LANSING — Renting a place to live could get more costly under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives last week.
The bill would increase the amount that landlords could charge for security deposits from 1.5 months of rent to 2 months, plus $100. Landlords are supposed to return security deposits after a tenant moves out, but they can keep a portion of the deposit for needed repairs.
State Rep. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Township, said the bill is needed as a way for landlords to keep up with escalating repair costs and the possibility that tenants leave the property with unpaid water bills. He also noted that if a renter leaves the property in good shape, they’ll get that money back after they move out.
“The amount you can charge hasn’t been raised in a long time and it’s time to revisit,” he said. “And if a renter doesn’t have the money initially to move in, I don’t know how to cure that.”
Another bill in his package requires that a properly trained person, such as a court bailiff or law enforcement officer, would be the only person who could serve an eviction notice on a tenant. He cited cases in Macomb County where landlords hired moving companies to serve eviction notices and moved a tenant’s property out of the rental unit.
“And that could become really dangerous,” said Lucido, who owns and rents out a commercial building in Macomb County. “We need to deputize bailiffs or court officers, sheriff or police officers to do that because they understand the protocol to peacefully remove people from property.”
Bills introduced last week:
HB 6094-6095: Include licensing and regulation of elevator safety workers in the skilled-trades regulation act. Sponsor: Rep. Tommy Brann, R-Wyoming.
HB 6096: Modify the process that allows a landlord to enter a property in order to evict. Sponsor: Rep. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Township.
HB 6097: Provide for retired public employees to be employed through a contract with the state without forfeiting their retirement benefits. Sponsor: Rep. Jason Sheppard, R-Lambertville.
HB 6098: Provide for the licensing of art therapists. Sponsor: Rep. Abdullah Hammoud, D-Dearborn.
HB 6099: Revise how the state Department of Health and Human Services provides an alternative water supply when the department has issued a drinking water advisory. Sponsor: Rep. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids.
HB 6100: Require no-fault deductible options for individuals with health insurance or who are eligible for Medicare. Sponsor: Rep. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake.
HB 6101-6102: Extend the civil statute of limitations and allow governments to be sued for damages caused by a water emergency. Sponsors: Reps. Sheldon Neeley, D-Flint, Phil Phelps. D-Flushing.
HB 6103: Eliminate a provision that requires side running lights on vehicles to be covered. Sponsor: Rep. Julie Calley, R-Portland.
HB 6104-6105: Allow intermediate school districts to form law-enforcement agencies. Sponsor: Rep. LaTanya Garrett, D-Detroit.
HB 6106: Redirect tobacco products tax to the state’s general fund to support the Michigan indigent defense fund. Sponsor: Rep. Rob VerHeulen, R-Walker.
HB 6107-6108: Provide for felony penalties for people who fraudulently sign ballot petititions. Sponsors: Reps. Kim LaSata, R-St. Joseph, Jim Lilly, R-Macatawa.
HB 6109: Create the office of state poet laureate. Sponsor: Rep. Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis.
HB 6110-6114: Restrict the use of criminal records to determine whether a person is eligible for occupational licensing. Sponsors: Reps. Brandt Iden, R-Kalamazoo, Beth Griffin, R-Paw Paw, Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, Joseph Bellino, R-Monroe, Lana Theis, R-Brighton.
HB 6115: Eliminate requirements to report to the state on certain elements of life insurance policies. Sponsor: Rep. Lana Theis, R-Brighton.
HB 6116-6117: Create an advisory board to provide oversight on the Mi-Train account, which provides training for public health professionals. Sponsors: Reps. Robert Kosowski, D-Westland, Darrin Camilleri, D-Brownstown Township.
HB 6118: Establish the ages used in actuarial determinations of insurance claims through the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association. Sponsor: Rep. Robert Kosowski, D-Westland.
HB 6119-6120: Require posting of food items in retail establishments that are halal or kosher and prohibit the sale of items that do not conform with the posting. Sponsors: Reps Robert Wittenberg, D-Oak Park, Abdullah Hammoud, D-Dearborn.
HB 6121: Provide for an income tax deduction for student loan forgiveness. Sponsor: Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte.
