MRA Advocacy Efforts in 2023

Each year in February, MRA provides members with a copy of our Year-End Legislative Report. The 2023 report should be arriving in your mailbox soon. It can be a helpful tool for members to engage in the legislative and policy-making process, as well as to stay compliant with laws and rules that are constantly changing.

The report covers in detail the legislative and policy issues we worked on in the previous calendar year, includes a bill tracker, a list of new laws retailers need to know, and predicts what may be the hot policy topics in the new year. Here are a few helpful tips on how to use this report and stay engaged to get the most out of your MRA membership:

Use it to update your systems, policies, and procedures to stay compliant with current laws and regulations.

1. Share information with employees and neighboring stores.
2. Tell us what requirements and regulations keep you up at night (or are simply another headache you don’t need) so we can try to get them changed.
3. Weigh in by connecting with your elected officials to help them be more informed and prepared when it’s time for them to vote on legislation impacting retail stores like yours (visit their coffee hours or invite them to tour your store).
4. Stay in the know by reading our email updates and following the MRA bill tracker.
5. Consider making a contribution to MRA’s PAC or Advocacy Fund to help our efforts go further. Donation forms are available on our website. 

While the Year-End Legislative Report is our most in-depth annual dive of the policy process, it’s one of several ways we provide members with advocacy tools and information. MRA’s online bill tracker lists every bill we are watching and its current status, is linked from our website, and is included in our monthly government affairs update emails. Our end-of-the-month emails provide members highlights on state and federal government updates. The Michigan Retailer includes this government affairs column and the two-page regulatory spread with helpful reminders and updates. Additionally, on an as-needed basis, we send members action alerts and/or information about who we’ve selected as Friends of Retail ahead of an election.

 These tools collectively seek to keep you informed on what’s going on, what’s changed, and what’s coming next without requiring your daily attention.