Signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report vote and pass a bill that establishes a tip line for students to anonymously report improperly stored firearms in Michigan.

Highlights:

• Appropriates public school $17.8 billion from the state school aid fund, $78.8 million from the general fund, a maximum of $41 million from the community district education trust fund, a maximum of $125 million from the school transportation fund, with a maximum of $71 million from the enrollment stabilization fund, a maximum of $30 million from meal reserve fund, maximum of $18 million from great start readiness program reserve fund, maximum of $334 million from MPSERS retirement obligation reform receive fund, and maximum of $30 million from the educator fellowship public provider fund for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 (Sec. 11). 

• Requires funds not used by the end of the fiscal year to be transferred into school aid stabilization funds (Sec. 11). 

• Appropriates funding from the state school aid fund that includes $150 million for 2024-2025, and funding from the general fund that includes $150 million for 2024-2025 only, to make payments to district, intermediate districts, nonpublic schools, and the Michigan Schools for the Deaf and Blind, activities that relate to the improvement of mental health and student safety. 

• Specifies the purpose of the bill for the 2025-2026 year that the state school aid fund money of $25 million be appropriated for the purpose described in this section will be $25 million, and prohibits the use of those funds and general fund money to be used to make payments to hired staff. Authorizes use of funds for the following (Sec. 31aa): 

• Hiring support staff for student mental health 

• Implementing mental health screening tools; 

• Acquiring a state-wide, integrated technology platform that streamlines behavioral health documentation and care coordination; 

• Providing school-based mental health personnel access to consul behavioral health clinicians; 

• Hiring behavioral health coordinator; 

• Evidence-based training for mental health support; 

• Cost of collaboration to address academic, behavioral, and social needs of all students through partnerships, resource coordination, and data collection and sharing. 

• Safety infrastructure; 

• Age-conscious training for students and families regarding firearm ownership and safety;

• School resource officers; 

• Student Safety Management System; 

• A secure platform to keep all school safety-related items;

• Emergency infrastructures are needed to respond to immediate threats to the health or safety of students and staff with approval from the department. Specifies that for districts to make approval they should assess whether district, intermediate districts, nonpublic schools, or the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind are responding to immediate threats and whether they should prioritize using other funds first; 

• Contract with a vendor for a comprehensive safety and security assessment or a comprehensive safety and security assessment for the district, intermediate districts, nonpublic schools, or the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind; or

• An emergency response system; 

• Requires the department to make payments from state school aid funds to the district, intermediate districts, and the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind per pupil based on the total number of pupils in membership in each district, intermediate districts, and the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind, using pupil counts determined by the department, by no later than December 31 of each fiscal year. Requires the department to make payments from general fund money to nonpublic schools per pupil based on the total number of pupils in membership in each nonpublic school, using pupil counts determined by the department, by no later than December 31 of each fiscal year. Specifies that the amount per pupil paid to nonpublic schools should not exceed that paid to districts and intermediates districts (Sec. 31aa). 

• Requires recipients of funds to provide an expense report by June 1 of each fiscal year. Requires any funding that was determined to be misused to be reimbursed (Sec. 31aa). 

• Requires the department to write a report containing the number of recipients that have hired school resources officers using funds appropriated in this bill and any supporting information recipients provided (Sec. 31).

• Requires the report to be submitted to the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittee on school aid, the Senate and House fiscal agencies, the Senate and House policy offices, the state budget office, and the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards by August 1, 2025, and continue to do so on the same date following that year (Sec. 31aa). 

• Requires districts that receive funding to coordinate with intermediate districts to avoid duplication of service and to streamline delivery of services to students (Sec. 31aa). 

• Requires the department to make payments on a schedule determined by the department except in any instance where there are interferences with section 17b (Sec. 31aa).

• Authorizes spending of funds until the end of the fiscal year immediately following the receivement of funds following the fiscal year (Sec. 31aa). 

• Appropriates a maximum of $1 million from the state school aid fund money for 2024-2025 for the intermediate district to partner with the department to form or partner with an existing program and support a tip line that would allow students to report improperly stored firearms that are accessible to a minor anonymously (Sec. 97h).

• Requires department to establish educational material regarding improperly stored firearms and how to report improperly stored firearms which will be to districts and intermediate districts (Sec. 97h). 

• Requires the department to this payments on a schedule determined by the department except in any instance where there are interferences with section 17b (Sec. 97h). 