HB 6122: Increase the allowable moisture levels in the soil created by sugar beet production. Sponsor: Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte.
HB 6123: Create the water use advisory council. Sponsor: Rep. Scott VanSingel, R-Grant.
HB 6124-6125: Expand the requirements for a state parks pass to include designated trailheads and state forest campgounds. Sponsor: Rep. Roger Victory, R-Hudsonville.
HB 6126: Increase the maximum amount of security deposits that a landlord can charge from 1.5 to 2 months' rent plus $100. Sponsor: Rep. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Township.
HB 6127: Modify the requirement for parental consent for a child to get a name change. Sponsor: Rep. Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis.
HB 6128: Prohibit auto insurance companies from using credit history in determining rates. Sponsor: Rep. Robert Kosowski, D-Westland.
HB 6129-6131: Provide for the powers and duties of a directed trustee of an estate. Sponsors: Reps. Klint Kesto, R-Commerce Township, Julie Calley, R-Portland, Brandt Iden, R-Kalamazoo.
HB 6132: Eliminate the three-tier system to determine the amount of income taxes paid on retirement or pension benefits. Sponsor: Rep. Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington.
HB 6133: Allow for the transfer of an anterless deer hunting license to a family member. Sponsor: Rep. Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington.
HB 6134-6136: Expand the prohibition on gun possession to include an individual convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes. Sponsors: Reps. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Township, Daire Rendon, R-Lake City.
HB 6137-6138: Create a student loan repayment program for licensed social workers. Sponsors: Reps. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, Daire Rendon, R-Lake City.
HB 6139: Require state agencies to implement a right to breathable air. Sponsor: Rep. David LaGrand, D-Grand Rapids.
HB 6140-6144: Require Department of Environmental Quality to notify state legislators if it intends to approve a permit that would increase emissions. Sponsors: Reps. Vanessa Guerra, D-Bridgeport, Tenisha Yancey, D-Harper Woods, Cara Clemente, D-Lincoln Park, Abdullah Hammoud, D-Dearborn, Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit.
HB 6145: Extend the deadline for a candidate to withdraw from running for an office from three to seven days. Sponsor: Rep. Martin Howrylak, R-Troy.
Senate bills
SB 1041: Require a substance abuse hotline label on prescription drugs. Sponsor: Sen. Steven Bieda, D-Warren.
SB 1042: Provide for a homestead property tax credit for disabled veterans. Sponsor: Sen. Goeff Hansen, R-Hart.
SB 1043: Require statewide school safety policy to include school responses to active shooter. Sponsor: Sen. Morris Hood, D-Detroit.
SB 1044-1048: Require background check before an individual can rent or lease a firearm and require firearm dealer to notify law enforcement when individual fails the background check. Sponsor: Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge.
SB 1049: Prohibit incentives for or from a local government for wrecker, recovery or towing services. Sponsor: Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland.
SB 1050: Expand the use of highways by public utilities to include broadband companies. Sponsor: Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland.
SB 1051-1052: Modify the state budgeting process so that the governor provides more detail to the Legislature about the proposed budget, along with a strategic plan for the state and enhance the fiscal note included in legislation. Sponsors: Sens. David Hildenbrand, R-Lowell, Jim Stamas, R-Midland.
SB 1053: Designate July 16 as Atomic Veterans Day. Sponsor: Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor.
SB 1054: Modify the public notice requirements for the sale of municipal bonds. Sponsor: Sen. Jack Brandenburg, R-Harrison Township.
SB 1055: Require disclosure of the contents of vaccinations that include aborted fetal tissue. Sponsor: Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, R-Lawton.
SB 1056-1058: Modify the wills and estates procedures for a child born as a result of assisted reproduction. Sponsor: Sen. Judy Emmons, R-Sheridan.
SB 1059: Expand the definition of telemedicine so that physicians can store and review data before beginning a session with a patient. Sponsor: Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor.
SB 1060: Expand social studies curriculum in schools to include the Holodomor, the famine and genocide in the Ukraine during the 1930s. Sponsor: Sen. Steve Bieda, D-Warren.
For more information or to track the progress of bills, go to www.legislature.mi.gov
Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal
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