What’s new: Squeaking in under the Feb. 21 deadline, the Michigan Legislature today sent changes to the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) (HB 4002) and minimum wage law (SB 8) to the Governor’s desk. The Governor is expected to sign the two bills into law yet tonight.
Why it matters: Without legislative action and a signature by the Governor, these sweeping and unworkable laws would have gone into effect as written on Friday, Feb. 21. Thankfully, the House and Senate both delivered the required votes – with Republicans carrying most of the water in both chambers.
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On minimum wage, the Senate voted to approve the changes by a vote of 20-12 and the House by a margin of 69-40.
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On ESTA, the Senate voted to approve the changes by a vote of 26-10; the House concurred with those changes by a vote of 81-29.
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Kudos are owed to Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) and Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) for staying at the negotiating table and hammering out a compromise before the midnight deadline.
The bottom line: The two laws are changing for the better, but the political dynamics in the Michigan Senate did not allow us to get all of the changes we had been advocating for.
Get the key highlights and requirements in the bills sent to the Governor HERE.
Go deeper:
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Upcoming briefing & compliance webinar with live Q&A: The MI Chamber will be hosting a member-only webinar Monday, Feb. 24 from 12-1 p.m. (register HERE) and a compliance webinar with our legal partners at Varnum on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 12-1 p.m. (registration link will be emailed and posted HERE).
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Tools for employers: We will be updating our compliance toolkit as we dig into the details on SB 8 and HB 4002.
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Media statement: Check out our news release on passage of ESTA and minimum wage HERE.
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Have questions? Contact Wendy Block.
