KEY LEGISLATION:
Bill Stopping SBT Health Care Tax Passes Committee
A bill that would end the SBT health care tax passed
out of the House Tax
Policy Committee. HB 4342, sponsored by retailer and freshman Rep. Tim
Moore
(R-Farwell), is the GOP’s top agenda item for the legislative
session.
The business community has for years been attempting
to do away completely
with taxing employers on health care benefits they provide to employees.
This may present the best opportunity to accomplish this yet. Treasury
still
opposes the bill, but not nearly as stridently as in years past. After
testimony concluded, the bill passed 10-4-2, with all the Republicans
voting
in favor, 4 Democrats voting against the bill, and 2 Democrats abstaining.
The House is expected to vote on the bill as early as
next week. Should they
be able to pass it as expected, the bill will go to the Senate Finance
Committee chaired by Sen. Nancy Cassis (R-Novi). Cassis was supportive
of
the bill when she was chair of the House Tax Policy Committee. Since
Cassis
has announced her candidacy to unseat the governor, she may want the
opportunity to challenge Granholm to veto the bill, for which the governor
would receive negative publicity.
SUTA Dumping Bills Pass Senate
The package of bills intended to stop unscrupulous companies
from gaining a
better experience rate in the unemployment tax system passed the Senate
this
week after considerable debate. The main bill of the package, SB 172,
endured numerous amendments, including one that would have increased
the UI
maximum by $30.
While MRA was happy to see that amendment defeated,
it was not pleased that
the amendment addressing professional employer organizations (PEOs)
failed
to garner sufficient support. Sen. Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek) introduced
the amendment, which would have required PEOs to provide quarterly reports
using their client company's identification numbers. This would have
allowed
the company’s employment rating to follow them, making it more
difficult to
scam the system for a lower rate.
Republicans apparently feel the legislation addresses
the problem of SUTA
dumping as is, but did include a measly provision that requires the
Legislature to revisit the issue to see if the problem has been adequately
addressed. The bills now move on to the House Employment Relations,
Training
& Safety Committee chaired by Rep. Bob Gosselin (R-Troy). MRA hopes
that
Chairman Gosselin is more open-minded about the need to include PEO-specific
KEY BILL INTRODUCTIONS:
SB 0209, sponsored by Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor),
to prohibit use of
phosphorus in dishwashing detergents.
SB 0171, sponsored by Sen. Jason Allen (R-Traverse City),
to prohibit
transfer of business.
SB 0218, sponsored by Sen. Patricia Birkholz (R-Saugatuck),
to ban
electronic equipment containing cathode ray tubes from disposal in
landfills.
SB 0233, sponsored by Sen. Michael Bishop (R-Rochester),
to provide for
rescission of proposed credit scoring rules.
SB 0234, sponsored by Sen. Judson Gilbert (R-Algonac),
to revise prohibition
against sales and displays in the right-of-way of a state trunk line
highway
within certain cities or villages.
SB 0249, sponsored by Sen. Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit),
to prohibit sexually
explicit video games to individuals under 18years of age.
SB 0256, sponsored by Sen. Brater, to establish solid
waste disposal
surcharge and earmark for recycling and other programs.
HB 4322, sponsored by Rep. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge),
to require sale of
certain over-the-counter products containing pseudophedrine or ephredine
to
be maintained behind the counter and require photo identification.
HB 4323, sponsored by Rep. Morris Hood III (D-Detroit),
to clarify and
revise application of Michigan consumer protection acts to acts permitted
by
law and certain acts prohibited by insurance code of 1956.
HB 4356, sponsored by Rep. Sal Rocca (R-Sterling Heights),
to clarify triple
damage liability for receiving and concealing stolen property.
HB 4364, sponsored by Rep. Lisa Wojno (D-Warren), to
increase business daily
limit for returned bottles.
HB 4379, sponsored by Rep. Gretchen Whitmer (D-East
Lansing), to provide for
community health fiscal year 2005-2006.
HB 4407, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Kooiman (R-Grand Rapids),
to revise
campaign committee filing requirements and change limits for contributions
to candidates.
HB 4414, sponsored by Rep. Robert Gosselin (R-Troy),
to revise certain
revisions to unemployment compensation fund provision to harmonize with
anti-SUTA provisions.
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
