ANN ARBOR’S 18th District State Senator Rebekah Warren introduced 27 bills between January and December 2013. All of Representative’s bills were referred to committees. Senate Bill 674: Establish statutory right to breastfeed in public was passed by a voice vote on December 13, 2013, one of two bills she introduced that passed in 2013. Senator Warren’s other bills included one to authorize second parent adoption, one to elect U.S. presidents by national popular vote, and a bill to make the cherry the official state fruit.

Two of her resolutions passed by voice votes. She also introduced 18 amendments to a variety of proposed legislation. Sixteen of the eighteen proposed amendments failed by voice votes and two, one of which was an amendment to 2013 House Bill 4668: Increase hunting and fishing license fees, passed on a voice vote.

Below, you’ll find a selection of the legislative work done by Senator Warren during 2013:

Introduced 2013 Senate Bill 674: Establish statutory right to breastfeed in public

November 12, 2013, to establish in law that a woman has a right to breastfeed a baby in a “place of public accommodation” or public facility. A woman would be entitled to “the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations” in these places, and if denied them could sue for actual damages or up to $200 in “presumed” damages. Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013.

Introduced 2013 Senate Bill 593: Human trafficking crime package

October 3, 2013, to require child placement agencies to give special consideration to information that a child may be the victim of human trafficking crimes, and on that basis find that the usual reunification, adoption, or other foster care services may not be suitable.

Introduced 2013 Senate Bill 457: Authorize “second parent adoption”

July 31, 2013, to provide for “second parent adoption” in Michigan law. This is a legal procedure that allows a same-sex parent to adopt his or her partner’s biological or adoptive child without terminating the first parent’s legal status as a parent.

Introduced 2013 Senate Bill 259: Declare cherry to be official state fruit

March 12, 2013, to establish that henceforth, as a matter of law and statute, the cherry shall be the official fruit of the great state of Michigan. Several previous cherry bills specified that only the tart cherry, prunus cerasus, shall be the official fruit, and no other cherry. Under this bill, any of the more than 60 cherry species could lawfully represent the state, including such unlikely varieties as the Carolina laurel cherry (prunus caroliniana), or the Korean cherry (prunus japonica). Although the bill does not specify official regional fruits, under its provisions nothing would prohibit Detroit from claiming to be represented by prunus eminens, or the semisour cherry. .

Introduced 2013 Senate Bill 223: Give tuition subsidies to all high school grads

February 27, 2013, to give all Michigan high school graduates up to five years of grants covering tuition in a state college or university. Funding would come from repealing $1.8 billion worth of current state tax deductions, exemptions and credits.