So-called “ghost guns” could become illegal in Michigan under new bills in the state House.

Those are firearms often 3D printed or assembled in kits that don’t have serial numbers, making them very hard for law enforcement to track.

One bill in the package would require owners of existing ghost guns to get them serialized within 18 months. Anyone who builds a firearm, unfinished frame, or receiver at home would have 10 days after finishing their project to get it serialized.

Bill sponsor state Rep. Morgan Foreman (D-Pittsfield Twp) said it’s a public safety issue more than it is a Second Amendment issue.

“No one needs an untraceable ghost gun. These weapons are designed to avoid detection, responsibility, and justice. These are tools for people who intend to do harm and get away with it,” Foreman said during a press conference Wednesday.

But critics of the bills say they don’t believe there’s a need for them.

Representative Phil Green (R-Millington) chairs the Michigan legislative Second Amendment Caucus. Green said it’d be better to have tougher enforcement of existing laws.

“We’re dealing with situations where we’re outlawing basically possession of something and then if they do something wrong, now there’s three or more crimes that you’ve committed. How about we just deal with what you did wrong?” Green said.

Under the legislation, building, selling, or having a firearm, frame, or receiver without a serial number would become a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Democrats introduced similar bills last term when their party controlled the entire legislative process but failed to pass. The bills are likely to have a tougher time now that Republicans run the House again.

Similar legislation in the Democratic-controlled Michigan Senate, however, is scheduled for a committee hearing in that chamber Thursday at noon.

A Republican lawmaker in the Michigan House is introducing articles of impeachment against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

The articles accuse Benson, a Democrat, of exceeding her authority, failing to secure elections, and not being transparent.

State Representative Jim DeSana (R-Carleton) said the effort is about holding Benson accountable.

“Her job is to run the Secretary of State’s office and to run elections. We make the law that determine[s] what is the authority over the election. She cannot make that law,” DeSana said during a press conference Tuesday morning.

DeSana laid out several complaints against Benson, including a decision to talk to reporters inside the lobby of a state office building while announcing her gubernatorial campaign. The Michigan Attorney General’s Office found that was likely a campaign finance law violation but said she didn’t have the authority to pursue the matter any further.

Benson had said it wasn’t an improper use of state resources since she said other candidates were welcome to use the lobby as well.

The impeachment resolution also makes multiple references to Benson’s handling of the 2020 presidential election. Dozens of audits since have confirmed President Donald Trump’s loss to former President Joe Biden.

In a written statement, Benson derided the impeachment threat.

“I believe in oversight and I believe in transparency. This isn’t it.

“This is Republican lawmakers abusing their authority to access sensitive election information that would allow them — or any conspiracy theorists they share it with – to tamper with election equipment, interfere with the chain of custody of ballots, or impersonate a clerk on Election Day.

“I continue to call on Speaker Hall and his caucus to work with us and a judicial mediator to help us reach a resolution to this matter.

“But let’s be clear: this clown show he is leading is no way to govern. It is not how we solve problems. It is not how we make government work for everyone. And every taxpayer dollar wasted on these shenanigans is a waste of time and money.

“I remain committed to the security of our elections and to the people of Michigan. I work for them. I suggest the House Republicans start doing the same,” a press release from Benson in her capacity as secretary of state said.

Last month, House Republicans voted to censure her for not fully complying with records requests from the House Oversight Committee.

Those efforts seem to be where House Republican leadership is focused instead of the impeachment resolution.

Gideon D’Assandro is spokesperson for House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp).

“Speaker Hall is working with Oversight Committee to enforce the House’s subpoena against Benson and finalizing a budget plan that will hold her department accountable for its many failures,” D’Assandro said in a text message.

Meanwhile, Democratic leadership in the House minority are calling the entire Benson saga a distraction from meaningful issues like passing a new state budget.

“We’ve talked about, at length, about everything that’s at stake right now. What’s coming our way from the federal government and the budget that’s being done in D.C., and that should be our singular focus right now,” Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) said.

