Dear Friends,

To better serve the people of the 30th Senate District, I am offering this “Week in Review.” I hope you will find it informative about what is happening in Lansing.

I encourage you to contact me with any state issue. You may call 517-373-6920 or email [email protected]. Also, please check out my Facebook page. Let me know if I can assist you in any way or if you have an idea to help move our state forward.

Working for you,
Roger Victory
State Senator

The House Judiciary Committee last week heard testimony on my legislation to help curb dangerous organized retail theft and provide more consumer protection for those shopping online.

With the rise of online methods for conducting commerce, such as eBay, Walmart Online, and Amazon, there have also been new avenues for shady actors to participate in a manner that potentially exploits the lack of regulation and oversight in these spaces.

The consistent lack of action on consumer protection by the federal government has led me and Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. to introduce Senate Bills 1023 and 1024. The House panel adopted similar language into House Bills 5486 and 5487.

Commonly known as the INFORM Act, the four bills would require the disclosure of seller information through online marketplaces, like Amazon. They would require online marketplaces to have a clear and conspicuous manner for reporting suspicious activity and task the Michigan attorney general with enforcing the protections.

The measures are supported by Meijer, Walmart, The Home Depot, the Michigan Retailers Associations and others.

Click here to watch the committee meeting. The discussion on the four bills starts at 17:05 into the video.

The House Transportation Committee last week heard testimony from Ottawa County’s Adam Tountas and others regarding my bills to codify a recent court ruling and provide clarity regarding the liability of local road commissions for highways under their jurisdiction.

A recent Michigan Supreme Court case held that the Governmental Immunity Act governs the liability of a county road commission for failure to keep all highways under their jurisdiction in reasonable repair.

Senate Bills 39 and 43 would codify the decision in state law to avoid confusion and conflicting rules.

Click here to watch the committee meeting, which starts at 2:24 into the video.

The Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week discussed measures to allow farming equipment to be driven across the Mackinac Bridge under certain circumstances.

Under current state law, an individual is prohibited from operating a farm tractor or other self-propelled farm implements on a limited-access freeway in Michigan. Since the roadway of the Mackinac Bridge is an interstate highway, this limitation applies to crossing the bridge.

Farmers attempting to travel between the Upper and Lower peninsulas have to put the tractor on a trailer and receive special nighttime escorts to get the equipment across the bridge. This arrangement can be tremendously costly.

Senate Bills 1014 and 1078 would require the Mackinac Bridge Authority to allow a farm tractor or implement of husbandry to cross the Mackinac Bridge if they pay a toll and meet certain requirements and provide an exemption to allow them on limited-access highways for the purpose of crossing the Mackinac Bridge. Discussion on the details of the bills continues, but this is an important issue facing farmers on both sides of the bridge.

Click here to watch the committee meeting. The discussion on bills begins at 1:06:36 into the video.

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee last week took up distracted driving legislation that would require the use of a cell phone or electronic device to be “hands-free” while operating a motor vehicle.

Currently, Michigan law only bans texting while driving. House Bills 4277, 4278 and 4279 would ban motorists from using a mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle or a school bus, with certain limited exceptions – such as police officers and firefighters and public utility employees or contractors responding to emergencies.

The bills also ban the use of social media or recording of video while operating a motor vehicle or school bus, except for security purposes. A $100 civil fine or 16 hours of community service would accompany a first offense, which would rise to a $250 fine or 24 hours of community service, or both, in subsequent offenses.

The intent of the bills is to discourage people from using their cell phones while driving and to modernize the current texting and driving ban to accurately reflect advancements in technology. Twenty-four other states have already adopted similar hands-free laws.

Click here to watch the committee meeting, which begins at 0:40 into the video.

Thank you for subscribing to my electronic newsletter! I am honored to represent you in the state Senate. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Please feel free to forward this on to others who may be interested in receiving the 30th District E-news. You may sign up for it also at my website.