Small business needs to know now how to comply with paid sick leave mandate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Charlie Owens, Michigan State Director, 517-282-2052 (cell), [email protected]
LANSING, Mich., Feb. 19, 2019—The state’s leading small business advocate, NFIB, applauded a move by the Senate and House to request an immediate opinion from the state Supreme Court regarding the Legislature’s action last session that adopted and amended the paid sick leave and minimum wage ballot proposals. The House has introduced House Resolution 25, and the Senate, Senate Resolution 16, that expected to be acted on this week.
“This action is critical for thousands of Michigan small-business owners trying to figure out which version of the law they will have to comply with by the March 29 deadline,” said Charlie Owens, NFIB’s Michigan state director. “We fully supported the Legislature in acting to make much-needed changes to the original paid sick leave and minimum wage ballot proposals last session, and we believe they were on solid constitutional ground in doing so, but only the state Supreme Court can settle this issue once and for all.”
Owens said that the confusion is the result of a recent call by a state senator, who is opposed to the changes made last session, for yet another attorney general opinion on the constitutionality of adoption and amendment of citizens’ initiatives. Two prior attorney general opinions on the subject are in conflict with one another. The first, by former Attorney General Frank Kelly, opined that the Legislature could not adopt and amend in the same session, and the second, by former Attorney General Bill Schuette, said that they could. If current Attorney General Dana Nessel issues an opinion that the move was not constitutional, then the current law is null and void and the original proposals would go back into effect.
“The uncertainty created by the back and forth AG opinions on this issue can only be settled by our Supreme Court and a timely decision is needed as soon as possible,” said Owens.
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For more than 75 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.
NFIB Michigan
115 West Allegan St.
Lansing, MI 48933
517-485-3409
www.nfib.com/michigan
Twitter: @NFIB_MI
