Keeping Up with Lansing

|Published on: Jun 29, 2021||

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You probably noticed that we are busy watching the news lately, there are many issues coming through Lansing that are important to riparians. Do you have a friend, neighbor, or fellow association member who might also be concerned about the legislation we are covering? Please feel free to forward any of our emails to encourage others to participate. Make sure your voice is heard and encourage others to do the same.

Short Term Rentals

To Be Continued…

The Short Term Rental (STR) Bill: HB 4722, was not put to a vote on the floor of the House last week. This is likely due to a lack of support which we credit to calls from citizens like you who are concerned about the implications of the bill. If you haven’t made a call to your Representative yet, you can still do so (click here to find your Rep.).

You can read an update from Michigan Municipal League about the delay in the vote here: Short-term Rental Bill – Vote Update.

We also anticipate a vote on the Senate floor for SB 446, also regarding STR and are watching that closely, contact your Senator (click here to find your Senator).

The Mining Issue

The Michigan Environmental Council talks about gravel mining and the problem with the bills currently in committee. Read about the Mining Bills that just cleared the Senate Floor earlier this month by one vote: SB 429, SB 430, and SB 431. These bills have been referred to the House Local Government Committee and will have a hearing soon. Contact your Representative.

Solid Waste Bill Package

In the spring of this year we supported a set of bills from the House Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation that addressed a need for more sustainable practices in our statewide solid waste procedures. The bills passed the House at the end of April and are currently in the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee. We have been talking with the Michigan Recycling Coalition about their support of these bills and you can read about the bill package here.

Why do we care? The treatment of solid waste can have a major impact on ground and surface water; it is important for our lakes and streams that solid waste does not contaminate the waterways. As time goes on and we continue to pack waste into landfills we also continue to put stress on Michigan’s freshwater. The bills set out to modernize the way we deal with solid waste, allowing for a more circular system.

We will be contacting members with Senators in the Regulatory Reform Committee so they can put in a call about the bills.

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