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report vote and pass a bill that establishes a tip line for students to anonymously report improperly stored firearms in Michigan.

Highlights:

• Appropriates public school $17.8 billion from the state school aid fund, $78.8 million from the general fund, a maximum of $41 million from the community district education trust fund, a maximum of $125 million from the school transportation fund, with a maximum of $71 million from the enrollment stabilization fund, a maximum of $30 million from meal reserve fund, maximum of $18 million from great start readiness program reserve fund, maximum of $334 million from MPSERS retirement obligation reform receive fund, and maximum of $30 million from the educator fellowship public provider fund for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 (Sec. 11). 

• Requires funds not used by the end of the fiscal year to be transferred into school aid stabilization funds (Sec. 11). 

• Appropriates funding from the state school aid fund that includes $150 million for 2024-2025, and funding from the general fund that includes $150 million for 2024-2025 only, to make payments to district, intermediate districts, nonpublic schools, and the Michigan Schools for the Deaf and Blind, activities that relate to the improvement of mental health and student safety. 

• Specifies the purpose of the bill for the 2025-2026 year that the state school aid fund money of $25 million be appropriated for the purpose described in this section will be $25 million, and prohibits the use of those funds and general fund money to be used to make payments to hired staff. Authorizes use of funds for the following (Sec. 31aa): 

• Hiring support staff for student mental health 

• Implementing mental health screening tools; 

• Acquiring a state-wide, integrated technology platform that streamlines behavioral health documentation and care coordination; 

• Providing school-based mental health personnel access to consul behavioral health clinicians; 

• Hiring behavioral health coordinator; 

• Evidence-based training for mental health support; 

• Cost of collaboration to address academic, behavioral, and social needs of all students through partnerships, resource coordination, and data collection and sharing. 

• Safety infrastructure; 

• Age-conscious training for students and families regarding firearm ownership and safety;

• School resource officers; 

• Student Safety Management System; 

• A secure platform to keep all school safety-related items;

• Emergency infrastructures are needed to respond to immediate threats to the health or safety of students and staff with approval from the department. Specifies that for districts to make approval they should assess whether district, intermediate districts, nonpublic schools, or the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind are responding to immediate threats and whether they should prioritize using other funds first; 

• Contract with a vendor for a comprehensive safety and security assessment or a comprehensive safety and security assessment for the district, intermediate districts, nonpublic schools, or the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind; or

• An emergency response system; 

• Requires the department to make payments from state school aid funds to the district, intermediate districts, and the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind per pupil based on the total number of pupils in membership in each district, intermediate districts, and the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind, using pupil counts determined by the department, by no later than December 31 of each fiscal year. Requires the department to make payments from general fund money to nonpublic schools per pupil based on the total number of pupils in membership in each nonpublic school, using pupil counts determined by the department, by no later than December 31 of each fiscal year. Specifies that the amount per pupil paid to nonpublic schools should not exceed that paid to districts and intermediates districts (Sec. 31aa). 

• Requires recipients of funds to provide an expense report by June 1 of each fiscal year. Requires any funding that was determined to be misused to be reimbursed (Sec. 31aa). 

• Requires the department to write a report containing the number of recipients that have hired school resources officers using funds appropriated in this bill and any supporting information recipients provided (Sec. 31).

• Requires the report to be submitted to the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittee on school aid, the Senate and House fiscal agencies, the Senate and House policy offices, the state budget office, and the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards by August 1, 2025, and continue to do so on the same date following that year (Sec. 31aa). 

• Requires districts that receive funding to coordinate with intermediate districts to avoid duplication of service and to streamline delivery of services to students (Sec. 31aa). 

• Requires the department to make payments on a schedule determined by the department except in any instance where there are interferences with section 17b (Sec. 31aa).

• Authorizes spending of funds until the end of the fiscal year immediately following the receivement of funds following the fiscal year (Sec. 31aa). 

• Appropriates a maximum of $1 million from the state school aid fund money for 2024-2025 for the intermediate district to partner with the department to form or partner with an existing program and support a tip line that would allow students to report improperly stored firearms that are accessible to a minor anonymously (Sec. 97h).

• Requires department to establish educational material regarding improperly stored firearms and how to report improperly stored firearms which will be to districts and intermediate districts (Sec. 97h). 

• Requires the department to this payments on a schedule determined by the department except in any instance where there are interferences with section 17b (Sec. 97h). 

Full Bill Text