Last call would be extended to 4 a.m. on weekends, holidays in Detroit under Senate bill

LANSING — When the bartender yells "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here," at 2 a.m., people partying in Detroit might get a two-hour reprieve under a bill introduced in the state Senate.

Last call at bars in Detroit's central business district would be extended to 4 a.m. on weekends and holidays under the bill, which was hailed as a way for Detroit to compete with other states.

"I grew up in city of Detroit and spend a lot of time there. When you look at conventions and competition from a lot of other places in other states, Detroit’s at a disadvantage for having a central business district that can go into later hours," said Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, who sponsored the bill.

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A similar bill was introduced in the last legislative session, but didn't get a vote. Hertel said he hopes this year will be different and the timing of his bill — at the same time the NCAA's March Madness basketball tournament is happening at the Little Caesars Arena — is serendipitous.

"We certainly have some great big sporting events happening and here’s the reality: If you went down to central business district, or just outside of it, there are plenty of places that are open past 2 a.m. They’re doing so against the law and if we actually put in some regulations to protect people, we can increase Detroit’s value for conventions," he said. "And maybe slow down some of the illegal speakeasies that are happening now."

Other bills introduced in the Legislature last week:

HB 5708-5709: Create a retirement program for non-public employees to participate in, provide state oversight and an income tax credit. Sponsors: Reps. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet, Robert Wittenberg, D-Oak Park.

HB 5710: Create sanctions against landlords who are delinquent on paying property taxes. Sponsor: Rep. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit.

HB 5711: Remove age limits for hunting on public lands. Sponsor: Rep. Triston Cole, R-Mancelona.

HB 5712: Eliminate a provision in election law that requires a primary election to replace an elected official who is recalled. Sponsor: Rep. Martin Howrylak, R-Troy.

HB 5713: Require notification to legislature when there is a failure to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request within a certain number of days. Sponsor: Rep. Julie Alexander, R-Hanover.

HB 5714-5715: Prohibit businesses from price gouging for products and services during a state of emergency or disaster and establish penalties. Sponsor: Rep. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield.

HB 5716: Require recipients of Medicaid services to work. Sponsor: Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering.

HB 5717: Clarify that the zoning regulations of land by district must be accomplished through zoning ordinances. Sponsor: Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering.

HB 5718: Allow law enforcement to donate abandoned or stolen property that is not a weapon to schools, municipalities or charitable organizations. Sponsor: Rep. Jim Lilly, R-Macatawa.

HB 5719: Modify the population threshold for the issuance of a specially designated liquor license. Sponsor: Rep. Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington.

HB 5720: Modify what constitutes a business improvement zone for economic development purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Robert VerHeulen, R-Walker.

HB 5721: Redirect the proceeds from the tobacco settlement fund into the Michigan transportation fund to be used for road improvement purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Diana Farrington, R-Utica.

HB 5722: Allow for the incorporation of municipal health care facilities operated by cities. Sponsor: Rep. Sheldon Neeley, D-Flint.

HB 5723: Prohibit communities from enacting ordinances that dictate the kinds of construction materials that are used in water supply and wastewater projects. Sponsor: Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering.

HB 5724: Require food service establishments to post a notice when workers use latex gloves in food handling and preparation. Sponsor: Rep. Larry Inman, R-Williamsburg.

HB 5725: Designate a portion of M-5 as Staff Sergeant Duane J. Dreasky Memorial Highway. Dreasky died in 2006, a year after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Iraq on Nov. 21, 2005. Sponsor: Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville.

HB 5726-5729: Prohibit pyramid promotional schemes in business franchise investments. Sponsors: Reps. Eric Leutheuser, R-Hillsdale, Pamela Hornberger, R-Chesterfield Township, Jeffrey Noble, R-Plymouth, Brandt Iden, R-Kalamazoo.

HB 5730-5731: Prohibit legislators from voting on bills that present a direct financial conflict of interest and establish penalties for violations. Sponsor: Rep. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet.

HB 5732: Revise the authority of credit unions to provide investment-related services. Sponsor: Rep. Diana Farrington, R-Utica.

HB 5733: Modify the deadline for providing public records under the Freedom of Information Act. Sponsor: Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Williams Township.

Senate bills:

SB 902: Extend the hours of operation to 4 a.m. on weekends and holidays for bars and restaurants that serve liquor in cities with a population of at least 600,000. Detroit would be the only city that would qualify. Sponsor: Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing.

SB 903-904: Require higher-education employees to report suspected cases of sexual assaults and establish penalties for failure to report. Sponsor: Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge.

SB 905: Allow properties held in trust to be treated as property held by the tenants of the property. Sponsor: Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge.

SB 906-907: Provide for a sales and use tax exemption for the purchase or lease of a school bus. Sponsor: Sen. Jack Brandenburg, R-Harrison Township.

SB 908: Modify the restrictions on the use of property in Ingham County that is being conveyed by the state to the city of Lansing. Sponsor: Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing.

SB 909-910: Allow non-certified, non-endorsed people to teach career and technical education in schools. Sponsor: Sen. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal