Since the Michigan Legislature has quit work early and will be out for the rest of the year, now is a good time to assess its performance. And unfortunately, it’s not good.
Here are the Top Ten reasons why the legislature failed to make Michigan a growing state this year:
1 – House Bill 4004 and Senate Bill 34 repealed our state’s landmark right-to-work law, which gave everyone in Michigan the freedom to work without being forced to join a union. The repeal will severely impact our state’s economic competitiveness and ability to attract and keep jobs. The bills are now law.
2 – House Bill 4007 reinstated the state’s antiquated prevailing wage law, which artificially inflates the cost of public construction projects, resulting in increased costs for Michigan taxpayers. The bill is now law.
3 – Senate Bill 271 instituted draconian, one-size-fits-all, energy mandates that will raise costs on families at a time when people are already struggling to get by. Michigan power providers would be forced to reach unsustainable clean energy standards by 2040. The bill is now law.
4 – House Bill 4166 repealed a law requiring the state to publish easy-to-understand A-F letter grades for all Michigan schools based on each school’s performance, making our schools less accountable and transparent to parents and taxpayers. The bill is now law.
5 – Senate Bill 12 repealed our state’s third grade reading law that required schools to take accountability to ensure all students have the best chance at success in life. The bill is now law.
6 – Senate Bill 14 repealed the “no-stricter-than-federal” law to allow non-elected state bureaucrats to impose rules stricter than federal standards. The bill places undue burdens on job providers and makes Michigan less competitive with other states. The bill is now law.
7 – House Bills 4377 and 4378 increase taxes on Michigan consumers by subjecting more food and drink products to sales and use taxes. The bills are now law.
8 – Senate Bill 171 and House Bill 4237 allow local communities to adopt a patchwork scheme of complicated new mandates governing employers’ relations with their employees, ultimately hurting our state’s business climate and ability to attract new jobs. Both bills are under committee consideration.
9 – Senate Bill 332 institutes a paid leave mandate that could impose an annual payroll tax hike on every worker and employer – ultimately costing at minimum $1.5 billion a year, with costs expected to rise. The plan would devastate small and struggling businesses and put more people out of work. The bill is under committee consideration.
10 – A 16-bill plan severely restricts the ability of independent contractors to make a living while increasing penalties on Michigan job providers. The bills are under House committee consideration.
Although most of these misguided bills have been signed into law, there is still time to get our voices heard on the last three items. Please contact your state representatives and senators and tell them to start working for the people again.
