Latest news with #SarahAnthony
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate panel advances 'right to repair' bills for property renters in Michigan
Lawmakers in the Michigan Senate are eyeing a change to the state's housing laws, including giving renters in the state more power to take repairing faulty appliances and poor conditions at leased properties into their own hands. Senate Bills 19 and 20, introduced by Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, would require landlords to commence repairs on defective appliances and hazardous conditions under set timelines. If the property lessor or licensors don't make the repairs in the required time under the proposal, renters would be able to withhold rent until the repairs are made or commence repairs themselves and deduct the costs from their rent payments. The bills are part of a four-bill package, called the 'Tenant Empowerment Package' by Anthony, approved by the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee on June 10. The measures now move to the full Senate floor for a potential vote. Michigan faces a rising crisis of housing access and affordability, Anthony said, and the goal of the legislation is to ensure that housing that is available to tenants remains safe. 'Whether you live in a rural township (or) a city neighborhood, families across Michigan are struggling to find and keep safe, affordable, quality places to live,' Anthony said during a June 3 committee hearing on the legislation. Under the legislation, landlords would have 48 hours after being notified to commence repairs on any defective condition considered hazardous to the life or the health and safety of a tenant, 72 hours to address mold or pests found in a unit and 30 days for repairs in other cases. If repairs aren't made under the timelines, renters would be able to deposit their rent into an escrow account and withhold it from a landlord until repairs are made. Under current state law, provisions already exist for renters to place rent payments in escrow but the Tenant Empowerment Package would create clear timelines for repairs to begin, whereas current law states landlords have to make repairs in a "reasonable" time. Should a tenant decide to take repairs into his or her own hands, he or she would be required to obtain at least three free written cost estimates from a licensed contractor for the fix, provide the landlord with the estimates and give the landlord 24 hours to start repairs before doing it themselves. Elsewhere in the legislative package, Senate Bill 21 would set a 90-day notice requirement for landlords to inform tenants their annual rent would increase if their lease was renewed, an increase on the current 30-day notice requirement. Senate Bill 22 would allow security deposits to be able to be returned through electronic transfer. Two groups representing rental property owners, the Rental Property Owners Association (RPOA) of Michigan and Michigan Realtors, indicated opposition to Senate Bills 19-21. Anthony and other Senate Democrats previously introduced a version of the Tenant Empowerment Package last year, as well, although certain parts of the bills have been tweaked, including giving landlords slightly more time to start repair work. 'While these bills aim to bring greater balance and accountability to the housing system, they were crafted with a clear understanding of the realities landlords face,' Anthony said June 3. Erika Farley, RPOA executive director, said the organization appreciates the changes under the current version of the bills. Still, Farley said the repair timelines set under the bills may not be achievable for all landlords, particularly considering availability of contractors or tradesmen. "We fully support well-taken care of, healthy, safe housing," Farley said in a June 10 interview. "When we look at this legislation and other legislation that has to do with rental housing, we also have to talk about are we taking a hatchet where there needs to be a scalpel? Are we making sweeping, broad brushstrokes for everyone where there are different scenarios." Right to repair laws exist beyond housing — the measures allow owners of electronics, agricultural equipment and even some automobiles to repair their products without needing to go back to the original manufacturer. In 2023, right to repair legislation was considered in 33 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In order to become law, the bills would have to pass both the Senate and House of Representatives and be signed into law by the governor. A version of Senate Bill 22 passed the Senate last year, but was not taken up in the House before the end of the session. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Right to repair bills for renters advance Michigan Senate panel
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
To The Point: Sen. Sarah Anthony on making Michigan's budget
LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan lawmakers are busy putting together a new budget for the next fiscal year. Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. 'There are always ways we can find efficiencies. Any of us can find efficiencies even in our own household budgets, right? We can trim back on some of the things we're doing. But there's also some essentials and we want to look out for the essentials for working people,' she said. To The Point: State Rep. Bollin on budget Above on this episode of 'To The Point' for the weekend of April 5, we take an inside look at the budget process. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate Appropriations leaders grapple with state, federal challenges as FY ‘26 budget season starts
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) during a Feb. 4, 2025 committee meeting. | Kyle Davidson While working to close the books on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 state budget, members of the Michigan Senate Appropriations committee are preparing for FY 2026 as moving pieces at the state and federal level create big questions for this year's budget. 'So much of this is so dynamic, you know, it's really chewing gum and walking — which I talk about being really good at — but this is going to be a challenging year,' Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) told reporters after a Tuesday committee meeting. On Wednesday, the State Budget Office will present Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2026 to members of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, kicking off budget season for the Legislature as members work to finalize legislation before their July 1 deadline. Second federal judge issues temporary order blocking Trump spending freeze However, there is no penalty if the Legislature fails to meet the deadline and Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) last week said his goal is to finish by Sept. 30 — right before the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. After reviewing Whitmer's proposal, the House and Senate will each produce their own version of the budget. Once each chamber passes their own Appropriations bills, they will negotiate any differences between them in conference committees. Afterward, both