2024 Lame Duck Call to Action for the Business Community

Lame duck continues in the Michigan Legislature, and the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Public Policy and Business Advocacy team remains fully engaged with lawmakers in the final days of the year. This week, the Detroit Regional Chamber represented business interests on over 16 different issues, ranging from unemployment extensions, workers’ compensation, and carbon sequestration.

The Chamber asks the business community, especially Chamber members, to contact their state legislators and share their thoughts on critical legislative issues that will affect Michigan businesses.

Below are the pressing legislation and suggested talking points to share.

HB 6056–57 fixes key issues with the ESTA, fixing a loophole that included independent contractors as employees, allowing the frontloading of the 72 hours of earned sick time, retaining the tipped minimum wage, and fixing the minor worker training wage. If these bills are not addressed, your sick time policy and overall salary budget will be majorly affected.

Related: Get Updated on Michigan’s Extreme ESTA and Minimum Wage Mandates

SB 40 increases unemployment benefits from 20 to 26 weeks and the weekly benefit from $362 to $614 by 2028. Combined with some other updates to unemployment insurance, these changes will exacerbate Michigan’s current worker shortage.

As an economic investment tool, SOAR allows the state to pursue transformational projects that have lasting impacts on the Michigan economy. Extensions of the SOAR program (HB 5768, 5769, and 5770; SB 559 and 562) will also include investments in local communities surrounding transformational projects, such as historic transit investment and placemaking grants.

Related: Chamber, Detroit Regional CEO Group Pens ‘SOAR Overhaul’ Support Letter to Michigan Legislative Leaders

Other states in the Great Lakes region have an R&D tax credit that incentivizes a key part of manufacturing. Therefore, Michigan is losing to our neighbors by not having a tax credit (as shown in HB 5768-5770, SB 559, and SB 562) ourselves.

HB 4237 allows local units of government to create their own minimum wage within their jurisdiction, as well as the power to adjust PTO and other employment benefits. HB 4390 forces employers to classify many independent contractors as employees. HB 5287 increases unemployment insurance benefits, further straining the Michigan unemployment trust fund and keeping employees from entering back into the workforce.

SB 1021–22 repeals the regulatory compliance exemption under the Michigan Consumers Protection Act, subjecting nearly every industry to lawsuits, including class action.

HB 5865-68, also known as the “Dark Stores” bills, would prohibit tax assessors from using vacant stores with deed restrictions as comparable real estate for open and operating stores. These bills will hurt retailers and other businesses across the region as they try to balance tight margins, rising prices, decreasing consumer spending, and ever-increasing property tax evaluations.

As always, please contact the PPBA team with your questions and concerns. We are happy to connect you with your legislator or to further expand on any legislative topic.