Legislative Update 2-18-22

February 18, 2022Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, MACSC, Marketing, NACo

State commits $1.2 billion to health response on COVID

A supplemental appropriation bill signed by Gov. Gretchen Witmer this week commits $1.2 billion to health care efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill, now Public Act 9 of 2022, includes appropriations to address health worker recruitment and retention, plus funding for COVID-19 early treatment and various testing supports.

Highlights of the spending bill include:

$300 million for eligible health care recruitment, retention and training programming for new investments. A health care provider must demonstrate an eligible qualifying need under the rules and regulations of the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery funding and must not request funds for any investments related to recruitment or retention announced before Dec. 1, 2021. The bill also requires 75 percent be allocated for acute care and behavioral health care providers, which would be administered by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, and requires 25 percent be allocated to post-acute care providers and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
$10 million as a competitive grant program for nursing facilities to convert multi-resident rooms into single-resident rooms. Grant awards would reimburse 50 percent of the cost, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) would have to prioritize converting rooms with more than 2 residents into single-resident rooms.
$29 million to assist nursing homes fund physical repairs and improvements of the facility. There is a $500,000 cap for each nursing home.
$29.7 million to local and tribal health departments, as well as schools, to support staffing costs of COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Of this, $14.9 million specifically goes to school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts and nonpublic schools. The bill prohibits MDHHS from allocating funds to any local public health departments in which a county board of commissioners has passed a resolution rejecting these funds within 30 days of effective date of this act.
$10 million for programs and planning for a new state public health and environmental science laboratory.

A further detailed analysis can be found here.

For more information, please contact Meghann Keit-Corrion at keit@micounties.org.

Michigan delegation to NACo event attends Biden speech

A delegation of more than 30 county commissioners and other county leaders led by MAC Board President Phil Kuyers of Ottawa County attended the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., this week.

One of the highlights of the event was a Tuesday address by President Joe Biden to a general session of the conference that included a reference to our own Oakland County. (See the 9:10 mark of this video.)

To make room for Biden’s address on the schedule, MAC and the offices of U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters were forced to scrub the traditional Senate briefing for Michigan county leaders on Capitol Hill, which had been slated for Tuesday afternoon.

MAC President Phil Kuyers of Ottawa County and Alisha Bell of Wayne County at the MAC reception on Feb. 15.

Michigan leaders were able to attend a wide array of policy briefings on challenges before county government, including housing shortages and affordability, cybersecurity and implementing the 988 call line on suicide prevention.

MAC also hosted a reception on Tuesday evening for Michigan attendees to catch up and exchange notes.

“The president’s address to county leaders was the capper of an excellent conference,” said Stephan W. Currie, executive director. “As our members continue to develop their investment plans for American Rescue Plan funds, the conference sessions will prove invaluable.”

For a complete rundown of conference activities and resources, click here.

Coalition launches investment tracker on ARP funding

The Coalition for a Strong and Prosperous Michigan, a group of private and public sector groups including MAC, recently launched a tracker so Michigan residents can see what the Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are doing with American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds.

To see the tracker, click here.

“This visual illustrates the Coalition’s bold vision for strategic investment of Michigan’s available ARP allocation,” the coalition announced with the data seen at right. “Significant work remains to strategically invest more than $6.5 billion in the key areas recommended by the Coalition proposal.”

MAC continues to work with coalition partners to brief legislators on its plan to pair state and local ARP funds to create historic investments in public services.

For details on the coalition’s Roadmap to Prosperity, click here.

Join MAC for important update on opioid settlement

MAC, in partnership with the state and other local government groups, will be hosting a webinar on the National Opioid Settlement on March 2 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Use this URL to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81195931850?pwd=eXJWeVBKT0wxSG1LUHErcTJFMEg4Zz09

The webinar will provide an opportunity for local elected officials to learn more about the timeline and eligible uses of funds, as well as offer insights to best practices from state partners.

