Ban on Local Wage Ordinances Passes Senate

After being reported from the Senate Michigan Competitiveness Committee, House Bill 4052 passed the Senate with immediate effect by a 22-16 margin. The bill, which saw strong opposition from municipalities, would limit local governments’ ability to pass ordinances regarding minimum wage and other issues involving employment.

After multiple attempts to amend the bill in committee by Senators Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba) and Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor), the bill was reported with 4 aye votes and a single nay. Many Republican legislators, including Senator Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton), supported the bill saying that it was necessary to ensure that recently created jobs were not pushed out of Michigan due to burdensome regulations.

Opponents of the bill argued that the bill was considerably broader than many of its supporters believed. Senator Coleman Young II (D-Detroit) was one of the more vocal opponents, saying that the bill did significantly more than remove ordinances that are seen as burdensome on businesses. The Michigan Township Association (MTA) stated that they were still trying to make heads and tails of which of their regulatory powers would be affected by the passage of the legislation.

The bill also contains language to eliminate prevailing wage, something Governor Snyder has said he would veto. Senator Warren offered an amendment to remove this section of legislation during committee; however, her motion was defeated as were her other amendments attempting to remove sections she argued were much too vague.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, June 12, 2015 10:06 AM
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