NFIB Victories in Michigan!
NFIB regulatory reform efforts have paid off with Governor Snyder signing House Bill 4713 into law as Public Act 250 of 2015. Public Act 250 provides an affirmative defense to a person accused of a crime due to the unintentional violation of a regulation or rule. Specifically, the legislation would establish a default “mens rea” standard that would require a state agency pursuing the violation to prove that the violator had criminal intent in breaking the rule. When you consider the absolute avalanche of rules and regulations heaped on a business owner by federal, state and local governments it should be no surprise that honest mistakes can happen. No longer will small family owned businesses find themselves facing criminal prosecution for minor state paperwork violations or running afoul of a state rule or regulation without any knowledge or intent to do wrong.