chambers will take a final vote on the budget before sending it to the governor for her signature. While Democrats held control of the Legislature the past two budget cycles, Republicans have taken the majority in the House, meaning Whitmer, a Democrat, will now have to negotiate with a Democratic-led Senate and a Republican-led House. State fiscal experts in January projected modest economic growth in 2025, with expectations that the state will close out the 2025 Fiscal Year with an additional $457.7 million in the General Fund and $312.7 million in the School Aid Fund compared to previous projections from May 2024, with state revenue continuing to grow over the coming years. However, lawmakers will also face a number of unknowns from the federal government with the Trump administration currently embroiled in multiple legal battles resulting from an attempt to pause spending on federal grant and loan programs. Additionally, Trump's introduction and subsequent pause on tariffs against Mexico and Canada, U.S. House Republicans discussions of cuts to several government programs and the potential elimination of the Department of Education — which provides funding to elementary and secondary schools — the amount of federal dollars the state will receive this budget cycle remains uncertain. 'You have chaos from the federal government. Every other day there's a new headline, a new executive order that could impact the state's resources,' Anthony said. Anthony said she is looking forward to hearing what Whitmer's budget priorities are. The governor also will propose a road-funding plan next week, Crain's Detroit reports. Hall said last week that House Republicans will be working scrutinizing new programs created under the Democratic trifecta alongside older programs that have been around for decades, seeking cuts to help fund road repairs, a public safety trust fund and income tax cuts. There are questions about which investments from the past two years should be protected, and where leaders can find common ground to trim the budget back, Anthony said. While there are a lot of unknowns, lawmakers can only control what's in their power, Anthony said — building a budget that actually centers people. 'But also, we have to make sure that none of that actually touches real lives, real people. So, you know, drastic cuts are not on my radar if it means that it's going to hurt Michiganders,' Anthony said. Looking forward to future budget negotiations, Anthony said she'd already had several meetings with newly named House Appropriations Committee Chair Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Twp.) 'She's like me. She gets down to work, she is looking at all of the documents, meeting with department heads, and that's what a new chair needs to do, is actually understand the budget before putting your fingerprints on it,' Anthony said. 'Obviously, there's going to be much to disagree about, but as you know, the name of the game for me has always been working across the aisle to get something done for people. Even when we did have a trifecta, there was always negotiations with the Republican caucus to try to find that common ground. So it'll just be more important with divided government,' Anthony said. Sen. Jon Bumstead (R-North Muskegon), the committee's minority vice chair, said the budget process will likely be longer than in recent years, with new House leadership facing a learning curve and Senate Democrats now needing to work across the aisle to pass the budget. 'We're not hearing a whole lot yet, so hopefully we get included in the conversations,' Bumstead said. Wednesday's presentation on the governor's budget will be an eye opener, he said, pointing to road funding and support for infrastructure as components that would appeal to Senate Republicans. 'I think all Michiganders would agree that's needed,' Bumstead said. The question then becomes, do we tax or find the funds within the existing budget, Bumstead said, telling the Advance he would support taking a look within the budget for current funding, as Hall has suggested. When it comes to federal funding, lawmakers will just have to see how that plays out and which dollars come back to the state, Bumstead said. Anthony expressed concern about Hall saying the budget may stretch out to Sept. 30. 'Whether you're a local township or a county or even just local school districts, they have relied upon the Legislature to have their act together and to ensure that the budget is done before July 1,' Anthony said. 'This has been done under Republicans and Democratic control. And so I know that the new speaker is trying to make a name for himself and put his stamp on just about everything. But good governance is something that we take really seriously, and drawing this out to Sept. 30, feels really irresponsible,' Anthony said. Bumstead agreed, saying the Legislature should always work to have a budget done before summer break and noting that finalizing the budget by June was a priority during his time serving in the House under GOP Gov. Rick Snyder. 'Putting it off into fall, I think it makes it really difficult for schools. … I don't know, that's just, to me it's not fair to the public,' Bumstead said. 'Let's try to get that thing done before summer break because, to me, that's more responsible,' he said. Last week, the House also approved new rules for legislative spending initiatives, also known as earmarks, barring for-profit businesses from receiving funding, requiring greater accountability from lawmakers sponsoring a funding request, tightening rules around nonprofit eligibility, protecting against conflict of interest and requiring greater transparency. While the Senate has not altered its rules to match those approved by the House, Hall argued the Senate must still comply with the provisions, including a provision that requiring members to submit funding requests to the House Business Office at least 14 days before they are considered and make them publicly available online by May 1 for 2025 and April 1 in future years. 'Our rules say, if it's an earmark that isn't submitted by May 1, we're not doing it, period. We're not doing it. So they can submit us projects that don't comply with our rule and under our House rules, we'll strip them out and we'll send it back without them. But we don't need a deal. They'll just adhere to it because they have to, because it's a House rule,' Hall said. If they don't comply, they will eventually, Hall said, noting that a budget will need to be passed. When asked about these new rules, Anthony pointed to efforts in recent years to make the enhancement grant process more transparent, with Democratic leadership in 2023 asking individual members to step forward to sponsor grant requests. 'While I am encouraged that the speaker is, again, trying to put his name and his face connected to this new budget process, I encourage him just to see what we've already done. And if there's ways that we can strengthen transparency and strengthen ownership in some of these investments, I'm open to that, but I just would encourage him to see what's already been done,' Anthony said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
