March 21, 2003
KEY LEGISLATION:
Business-competitiveness panel seeks ideas
A bipartisan, bicameral committee working on recommendations
for maintaining
and attracting business investment and good-paying jobs wants to hear
from
members of the Michigan Retailers Association. Sen. Alan Sanborn
(R-Richmond), committee co-chair, has contacted MRA and asked if any
members
are interested in providing testimony during a series of hearings across
the state.
MRA will testify and make the case that item-pricing
reforms and
ratification of the national streamlined sales tax project are necessary
for
improving business competitiveness in Michigan. Any members interested
in
sharing problems or potential solutions with the committee are invited
to do
so, and should contact MRA’s Governmental Affairs staff at 800.366.3699.
The committee’s report is scheduled to be delivered to the Senate
Majority
Leader and Speaker of the House in September.
The hearing dates and locations are:
March 31 - Grand Rapids
April 15 - Traverse City
April 16 - Menominee
April 28 - Macomb County
May 5 - Battle Creek
May 19 - Bay City/Saginaw area
June 9 - Monro
Land use bills introduced in Senate
Senate Republicans rolled out an eight-bill package
intended to protect
farmland from development, create incentives for land donations and
urge
Congress to pass federal legislation cutting the tax on lands sold to
conservation entities.
Sponsor Patty Birkholz (R-Saugatuck), chair of the Senate
Natural Resources
and Environmental Affairs Committee, introduced the legislation despite
Gov.
Granholm’s desire for lawmakers to hold off on legislation dealing
with land
use until her recently established blue-ribbon commission completes
its
recommendations next fall. Birkholz said she does not see a need for
the
legislature to wait on the commission’s work.
Revenues increase unexpectedly in February
February marks the first month in the FY 2003 budget
that more money was
collected by the state than for the same month in the previous year.
State
revenues rose 4.4 percent in February compared to 2002.
Analysts appear stumped by the increase. In fact, a
Senate Fiscal Agency
report explains that the increase came despite a 33 percent decrease
in
single business tax collections and a 9.8 percent increase in income
tax
withholdings. Increases were seen in use, sales and tobacco tax collections.
Frank appointed chair of Tax Commission
Gov. Granholm appointed former State Rep. A.T. Frank,
a Saginaw Democrat, as
chair of the State Tax Commission. Rep. Frank, who could not seek
re-election last November because of term limits, is a former staff
member
of the Michigan Retailers Association.
KEY BILL INTRODUCTIONS:
No new bill introductions to report at this time.
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
