Bills Amending Paid Leave and Tipped Credit Fixes Introduced in Michigan House
Today, legislation was introduced to amend the Earned Sick Time Act and keep the tipped wage by State Representatives Graham Filler (R-District 93) and Nate Shannon (D-District 58).
Why it matters: With few session days left, these bills needed to be introduced to continue to advance the process of negotiating on compromise solutions. Addressing five key items before the paid leave law is implemented on February 21, 2025 is the top legislative priority for the Grand Rapids Chamber.
What’s next: The Legislature will have three days of session next week before the traditional hunting break. They will return December 3 for nine expected days of session.
- With requirements that each chamber hold a bill for at least five days before voting, we are working to advance the bill to the Senate as soon as possible and are working on getting amendments that reflect the coalition’s consensus items.
What are the chances? While we are confident there is bipartisan support for the fix, there is also organized opposition, a difficult calendar and the general unpredictability of Lame Duck. We are working with our partners to keep everyone focused on getting this done without getting stuck in some of the shenanigans that can accompany Lame Duck.
How you can help: Have you emailed your State Representative or Senator? Have you done it again? Your personal story about how your company is preparing to navigate the new, unnecessarily burdensome requirement will make a difference. Learn more here.
What’s in the bills: The paid leave legislation focuses on clarifying language to match how the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) is interpreting the Act, including providing certainty around the definition of an employee and allowing employers to front load benefits. The minimum wage/tipped credit legislation will keep the 38% tipped wage credit that is currently slated to be phased out and slightly accelerate the minimum wage increase. They are numbered House Bills 6056 and 6057, and they were referred to the House Regulatory Reform Committee.
Closer to Goal: County Approves Items Advancing GR Soccer Stadium
What Happened: Today the Kent County Commission approved three items related to the proposed Grand Rapids Soccer Stadium. The Commission passed 18-1 on an agreement to allocate the lodging excise tax and agreements with the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention Arena Authority on reserve funds and operating agreements.
What Happens Next? The City Commission will consider these items on Tuesday, November 12. Grand Action 2.0 is planning to announce the lead donor to the project on November 18 and are targeting early Spring 2025 for groundbreaking!
GR City Commission to Consider Soccer, City Manager Re-Appointment & New Downtown Towers
The Grand Rapids City Commission will consider the agreements passed by the County Commission today as well as two other big items.
- A public hearing is scheduled for the Transformational Brownfield Plan for the significant project proposed at Fulton and Market.
- They will also consider re-appointment for the four positions directly ‘hired’ by the City Commission – City Manager, Clerk, Treasurer and Attorney. These contracts expire at the end of the year.
