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HB 6091

AN ACT RELATING TO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES -- RETAIL LICENSES-CENTRAL FALLS

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Karen Alzate and 2 co-sponsors

Requires educational institutions to prevent and address harassment, expands harassment definitions, and holds institutions liable when harassment is enabled by staff or noticed an

07/05/2025 Effective without Governor's signature
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Bill Summary · HB 6091

Summary — HB 6091 (Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act amendments)

Status & procedural history
- Bill: HB 6091 — amends sections 401 and 402 of the Elliott‑Larsen Civil Rights Act (MCL 37.2401 & 37.2402).
- Introduced (electronically reproduced): Nov 13, 2024; sponsored by Rep. Emily Dievendorf and others.
- Key actions through April 29, 2025: referred to House Government Operations, later to Joint Committee on Human Services; public hearing Feb 14, 2025; reported out of LCO and given favorable reports (March 2025); referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis; most recently referred to the House Appropriations Committee (Apr 29, 2025).
- Current status: House bill in committee/appropriations review (as of latest entry).

Purpose / Intent
- To add explicit protections against harassment by or within educational institutions and to clarify when an educational institution is responsible for harassment under the Elliott‑Larsen Civil Rights Act.
- To define harassment broadly (including electronic communications) and to set standards for institutional liability and affirmative prevention/response measures.

Key provisions
- Definitions (amends Sec. 401)
- Defines “educational institution” broadly to include public and private schools, academies, colleges, universities, extension courses, vocational and professional schools, kindergartens, nursery, local school systems, and agents of those institutions.
- Expands definition of discrimination to expressly include harassment on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
- Defines “harassment” to include:
- Unwelcome conduct or communication (direct/indirect, verbal/nonverbal), including via electronic messaging, that substantially interferes with a person’s participation in or receipt of educational aids/benefits/services or creates an intimidating/hostile environment.
- Quid‑pro‑quo type conduct: an agent/employee/authorized person conditioning provision of an educational aid/benefit/service on participation in sexual conduct (regardless of whether the person submits).

  • Institutional liability (amends Sec. 402)
    • Prohibits discrimination by educational institutions in admissions, programs, and privileges on listed protected bases (religion, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression).
    • Establishes that an institution violates the Act when harassment occurs if:
    • The harassment is enabled or assisted by the authority of an institutional agent/employee/authorized person; or
    • The harassment occurs by any person (including non‑employees) and the institution receives “notice” of the harassment.
    • “Notice” is defined as when an institutional agent/employee knew or reasonably should have known and (a) had authority to redress or duty to report (or received a report), and (b) the communications are not legally privileged/confidential.
    • Affirmative defense / safe harbor: an institution will not be liable if it demonstrates it exercised reasonable care to prevent harassment and promptly remedied effects, including by:
    • Establishing, publicizing, and enforcing a comprehensive harassment prevention policy;
    • Providing annual training for all students and employees (including statutory references for required sexual harassment training in K‑12);
    • Maintaining a harassment complaint procedure likely to provide redress without unreasonable burden;
    • Providing “supportive measures” consistent with 34 CFR part 106 to preserve/restore equal access.
    • (Bill text provided is truncated after supportive measures; additional remedial requirements may follow in full text.)

Who is affected
- Applies to virtually all educational institutions in Michigan (public and private; K–12 and higher education) and their agents, employees, vendors, contractors, volunteers, school board members, and guest speakers.
- Affects students, faculty, staff, applicants, and third parties interacting with institutions.
- Creates responsibilities for institutional administrators (policy, training, reporting, remediation) and may increase liability exposure where institutions fail to prevent or respond.

Potential impacts
- Compliance: schools will likely need to update policies, implement or expand annual training, strengthen complaint procedures, document supportive measures, and ensure vendor/guest oversight.
- Liability & enforcement: broader bases for claims where harassment is enabled by institutional authority or where institutions had notice and failed to act.
- Fiscal: likely state/local fiscal impacts for required training, staffing, and compliance systems — consistent with referrals for fiscal review and appropriations consideration.

Note
- The posted bill text is truncated near the end; the summary reflects the available sections and may omit additional provisions contained in the full legislative text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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