Presenting at the webinar will be:

Dr. Debra Pinals, medical director of the Behavioral Health and Forensic Programs for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the director of the Program in Psychiatry, Law, & Ethics and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School and Clinical Adjunct Professor at the University of Michigan Law School.
Matt Walker, assistant attorney general in the Corporate Oversight Division. Matt works on Michigan’s opioid litigation and serves as the Attorney General’s designee on the governor’s Opioid Task Force.

There will be time for Q&A during the webinar, or feel free to email questions directly to Hannah Sweeney at Sweeney@micounties.org prior to March 2.

State offering $400 million to aid businesses, job growth

A new grant program will offer $409 million in grants to aid businesses and create jobs, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced this week.

Under the program, which begins March 1, “eligible businesses in operation before Oct. 1, 2019, may receive a percentage of their loss in total state sales through a grant, up to $5 million. Eligible businesses that began operating between October 1, 2019, and June 1, 2020, may receive a grant equal to 25 percent of certain specified costs. The grants may be prorated depending upon the number of businesses that apply to ensure that all eligible businesses can receive funding,” the governor’s office explained in a statement.

Businesses must submit a completed online application to the Michigan Department of Treasury no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on March 31. Grant awardees will be notified in the spring and grant awards will be distributed by July 1, 2022.

The application will become available at 8 a.m. EST on March 1 at www.michigan.gov/abr.

Businesses interested in applying are encouraged to attend one of the following informational webinars hosted by the state Treasury Department:

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 10 a.m.-11 a.m. EST
Monday, March 7, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EST

Details for signing up for a webinar can be found on the grant program’s website.

To learn more about the Afflicted Business Relief Grant Program or read frequently asked questions, go to www.michigan.gov/abr.

MAC offices closed on Monday, Feb. 21

MAC’s Lansing offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 21 to observe the federal Presidents Day holiday.

Normal office hours will resume on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

Staff picks

Chief justice comments on statewide judicial case management system (Michigan Supreme Court)
MaineDOT hard hat discovered 3,300 miles away in Norway (Associated Press)
States lawmakers are taking on housing policy once left to locals (RouteFifty)
Fiscal Brief: Justice System Fund (Michigan House Fiscal Agency)

Legislative Update 2-11-22

February 11, 2022Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, MACSC, Marketing, NACo

Governor proposes increase in County Revenue Sharing

State Budget Director Chris Harkins presented Governor Whitmer’s FY 2023 budget recommendations to the legislature this week. The $74 billion budget represents a 6 percent increase over the current 2021-22 fiscal year and includes historic one-time funding and ongoing funding for state departments and local governments.

County and local governments would get a 10% revenue sharing increase under the proposal- a 5 percent increase in statutory revenue sharing that would be built into the base and 5 percent one-time increase. An additional $376,000 would be provided for county revenue sharing and the County Incentive Program. These funds would be split between Emmet County, the last county to re-enter the state revenue sharing program, and Leelanau County which returned during the 2022 fiscal year.

Other recommendations include:

$578M in new federal funding for roads, bridges, airports, local and intercity transit, and rail
- $377.8M would fund road and bridge construction
- $283.4M for state roads and bridges
- $94.4M for local roads and bridges
$500M in Water infrastructure improvements to support lead service line replacements, consolidation of failing septic systems, and contamination risk reduction
$325M in one‐time funds to design and construct a new psychiatric hospital campus that would ultimately replace the state-operated beds at Hawthorn Center and the Walter P. Reuther State Hospital
$175M Judicial case management to create a single statewide case management system that aligns with the Trial Court Funding Commission’s recommendations
$148.9M for Michigan Indigent Defense Commission grants to local funding units for complying with MIDC standards
$15M for the Jail Diversion Fund which provides grants to local entities to establish and expand jail diversion programs
$5M for a prosecutorial diversion program affording eligible pretrial defendants an opportunity to obtain and maintain gainful, full-time employment with an eligible employer for a year
$4.2M for the county veteran service fund

Additionally, the Governor proposed a $51.8 million deposit to the Budget Stabilization Fund, which would bring the rainy-day fund balance to nearly $1.5 billion.

