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Bill

SB 839

Relating to regulation of commercial vehicles.

2025 Regular Session

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

Effective date, January 1, 2026.
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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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