Michigan Mid-Year Legislative Update: Part I

August 2, 2023

Michigan Mid-Year Legislative Update: Part I

With one party controlling both chambers of the legislature as well as the Governor’s office, it has been a challenging first half of the year. While small business has taken some legislative losses, NFIB has worked hard to either slow or derail many bills that would be harmful to small business in Michigan. The legislature is due back after Labor Day and NFIB will continue to fight for our members to stop legislation that would prevent our members from operating and growing their businesses. Below is legislation that has been passed and signed into law. Look for a future article to outline legislation expected to be debated in the second half of the year. Treasury Prevented from Taxing Delivery and Installation (Public Acts 20 & 21 of 2023) Small business scored a small victory when Governor Whitmer signed House Bill 4039 sponsored by Rep. Pat Outman (R-91) and House Bill 4253 sponsored by Kevin Coleman (D-25), which will prevent the Michigan Department of Treasury from charging sales and use tax on delivery and installation. Read more HERE. Reinstatement of Prevailing Wage (Public Act 10 of 2023) House Bill 4007 reenacted prevailing laws that were repealed in 2018. The prevailing wage acts as a ‘super minimum wage’ that sets wages much higher than local construction wages determined by fair competition in the free market. Read more HERE. Repeal of Right to Work (Public Acts 8 & 9 of 2023) One of the top priorities of the new legislative majorities in 2023 was to repeal Right to Work. Michigan’s Right-to-Work law guaranteed workers the right to decide whether they want to belong to a union. It was enacted in 2012 and fueled economic growth that brought Michigan out of a lost decade. Unfortunately, both House Bill 4004 and Senate Bill 34 were passed and signed into law. NFIB worked hard to prevent Right-to-Work from passing including paid radio and digital ads. Read more about NFIB’s efforts HERE. Removing Safeguards over Administrative Rules (Public Act 104 of 2023) In 2018, NFIB worked with other business groups to pass legislation that would require the director of any state agency to write up a statement of clear and convincing need before moving forward with any administrative rule that was stricter than the federal rule. Senate Bill 14 would eliminate this requirement that provided extra accountability and transparency over rules, which have the force of law, being made by unelected bureaucrats in state government. NFIB testified in opposition of this bill in both the House and Senate. For more information click HERE. Michigan Fiscal Year Budget 2023-24 (Public Acts 103 & 119 of 2023) On June 28, 2023, the Legislature passed an unprecedented state budget of $82 billion for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024. (Michigan’s Fiscal Year runs from October 1 – September 30.) Removing one-time funds from the federal government and budget surplus, this budget represented a 30% increase in spending from the 2018-19 budget. Because of the massive increase in ongoing spending, NFIB opposed passage of the budget. Read more HERE.

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