The full executive budget recommendations can be found here.

For more information on the Governor’s budget proposal, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

Healthcare spending bill passed by Legislature; bill sent to governor

State lawmakers landed on a final version of a $1.2 billion healthcare-focused supplemental bill this week. House Bill 5523 introduced by Rep. Julie Calley (R-Ionia) includes appropriations to address healthcare recruitment and retention, as well as funding for COVID-19 early treatment and various testing supports.

Some highlights of the spending bill include:

-$300 million for eligible health care recruitment, retention, and training programming for new investments. A health care provider must demonstrate an eligible qualifying need under the rules and regulations of the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery funding and must not request funds for any investments related to recruitment or retention announced before December 1, 2021. The bill also requires 75% be allocated for acute care and behavioral health care providers, which would be administered by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and requires 25% be allocated to post-acute care providers and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

– $10 million as a competitive grant program for nursing facilities to convert multi-resident rooms into single resident rooms. Grant awards would reimburse 50% of the cost, and DHHS would have to prioritize converting rooms with more than 2 residents into single resident rooms.

– $29 million to assist nursing homes fund physical repairs and improvements of the facility. There is a $500,000 cap for each nursing home.

-$29.7 million to local and tribal health departments, as well as schools, to support staffing costs of COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. $14.9 million specifically goes to school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts, and nonpublic schools. The bill prohibits the department of health and human services from allocating funds to any local public health departments in which a county board of commissioners has passed a resolution rejecting these funds within 30 days of effective date of this act.

-$10 million for program and planning for a new state public health and environmental science laboratory.

A further detailed analysis can be found here. Gov. Whitmer has signaled she does plan to sign the bill when it officially lands on her desk.

For more information, please contact Meghann Keit-Corrion at keit@micounties.org.

Binding Arbitration expansion bill clears Senate committee

This week, the Senate Small Business and Economic Development committee unanimously passed House Bill 4725, sponsored by Rep. Robert Bezotte (R-Howell), The bill would expand binding arbitration beyond police and fire labor bargaining units to county correctional officers. The bill is now on the Senate floor awaiting a vote.

MAC has long opposed any expansion of binding arbitration to other bargaining units due to the cost of the process, the long-term liabilities associated with third-party decisions and the unequal treatment such a system provides to those bargaining units. The Michigan Public Employment Relations Act already provides for bargaining rights without tying the hands of the county in binding arbitration.

MAC asks members to use our Advocacy Center to send a pre-drafted message of opposition to their state senators.

For more information on this issue, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

Staff picks

Solar Energy Property Taxation (Center for Local, State and Urban Policy)
State of Michigan Mental Health Facilities (map) (Senate Fiscal Agency)
Florida man steals car; train sends it crashing into house (Associated Press)
Why buying a car is still such a miserable experience right now (National Public Radio)

Legislative Update 2-4-22

February 4, 2022Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, MACSC, Marketing, NACo

Breakout topics released for 2022 Legislative Conference

Attendees at the 2022 Legislative Conference will have a dozen breakout sessions to choose from on trending issues in county governance, MAC announced this week. Each breakout session will be approximately one hour long and include time for questions from the audience of the experts and policymakers presenting at them:

What’s Coming on Mobility
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in County Government
Opioid Funding from the National Settlement
The Future of the County Workforce
Trial Court Funding
Cybersecurity Threats and Trends
Primer on the Headlee Amendment and State Taxation
How Counties Are Investing ARP Funds
How to Win Millage Elections
Open Meetings Act Update (joint with MCMCFC)
Stress Management in Stressful Times (joint with MCMCFC)
Cultivating an Agribusiness Economy

County commissioners who attend the conference will receive credit in MAC’s County Commissioner Academy.

Click here to start your registration process.

