KEY LEGISLATION:
Budget Crisis Requires Granholm to Issue Executive Order
Governor Granholm is expected to issue the most recent
executive order on
Feb, 19th, her first since assuming office. Deemed necessary in order
to
fill the $158 million hole in the current fiscal year’s budget,
the
executive order is expected to come in the form of $84.2 million in
cuts,
and the rest to come from funding shifts. Apparently Republican leaders
have
signed off on the cuts and shifts, and the executive order will be passed
in
the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the 19th.
Of the $158 million gap the executive order would close,
$30.3 million will
be in cuts to the state's four-year universities. For the year, it will
mean appropriations to the universities have been cut by 3.5 percent.
The
possibility of cuts such as these is putting enormous pressure on the
state’s universities to continue to fund various departments. This
scenario
may be playing a role in Michigan State University’s recent decision
to drop
their Agricultural Technology Department.
Health Policy Chair Outlines Priorities
Rep. Steve Ehardt (R-Lexington) recently released the
House Health Policy
Committee’s critical health care priorities for Michigan in 2003-04.
Ehardt
serves as chair of the committee.
According to Ehardt, preparing Michigan to deal with
the threat of chemical
or biological terrorism ought to be the state’s No. 1 goal. No.
2 should be
ensuring that seniors do not have to choose between medications and
food.
Ehardt also stressed the necessity to ensure the adequate supply and
utilization of the state’s health care work force. Ehardt’s
other priorities include:
• Reducing excessive insurance
rate increases;
• Ensuring the health
care safety net for people who are disabled but
working, and having such people share in the cost of their premiums;
• Ensuring all patient’s
medical histories are accessible at a fair price;
• Establishing comprehensive
training in nutrition, physical activity,
prevention and wellness for grades K-12;
• Helping patients
become better connected to the cost of their health care
by educating and informing them of costs and preventive measures.
MRA Skimming Bill Introduced
At MRA’s request, legislation has been introduced
to combat the illegal
acquisition of consumer data. SB 161, sponsored by Sen. Mike Bishop
(R-Rochester), seeks to make it illegal to use a scanning device –
commonly
referred to as a skimmer – to record or store other people’s
information
contained on a magnetic stripe of a credit card.
The bill was introduced late last session as a way to
combat an ever-growing
avenue to identity theft but died when session concluded. The issue
should
garner sufficient support for passage this session, and thereby help
eliminate identify theft and serve as an effective tool for retailers
in
dealing with employee fraud.
KEY BILL INTRODUCTIONS:
SB 161, sponsored by Sen. Mike Bishop (R-Rochester),
to prohibit use of
scanning device or reencoder to defraud and provide penalties.
HB 4181, sponsored by Rep. Chris Kolb (D-Ann
Arbor), to create pilot project
for a development rights market program.
HB 4182, sponsored by Rep. Kolb, to authorize
local units to provide for
marketing of development rights.
HB 4219, sponsored by Rep. Gary Woronchak (R-Dearborn),
to provide exemption
for tangible personal property brought into this state 90 days after
purchase.
HB 4230, sponsored by Rep Joe June (R-Fowlerville),
to prohibit payment of
benefits to an employee under the influence of intoxicating liquor drugs.
To view the content and current status of retail-related
bills, visit BillTrack,
MRA's legislative tracking database exclusively for members, at
www.retailbilltrack.com
If you are currently receiving Capitol F@cts by fax
and would like to receive
it via e-mail, please contact Kathleen Wilson at 517.372.5656 or
kawilson@retailers.com.
For back issues of online Capitol F@cts, visit MRA's main Capitol F@cts page.
Specific comments or questions regarding this bulletin
should be directed to:
Kathleen Wilson, Administrative Assistant to the Governmental Affairs
Office at
kawilson@retailers.com.
Michigan Retailers Association
603 South Washington Avenue
Lansing, MI 48933
517.372.5656
Toll-Free: 800.366.3699
Fax: 517.372.1303
govt_affairs@retailers.com
www.retailers.com
www.mallofmichigan.com
