA 457 of 2002—Elimination of the $1 fee for a sales tax license.

·        In order for Treasury to allow firms to apply for a sales tax license on-line, they would need to set up an EFT (electronic funds transfer) mechanism simply to collect $1 from each firm.

PA 512 of 2002—Alternative Energy Zone designation

·        The Alternative Energy Zone shall be dedicated to the support, research development, enhancement, and manufacturing of Alternative Energy Technology.

HB 5605, Tax forms available via Internet

·        This bill would make forms available to the public on the Internet for the following taxes; Use Tax, Sales Tax; and Income Tax

HB 4852 - Re-energize our Urban Areas

·        Architect of a bipartisan package, which establishes a new method to clear titles by allowing local governments to exempt tax reverted parcels from property taxes for up to five years and borrow money at low interest rates from the state to facilitate clearing additional titles.

HB 5169 & 5183—Manufactured Housing Reform Legislation

·        In 2001, Rep. DeRossett chaired a bipartisan workgroup on manufactured housing. The resulting package of bills addressed taxation of manufactured homes, composition of the Mobile Home Commission, enhancement of local control, and protection of residents’ rights.

HB 5767, Unemployment Insurance

·        Provides up to a $2500 tax credit for unemployed parents with children in college.

HR 314, Urges Congress to grant additional temporary agriculture worker permits.

·        Gaining the proper visa at a quicker rate and increasing the numbers of lawful temporary agriculture workers may well benefit the economy as well as increase national security.

1999-2000 SESSION

PA 178 of 2000—Computer Crime

·        Part of a package of bills designed to aid in prosecuting and deterring computer crime by making the penalties for committing computer crimes have a real impact upon the offender’s potential sentence. 

PA 161 of 1999--Reform Michigan’s child support payment system

·        This bill creates the State Disbursement Unit, a single location where child support payments and related fees are paid and disbursed. This package brings Michigan into compliance with federal mandates and increasing the efficiency of the child support system.

PA 245 of 1999--Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act

·        Before municipalities could choose between different variants of nationally recognized codes, sometimes resulting in a patchwork of building standards within the same county.  Now, this law transfers this responsibility to the state, reducing the burden on local governments and streamlining the process.

PA 176 of 1999--Continuity of Care package

·        This package of bills allow patients under treatment to continue receiving services from their health-care providers for 90 days or the duration of treatment for an active condition whenever those providers leave the patients health plan.

HR 217, A resolution to support the efforts of Lenawee County and the Wal-Mart Corporation in raising funds for a national World War II Memorial.

HB 4531—part of the CCW package

·        A law enforcement agency that seized a pistol would be held liable to the owner of the pistol for negligently or intentionally losing or damaging the pistol.

·        Passed the House, died in the Senate.

HB 4426, DeRossett--Provide for tax exemption to student home building programs

·        A bill to amend the state real estate transfer tax to include student home-building programs in its public entity exemptions.  Vetoed by the Governor

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Last modified: 10/06/08