The Michigan County Medical Care Facilities Council (MCMCFC) is offering its members the following additional workshops (all MCMCFC events come with continuing education credits for its members):

Strategies for Success in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Stress Suppresses Success: SHAPE Your Stress Blueprint
Regulatory Updates and Other Sizzling Topics Speaker: Vickie Burlew
State Licensure and Federal Certification Regulatory Update

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will keynote the 2022 Michigan Counties Legislative Conference, addressing a plenary session of the event on Wednesday, March 23.

The conference also will feature:

A plenary session address by Larry Johnson, president of the National Association of Counties
A MAC Legislative Update, led by Deena Bosworth, director of governmental affairs
Remarks from MAC President Phil Kuyers of Ottawa County and Executive Director Stephan Currie
A Legislative Reception on the evening of Tuesday, March 22, during which MAC will present its County Advocate Awards for legislative service in 2021

The conference will be an in-person event, though MAC plans to livestream select breakout sessions on Facebook. For the latest conference news, visit the MAC conference page.

MAC member directories arriving soon

County commissioners, administrators and board offices around the state will soon be receiving their 2022 MAC Membership Directory in the mail.

This annual directory carries contact information for all elected county officials in Michigan and background information on MAC and its activities on your behalf.

A searchable digital version of the directory can be found at this link or via a link on the MAC homepage. The password for the digital version will be on the Table of Contents page of the printed directory coming to your mailbox soon.

MAC also will have available a limited number of printed directories for sale for $40 each (which includes shipping). To order one, contact Derek Melot at melot@micounties.org.

If you need to update or correct information found on your county page, please send an email to melot@micounties.org.

AG issues opinion on OMA; MAC calls for legislative hearings on remote participation

In an opinion released Friday, Attorney General Dana Nessel said state entities could provide remote meeting participation to board members and the public under provisions of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), even though the state’s Open Meetings Act (OMA) does not allow remote participation for any board member except those members absent due to military duty.

The AG’s Office noted that the opinion, however, is not binding on local entities. “(I)t is my hope that local boards will use this guidance and ensure fair access to public meetings for those who require appropriate accommodations as we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic,” Nessel said in a statement.

MAC, as always, advises members to consult with their counsel on any questions or issues arising out of the state’s Open Meetings Act.

Meanwhile, MAC has joined with other local government groups to urge the chairs of the House and Senate committees on local government to expedite hearings on the OMA to address the remote participation issue.

“Prior to OMA changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a member could participate and vote remotely when a quorum was physically present. County and local board members have used this option when the need arose. Other bodies created their own rules that disallowed members to participate and vote remotely, regardless of the option. Local and county governments were responsible and responsive to their constituents and adopted rules according to what served their boards and their communities. At minimum, our organizations seek to re-establish local control over their meetings and remote participation, with the same caveat of requiring a quorum to be present, if they choose to allow the option of remote participation and voting,” the letter sent to Rep. Julie Calley (R-Ionia) and Sen. Dale Zorn (R-Monroe) states.

For more information on MAC’s work on the OMA, contact Meghann Keit-Corrion at keit@micounties.org.

Michigan Green Communities Challenge is under way

The Michigan Green Communities Challenge is now live! Create your account and take the Challenge now at www.migreencommunities.com/challenge.

Michigan Green Communities is a statewide network of local government staff and officials that collaborate with one another, through peer learning and information sharing, to promote innovative sustainability solutions at the local, regional, and state level.

The annual Michigan Green Communities Challenge is a key part of the program and allows participants to track and benchmark their sustainability progress. Communities can log their sustainability actions using the MGC Challenge to achieve bronze, silver, or gold recognition.

Get ready to complete the challenge by reviewing the action items, looking at the getting started guide, and emailing info@migreencommunities.com with any questions you have.

You can also register for a Feb. 10 MGC webinar at 3 p.m. on guidance on accessing the Challenge portal and recording your community’s actions. To register, click here.

For more information contact Hannah Sweeney at sweeney@micounties.org.

