Parents' rights to BB guns: Lawmakers pass bills

LANSING – Thanks to Greater Lansing lawmakers, military parents' custody rights are protected, local governments have more control over troubled mobile home parks, and the term "crippled children" has been stripped from Michigan statute.

A quarter of the way through the 2015-16 legislative term, the 11 lawmakers representing Greater Lansing have sponsored 103 bills — 13 of which have been signed into law.

That's a 13% success rate, for those of you keeping track — a better record than the Legislature as a whole. As of Friday, Gov. Rick Snyder and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley had signed a total of 94 laws this year, or about 8% of nearly 1,200 bills introduced.

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Here's a look at what Greater Lansing lawmakers have given Michiganders so far this term:

• Senate Bill 53: Allows properly licensed retired federal law enforcement officials to carry concealed pistols in no-carry zones. State Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, sponsored.

• SB 12: Allows retired state employees to contract with the Attorney General's Office without losing state retirement benefits (Jones).

• House Bills 4154, 4156: Part of a package of bills changing the state's definition of "firearm" to ensure BB guns and the like aren't regulated like weaponry. State Reps. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville, and Brett Roberts, R-Eaton Township, sponsored.

• SB 9, HB 4071: Part of a package of bills banning judges from changing parental custody agreements, except for emergencies, if one of the parents requests a stay under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (Jones and Barrett).

• HB 4054: Provides more local oversight and stiffer penalties for problem mobile home parks. State Rep. Andy Schor, D-Lansing, sponsored.

• SB 112, HBs 4203, 4205: Part of a package of bills that would remove the term "crippled children" from Michigan statute and replace it with the phrase "children or youth with special health care needs." Schor, State Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville, and State Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., D-Meridian Township, sponsored.

CONTACT YOUR REP: LSJ.com/GreaterLansingLawmakers

State Sen. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, also introduced SBs 18 and 19, which cleared up ownership questions for specific pieces of land in Calhoun County, and SB 99, naming a section of the I-94 business loop in Creek the Detective LaVern S. Brann Memorial Highway in honor of a Battle Creek police officer killed in the line of duty in 2005.

Fourteen bills introduced by Lansing-area politicians have thus far passed at least one chamber.

Unsurprisingly, area Republican lawmakers had the most success getting bills passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by the GOP governor. Also unsurprisingly, Jones — known for his legislative responsiveness to constituents' concerns — has been the most prolific, sponsoring 28 bills so far this term, with three signed into law and another three passed by the Senate.

Nofs also had three bills signed and three passed by his chamber.

Hertel, a freshman, was the most active area Democrat, introducing 16 bills.

Two lawmakers — State Reps. Tom Cochran, D-Mason, and Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt Township — have had zero bills even passed by their chamber.

13 bills now law

The 11 Greater Lansing lawmakers have thus far introduced a combined 13 bills that have been signed into law.

Source: Michigan Legislature