KEY LEGISLATION:
Pricing Modernization
Bill Introduced
After much behind the scenes crafting and drafting, Rep. Dave Hildenbrand
(R-Lowell), MRA and other interested groups agreed the time was right
to
introduce legislation modernizing Michigan’s item-pricing law.
Hildenbrand’s
bill, HB 4636, was referred to the House Commerce Committee for discussion.
MRA and its allies have put significant work into this proposal to enable
retailers who meet strict pricing accuracy standards to be exempt from
duplicative pricing on general merchandise. Much progress has been made,
including positive discussions with unions that have traditionally opposed
item pricing reform. Work to enact the legislation will continue in
high
gear.
Municipal Competition
Legislation Being Discussed
MRA is in the beginning phase of drafting legislation to put restrictions
on
municipally owned business ventures, such as golf courses, to prevent
them
from competing with privately owned businesses. Several legislators
have
indicated interest in sponsoring our proposal.
Placing restrictions like this on municipalities will no doubt bring
a
negative response from the powerful Michigan Municipal League and other
local government groups. While all legislators like to talk about private
enterprise being important in Michigan, passing this bill will require
a
huge effort from members. Stay tuned for what you can do to help on
this
important issue.
National Group Joins Minimum Wage Fight in Michigan
An organization that convinced Florida voters to approve a $1 increase
in
the minimum wage is trying to do the same in Michigan. The Association
of
Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) claims it is a nonpartisan
community group working for the nation’s working class and poor.
In March, ACORN sent a letter to all 148 legislators, trying to get
them on
record as supporting or opposing an increase in the minimum wage. With
the
response deadline past, all but four of the legislature’s 68 Democrats
pledged to support the increase to $7.15. In contrast, only a few
Republicans even responded and none pledged support.
Republicans have historically been less inclined to raise the minimum
wage.
ACORN, with its perceived link to unions and the Democratic Party, plays
on
this perception, as highlighted in the Florida experience. In Florida,
documents were discovered that implied ACORN’s efforts would increase
Democratic turnout in a close election and thereby drive Florida politics
in
a more progressive, Democratic direction.
ACORN’s efforts and those of the Democratic lawmakers to gain legislative
traction on this issue have not made headway with Republican legislators.
Democrats have therefore continued to warn that they will make an effort
to
put the issue on the ballot in the critical 2006 elections. It is possible,
however, that the GOP will defuse the situation through other means.
SBT Proposal
Update
Since the governor revealed her proposal to restructure the Single Business
Tax (SBT), most of the action has been behind the scenes to get business
groups to sign on. Most recently, however, State Treasurer Jay Rising
defended the plan before the House Tax Policy Committee. Many in the
Republican Party have claimed the plan picks winners and losers and
presents
an incomplete solution.
This sentiment was echoed by a recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal,
which said the governor’s plan won’t make anything better.
The editorial
compared the plan to the industrial model of Old Europe, in which
governments pick winners and losers and usually mess things up in the
process.
The future of the SBT restructuring proposal remains unclear. The
Republicans don’t want to hand Granholm a big victory. Nor do they
want to
be seen as obstructionists in the effort to repair the business tax
structure of a state that currently ranks dead last in employment
statistics.
KEY BILL INTRODUCTIONS:
SB 0332, sponsored by Sen. Patricia Birkholz (R-Saugatuck),
to provide
enforcement of water pollution laws that prohibit the discharge of
biological organisms.
SB 0334, sponsored by Sen. Bruce Patterson (R-Canton), to provide
for annual
approval for low income and energy efficiency factor regarding a
distribution service.
SB 0335, sponsored by Sen. Gilda Jacobs (D-Huntington Woods),
to allow
children possessing and using epinephrine auto-injector or epinephrine
inhalers at camps under certain circumstances.
HB 4529, sponsored by Rep. Marie Donigan (D-Royal Oak), to enact
Michigan
prescription drug fair pricing act.
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