Michigan bills to further prevent the use of ticket-buying bots received a House committee hearing Wednesday.

Ticket bots are often used to snatch up event tickets by getting around purchase limits, waiting periods, or other safeguards.

In high profile cases, like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, they led to exorbitant prices on the resale market.

State Representative Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park) is a package co-sponsor. He says bots are a problem the state needs to address.

“This harms the entertainment industry and harms consumers by creating an unnecessary financial barrier. Our bills would provide the attorney general with the necessary tools to investigate and act against those who are misusing bots to excessively purchase tickets,” McFall said during the House Judiciary Committee hearing.

The federal government has already outlawed using ticket bots to scam the system. But supporters of the Michigan bills say they’re necessary to ensure scammers quickly face consequences.

“The problem is, sometimes at that federal level there’s so many things going on, it’s hard to rein this in, which is why we kind of want to deal with it here in the state of Michigan, so the AG’s office has a little more teeth than we can act within our state,” said Rep. Mike Harris (R-Waterford), another package co-sponsor.

Under the bills, using bots to abuse the ticket-buying process could lead to a $5,000 fine per ticket gained.

Similar bills were introduced last legislative term but didn’t make it to the governor. 

A fetus would count as a dependent for Michigan taxes under a bill getting hearing Tuesday before the state House Finance Committee.

The bill would apply to people who are at least 10 weeks pregnant by the end of the tax year. A doctor would have to verify that pregnancy status.

State Rep. Gina Johnsen (R-Lake Orion) sponsors the bill. In an interview, Johnsen said she hopes it encourages more people to start families.

“Everything costs more to just survive, raise a family, take care of yourself. But, even starting at pregnancy, the costs go up. And this bill is to recognize that that’s when the costs start, not just when a child is born,” Johnsen said.

The personal exemption allowed under Michigan tax law is adjusted each year. For the 2024 tax year, it added up to $5,600 for each person and dependent.

Critics of the bill question whether it would truly provide enough support for new families.

Danielle Atkinson is the founder of the group Mothering Justice. Atkinson said she’s skeptical the bill would provide meaningful help for mothers.

“If this was in good faith, we would definitely be looking at the true cost of care, money that’s lost when you are out of work. And just overall what it takes to raise a child in this society,” Atkinson said.

She estimated it costs upwards of $14,000 each year to raise an infant, when accounting for childcare, food, clothes and other costs. Meanwhile, she raised concerns that the legislation could also have implications for talks around access to abortion.

In 2022, Georgia became the first state that offers such a tax exemption for fetuses after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That legislation was tied to Georgia’s fetal heartbeat law.

Johnsen said her bill, however, was based on the federal WIC program. That program offers food assistance to low income pregnant people, nursing mothers, and families of young children.

“I just want the moms to have an opportunity to have some assistance here and recognize that this is financially more difficult than not having a baby,” Johnsen said.

But Atkinson said expanding other programs, like Rx Kids, which gives checks to mothers of newborns are better uses of time and money.

“We have to think in the totality of when we’re talking about moms and families and babies, what does the most good and we need to put our attention and our resources behind those initiatives,” Atkinson said.

The bill is inching along in the state legislature at a time when House Republicans are also calling for across-the-board income tax cuts, setting aside more funding for roads, and cutting back budget spending.

Democrats have pushed back, arguing that those policies could put public services and social safety net spending at risk. Senate Democrats, however, have still called for the creation of what they describe as a “working parents tax credit.”

Johnsen defended her push for another cut, saying there are places to cut waste in the budget.

“We say we’re looking out for the most vulnerable. Well, the most vulnerability are the babies and the pregnant moms and the elderly and the veterans. They have to come first. Or we don’t have a thriving and strong society,” Johnsen said.

She said she expects the bill to come to a vote in the Michigan House of Representatives within the coming weeks.