Water and sewer issues are focus of next NACo webinar on ARP funding

On Jan. 6, the U.S. Department of Treasury released the Final Rule for the $65.1 billion Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund). Under the Final Rule, counties have broad flexibility for uses that strengthen the public health infrastructure, including workforce support, new eligibilities for capital expenditures, public health data systems and more.

Join NACo for the fifth in a series of information sessions where we will walk through key features in Treasury’s Final Rule for the Recovery Fund and how counties can effectively invest these dollars to enhance their water and sewer infrastructure.

Staff picks

Improving quality of life — not just business — is the best path to Midwestern rejuvenation (Brookings Institution)
Talking Michigan Transportation: What federal funds can mean to Michigan bridges and innovations with carbon fiber (podcast) (Buzzsprout.com)
Google to work with Ford on Detroit research hub (Associated Press)
Lansing’s attention to mental health is encouraging and long overdue (Citizens Research Council of Michigan)

Legislative Update 1-28-22

January 28, 2022Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, MACSC, Marketing, NACo

OMA update, protecting mental health services top MAC’s 2022 priorities

Updating the Open Meetings Act to meet the 21st century needs of state residents and preventing an ill-advised attempt to privatize Michigan’s locally directed system of public mental health services head the list of legislative priorities for Michigan counties this year.

Legislative action in 2020-21 allowed county boards and other local panels to address the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the changes also resulted in making the act less responsive in 2022 by barring the votes of public officials participating remotely when a physical quorum was present at a meeting.

“Quick action by the state in 2020 allowed county boards to meet remotely during the pandemic in a safe manner, but those changes ended up removing a key option for local officials to participate in governance in specific situations,” explained Deena Bosworth, MAC’s director of governmental affairs. “We will be focused on OMA reform with legislators to resolve this problem as soon as possible.”

MAC also will continue its efforts with a broad coalition opposed to a mental health privatization scheme embedded in Senate Bill 597-598, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Jackson). Boards in more than 40 counties already have passed resolutions opposing privatization of mental health services, which face growing demands for care and persistent state underfunding.

Other goals for 2022 in Lansing are:

Enacting Reforms to Ensure Proper Funding of Local Courts
Creating a Fair Revenue Sharing System for Counties
Compensating Local Governments for Funds Diverted by the Veterans Property Tax Exemption
Revamping the PPT Exemption to Provide Annual Reimbursement to Locals
Adopting the MI Roadmap to Use ARP Funds for Historic Investments in Michigan

“These goals reflect months of meetings and discussions by our policy committees of elected county leaders, by our Board of Directors and by our membership,” said Stephan Currie, MAC’s executive director. “These items constitute the ‘Regional Agenda,’ if you will, from Michigan’s original regional governments, our 83 counties.”

For more information on MAC’s legislative strategies, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

Podcast 83 reviews MAC priorities, discusses State of State

MAC’s Podcast 83 team gathered for a live session on Thursday, Jan. 27 to analyze Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address and go over MAC’s 2022 priorities, which were released on Jan. 26.

“(A)side from accomplishments, she focused on mental health, which is absolutely needed in the state. Getting more health care workers,” said Deena Bosworth, governmental affairs director.

Reviewing MAC’s priorities for the year, Bosworth focused in on the challenges and complexity of resolving reimbursements to counties created by 2021 changes to exemptions for the Personal Property Tax: “We don’t have a good idea on how much money (in lost revenue for counties) that is. … We have a commitment from the Senate to work on it. … So that is what I am going to spend the vast majority of my time on this year — trying to figure how to get that reimbursement out to our counties.”

Executive Director Stephan Currie welcomed the podcast’s new sponsor, Comcast, and noted that with legislative activity gearing up, the podcast would be shifting back to weekly tapings.

To stay abreast of the latest podcast doings, bookmark the Podcast 83 page on MAC’s website and MAC’s YouTube channel.

MAC applauds mention of mental health boost in governor’s annual address

In a brisk delivery from an industrial plant Wednesday evening, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer emphasized political cooperation and calls for tax cuts in her 2022 State of the State address.

