KEY LEGISLATION:
Committee to Hear Billboard-Ban Bills
Legislation that could hamstring businesses that advertise on billboards is scheduled to come before the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, September 21. MRA opposes these bills, viewing them as a first step toward an outright ban on billboards.
Senate Bills 898–901 were first introduced in December 2003 by Sen. Tom George (R-Kalamazoo) and are being pushed by former Attorney General Frank Kelley and former Lieutenant Governor Dick Posthumus. The bills are summarized below:
• Senate Bill 898: Establishes a billboard advisory council—a new state government body—to define a best practice approach for the billboard industry;
• Senate Bill 899: Increases billboard permit fees and establishes a Billboard Cleanup Fund to remove non-conforming billboards;
• Senate Bill 900: Expands the logo-sign program to include tourist destinations;
• Senate Bill 901: Places a cap on the number of billboards in Michigan by preventing the issuance of new permits.
MRA members whose businesses advertise on billboards are strongly urged to contact their state senators and ask them to oppose the package of bills. To find out how to contact your state senator, go to http://www.senate.michigan.gov/findyoursenator/. Members who wish to get more involved can contact Eric Rule, MRA’s director of governmental affairs, at 800.366.3699.
Group Pushes for Higher Minimum Wage
The Michigan League of Human Services is calling for an increase in Michigan’s minimum wage, claiming the 1997 adjustment of the state minimum wage to $5.15 is not sufficient to support a family.
Rather than specifying a specific wage rate, the League recommends implementing living-wage ordinances and tax reforms to benefit the poor. The League recommends a living wage similar to what has already been proposed in the Michigan Legislature: $8 or $9 an hour if health insurance is provided and $10 or $12 with no insurance.
To date, at least one bill attempting to increase the
minimum wage and index it to inflation has been introduced. Rep. Jack
Minore (D-Flint) introduced HB 4165 in February 2003, but the bill has
not come up for committee action.
With Republicans in control of the House and Senate, there’s little
chance these bills will see committee action anytime soon.
Granholm Wants Action on Water Legacy Act
Governor Jennifer Granholm and environmental groups are continuing to insist that legislative action is needed on her proposed Water Legacy Act. The governor issued recommendations on monitoring water withdrawals and preventing water diversion earlier in the year, and Democratic lawmakers have encompassed these ideals into bills.
Action on the bills has been limited to date, which is drawing the ire of the governor and environmental groups. Key Republicans on the issue, including Rep. Dave Palsrok (R-Manistee), insist that rushing the legislation through is neither necessary nor beneficial at this point.
Palsrok, who chairs the House Great Lakes and Tourism Committee, where the key House bill resides, says that until now, nobody from the governor’s office has even requested that a hearing be conducted on the bill. However, he understands the importance of the issue and insists that Republicans are committed to the issue and passed legislation last year calling for mapping of underground aquifers in the state.
The mapping is scheduled to take two years and ought to be completed before passage of the Water Legacy Act, Palsrok insists. A water withdrawal strategy that may work well for one part of the state may not be prudent for another part, he argues.
Palsrok also points to Annex 2001, a non-binding coalition of Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces motivated to develop strong and consistent water control statutes, as a better way of accomplishing the goal of thwarting water diversion.
Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Act already strongly prohibits Great Lakes water diversion. Rep. Chris Kolb’s (D-Ann Arbor) HB 5634 defines the word "diversion" and reaffirms the state’s right to protect Great Lakes basin water.
According to Sen. Patty Birkholz (R-Saugatuck), who chairs the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee in the Senate, where the accompanying Senate bill resides, this is not a sufficient solution. She argues that unless Michigan works with the other Great Lakes states and the two Canadian provinces in coming up with similar water diversion laws as part of the Annex 2001 process, whatever is put in statute likely will be shot down in the courts.
The issue has the potential to play a role in November’s legislative elections. Democrats are now going on the road to key House districts complaining that Republicans are doing nothing on water diversion. That could force Republicans to take some action on the Water Legacy Act this fall.
KEY BILL INTRODUCTIONS:
No Key Bills to Introduce 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
