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SB 839

SB 839 - Under current law, elections for school board members are held on either the general municipal election day or such day as is specified in the county charter, with terms of office ranging from three years to six years, depending on the district. This act requires all such elections to be held at the November general election and makes all such terms four years. Additionally, a candidate for school board member shall state his or her party affiliation and certain other information on the declaration of candidacy. This act has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2028. This act is similar to HB 1722 (2026), SB 485 (2025), HB 539 (2025), HB 2536 (2024), SB 234 (2023), and to provisions in SB 1002 (2026), SB 1185 (2026), SB 740 (2022), HCS/HB 2306 (2022), HB 361 (2019), and in HCS/HB 1424 (2018). OLIVIA SHANNON

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Cierpiot

SB 839 lets superintendents certify school-building child care fire-safety compliance, reducing duplicative inspections.

Second Read and Referred S Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee
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Bill Summary · SB 839

SB 839 — Summary (Child Care: fire-safety certification; FOIA exemption)

Status: Referred to Committee on Government Operations (introduced Feb 21, 2025)
Subject: Child care; intermediate school districts; school districts; fire safety; public records

Main purpose

SB 839 amends the Child Care Organizations Licensing Act (1973 PA 116; MCL 722.112 et seq.) to (1) reduce duplicative fire-safety inspections for child care centers located in school buildings by allowing a superintendent of an intermediate school district (ISD) or local school district to certify that the school building meets the applicable fire-safety standards, and (2) exempt from public disclosure certain recordings provided to the Department of Michigan Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) by a licensee during an examination or investigation.

The bill amends sections 2, 3, 5n, 10, and 11c of 1973 PA 116.

Key provisions and changes

  • Superintendent certification option:

    • Where a child care center operates in a school building, the child-care rules’ fire-prevention and fire-safety requirements need not be separately enforced if the building already has Bureau of Fire Services (or similar authority) approval and is in compliance with school fire safety rules.
    • The superintendent of the ISD or local school district may certify to MiLEAP that the school building has that approval and that health/fire safety is sufficient — this certification can be submitted instead of an independent inspection by MiLEAP, the Bureau of Fire Services, or local authorities.
    • The bill preserves the use of standardized rules for inspections and reporting; owners/operators still may contract with qualified local authorities to perform inspections where appropriate.

  • FOIA exemption for recordings:

    • A recording (audio or video) provided by a licensee to MiLEAP during an examination or investigation is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. (Intended to keep investigatory material confidential.)

  • Continued rulemaking and oversight:

    • Existing requirements for ad hoc rule committees, biennial review, and timelines for compliance remain part of the Act.

Who is affected

  • Child care centers located in school buildings (public ISD or local school district buildings) — reduced duplicative inspection burden.
  • Superintendents of ISDs and local school districts — gain authority to certify building compliance for child care licensing purposes.
  • MiLEAP, Bureau of Fire Services, local fire authorities and inspectors — change in how health/fire safety is verified.
  • Parents and public — potentially reduced independent inspection redundancy; recordings submitted in investigations will not be publicly accessible under FOIA.

Fiscal and procedural notes

  • Fiscal impact: Committee analyses indicate potential cost savings to child care providers in school buildings by eliminating duplicate inspections, but overall savings are likely minimal.
  • Procedural status: Introduced Feb 21, 2025; referred to Committee on Government Operations. (Bill text amends multiple sections of 1973 PA 116; any implementing rule changes would follow the Administrative Procedures Act.)

Potential policy considerations

  • Supporters: reduces administrative burden and duplicative inspections for school-based child care, which may lower compliance costs and improve partnerships between schools and providers.
  • Concerns: FOIA exemption narrows public access to investigatory recordings — tradeoffs between confidentiality of investigations and transparency should be weighed; reliance on superintendent certification shifts some verification responsibility to school districts rather than independent inspectors.

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

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