Advocacy

Founded in 1940 to represent the retail industry on a sales tax issue in the Michigan Legislature, MRA has continued its keen focus on legislative affairs. The association works to secure passage of retail-friendly legislation in Michigan and protect the retail industry from costly and harmful taxes and regulations.

Key Michigan Retailers Association advocacy accomplishments:

  • Enacted Main Street Fairness legislation to help level the playing field for Michigan retail businesses
  • Modernized the state’s costly and burdensome item pricing law by giving retailers price marking flexibility and saving retailers and consumers money
  • Pre-empted local governments from passing ordinances and policies dealing with employee wages and benefits
  • Pro-retail changes in sales tax collection
  • Corrected unemployment compensation formula by making it more experience rated so retailers  were not subsidizing other industries
  • Helped lead a business coalition which tightened the definition of “disability” for workers’ compensation to ensure that benefits paid related to workplace injuries
  • Phased out the Single Business Tax and replaced the Michigan Business Tax with a more  business-friendly corporate profits tax
  • Strengthened bad-check and retail-theft protections
  • Reformed regulations on installment sales and consumer credit

Get Involved

No one knows better than you what’s needed to improve Michigan’s business climate for retailing. No one knows better than you how proposed legislation will affect your business and your community.

Learn more about how you can get involved and support issues affecting retailers and other Michigan businesses.

Take Action

The Government Affairs Team

Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel William J. Hallan oversees MRA’s legislative advocacy efforts. Before joining Michigan Retailers, Hallan was a litigator in the Dykema law firm’s Bloomfield Hills office. He holds a law degree from University of Toledo School of Law and is a graduate of Denison University.

The government affairs department also includes Vice President, Government Affairs Amy Drumm. Drumm was the legislative director for Michigan State Rep. Sharon Tyler for three years before joining Michigan Retailers. She’s a University of Michigan graduate.

Bill Hallan and Amy Drumm with Michigan Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter (R-Mt. Pleasant).