Four new bills recently passed overwhelmingly in the Michigan House that could change everything from how long traffic tickets can be held to what sort of tactics state liquor regulators are allowed to use to assure compliance standards are being adhered to.
House Bill 4628 would change the minimum period that an individual’s documented traffic offenses must be kept from seven to four years for violations that carry no driver's license points and in some cases where up to three points are in question. The bill passed by a final vote of 108-1.
On the liquor front, House Bill 4959 would grant Liquor Control Commission regulators the power to seize and inspect beer, wine, mixed spirits and wine drinks for the purposes of assuring regulatory compliance. The bill that passed 101-8 would also repeal the current 12-month residency requirement placed on applicants for a liquor wholesaler license in keeping with a recent U.S. Supreme Court verdict that threw out a similar Tennessee law as a violation of federal commerce clause provisions.
In addition, House Bill 4961, which passed 100-8, seeks to place restrictions on liquor manufacturers in the form of banning them from requiring licensed wholesalers to give the manufacturer records related to the distribution of different brands, employee compensation or business operations that are not directly related to the distribution of the maker’s brands.
Finally, Senate Bill 47 would grant tax breaks for household “alternative energy” installations such as solar panels and wind turbines. The bill passed the House by a count of 107-1.
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