MIP

In this 2007 file photo, Ottawa County Sheriff's Department Deputy Chris Dill issues a citation for minor in possession of alcohol at an apartment complex near Grand Valley State University.

(Dave Odette)

LANSING, MI -- Legislation reducing penalties for minors caught with alcohol is among the bills signed by Gov. Rick Snyder and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley last month.

Senate Bills 332-333, sponsored by state Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, reduce first time violations of the minor in possession law from a misdemeanor to a state civil infraction akin to a traffic ticket, Jones said.

The suspension of drivers licenses is still possible on second and third offenses under the new law, and the prohibition against people under 21 from having any bodily alcohol content remains.

What got Jones interested in making the changes was complaints from parents who said the punishments varied widely by jurisdiction.

"Some courts would offer a deal... take an alcohol class then we'll reduce it to nothing, basically, you'll have no record. Other courts were wildly different," said Jones, who said in some cases minors spent time in jail and got a permanent criminal record.

The measures are now Public Acts 357 and 358 of 2016. They go into effect Jan. 1, 2018 -- later than Jones had proposed, but a compromise he said was necessary for the bills to win House approval.

When lawmakers return to Lansing on Jan. 11, they will start work on a new session and new bills.

Other legislation signed into law by Snyder or Lt. Gov. Brian Calley to end the year include:

- Senate Bills 437 and 438: Overhauls Michigan's current energy policy, which included 10 percent electric choice and required 15 percent of the state's total load to come from renewable sources by 2021.

- House Bills 5409-5417: This package bans the use of non-emergency restraint and seclusion practices in Michigan schools.

The legislation, initially recommended by a special education task force led by Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, would also require teachers to report to a student's parents and school administrators when restraint and seclusion is used.

- House Bill 4265: Allows certain community college students outside of a community college district to pay residential tuition rates.

- House Bill 4677: Gives assessors the option to create a separate tax parcel for a portion of farmland no longer used for agricultural purposes.

- House Bill 4850: Gives state purchasing preference to Michigan-sourced bio-based products.

- House Bill 5484: Requires the Natural Resources Commission to review and determine if additional colors are safe and effective for hunters to wear, including "hunter pink."

- House Bill 5520: Removes the requirement for a dowry provision in judgments of divorce and separate maintenance.

- House Bill 5533: Eliminates the requirement for a Physician's Assistant to practice under the supervision of a physician, and now requires Physician's Assistants to obtain a practice agreement with a participating physician or podiatrist.

- House Bill 5599: Clarifies definitions and processes associated with the use of the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund and reduces the amounts owners and operators must pay in order to access the fund.

- Senate Bill 717: Expands the types of actions allowed in order to facilitate underground fuel tank clean-up processes.

- Senate Bill 1187: Allows the Natural Resources Commission to designate species as game animals and restores the NRC's authority to regulate the taking of sport fish.

- House Bills 5618-5621 and 5693-95: Requires school officials to consider situation-specific factors such as age, disciplinary history, disabilities and behavior before suspending or expelling a child.

- Senate Bills 33 and 510: Prevent the Michigan Department of Education and the Center for Educational Performance and Information from selling or providing students' private information to third-party for-profit businesses.

- House Bill 4185: Allows for an appeals process for salvage vehicle inspectors who were decertified by the Department of the State.

- House Bill 4814: Requires state department websites to have one standardized layout for contact information by 2018.

- House Bill 5001: Increases the hours of education required for massage therapists to gain their license from 500 hours to 625 hours if they are enrolled in a massage therapy program on or after Aug. 1, 2017.

- House Bills 5824 and 5825: Expand the definition of "addition" to freestanding buildings under a nonprofit medical facility's license and serve the same function as the main hospital building.

- Senate Bill 291 and House Bill 5815: Create the "Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act" to create a fund to provide payments to individuals who have been wrongfully imprisoned. For every year a person was wrongly incarcerated, they would receive $50,000, in addition to attorney fees and expenses.

- House Bills 4637, 4639-4641 and Senate Bill 392: Establish regulations for limousines, taxicabs and a Transportation Network Company (TNC), such as Uber and Lyft, to operate in the state of Michigan. The bills include requirements for criminal background checks, driving records, inspections and a zero-tolerance policy for drivers using drugs or alcohol while operating a vehicle.

- House Bill 5024: Establishes a commission to research and recommend the threshold for THC, a substance most commonly associated with marijuana, that would lead to impaired driving.

- House Bill 5128: Allows retired state employees to contract with the Department of Natural Resources for wildfire suppression without losing retirement allowances.

- House Bill 5205: Names a portion of highway US-2 as the "Kenneth J. Moraska Memorial Highway."

- House Bill 5215: Prohibits a person from removing a dog's collar with the intention to remove evidence of the dog's ownership.

- House Bill 5273: Changes the parole process for individuals serving a parolable life sentence by removing the authority of a successor judge to veto parole consideration.

- House Bill 5591: Allows the use of an electronic signature to amend, reaffirm, or repeal a restrictive covenant by the owner of land that is subject to the restrictive covenant.

- House Bill 5702: Modifies the authority of Department of Natural Resources to issue permits for the taking of animals for the purpose of disease control or prevention and to prevent or control damage caused by wildlife.

- Senate Bill 753: Establishes new requirements for patient consultation and consent, along with a process for authorization of prescription drugs.