The governor also pledged new investments in mental health services, a key priority for Michigan counties, “We should invest in our mental health workforce so we can expand access. Nearly 40% of Michiganders do not get treatment for their mental illness. We will address this shortfall by expanding Michigan’s Loan Repayment Program for mental health professionals. And we will make a historic investment to retain and recruit hundreds more mental health workers.”

Responding to the governor’s comments, MAC Executive Director Stephan Currie said, “Our county members who are entrusted with oversight of the local mental health system were pleased to hear the governor cite mental health as a priority for the year ahead.”

He added, “As the governor develops her budget plans, we hope to see more about long-term investments in local government stability and in water, transportation and broadband infrastructure utilizing the historic opportunity presented by federal COVID aid and the state’s strengthening economy.”

MAC urges members to speak out against binding arbitration bill

MAC continued its opposition to an ill-advised expansion of binding arbitration coverage for public employees during testimony this week on House Bill 4725, by Rep. Robert Bezotte (R-Howell). The bill would expand binding arbitration beyond police and fire labor bargaining units to correctional officers.

The legislation, which previously cleared the House 97-10, is before the Senate Economic and Small Business Development Committee, so MAC asks members to use our Advocacy Center to send a pre-drafted message of opposition to their state senators.

For more information on this issue, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

U.S. Treasury issues clarification on $10 million revenue loss and COVID aid

The U.S. Treasury has issued the following important clarifications on how to report revenue replacement and other expenditures in the Project and Expenditure Report, said the National Association of Counties this week:

Option to defer choice of claiming $10 million standard revenue loss allowance: If a county has not decided whether or not to take the standard allowance, Treasury won’t commit them to their reported choice in the Jan. 31 report.
- Decisions made in the reporting around the standard allowance as part of the Jan. 31 Project and Expenditure Report may be changed in the April 2022 Project and Expenditure report when the Final Rule takes effect. More guidance on this will be released as we approach that reporting period.
- If a county has nothing to report in the Revenue Replacement section and doesn’t want to make any choice, they may enter zero in the required fields and use the description box to explain that they have not yet allocated funds under revenue loss and will update their response in future reporting cycles. Treasury may choose to follow up in these cases for further details.

What to do if a county has no projects to report on the January 31 Project and Expenditure Report: If your county has not yet identified any projects to report, please know that maintaining a project list is a core requirement of the Recovery Fund program. For the Project and Expenditure Report due January 31, 2022, Treasury will be offering an option to select “No Projects to Report” at this time. Selecting this option will require providing a written explanation and may result in additional compliance follow-up from Treasury. Please see the user guide for additional guidance; information will also be provided in the Project Overview module of the Project and Expenditure Report. If you have questions or need additional information, please send an email via SLFRP@treasury.gov.
Additional resources and helpful information from Treasury: If you are unable to log in to Treasury’s State, Local, and Tribal Support portal after establishing your accounts or need technical or other assistance, please send us an email at covidreliefitsupport@treasury.gov for

Treasury has posted a series of recorded webinars to assist recipients to understand and comply with relevant reporting requirements and assist recipients in accessing Treasury’s Portal:
Project and Expenditure Report – https://youtu.be/6YTsxrEMS1o
Reporting Tiers – https://youtu.be/JnoKlSwCA-g
Account Creation and Login – https://youtu.be/MS7EAO2uCs0
User Roles – https://youtu.be/w7vbi94rVDI
Bulk Uploads – https://youtu.be/4g6fw3DUQ3k

As a reminder, the following counties, the following counties are required to submit a Project and Expenditure Report the Treasury by Jan. 31, 2022:

Counties with populations that exceed 250,000 residents (referred to as Tier 1 recipients by Treasury)
Counties with a population below 250,000 residents which received more than $10 million in Recovery Funds (referred to as Tier 2 recipient by Treasury)

The Project and Expenditure Report will cover the period between March 3, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2021, and requires the reporting of project, obligations and expenditure data, subaward data, as well as certain required programmatic data.

Please note: Counties with populations below 250,000 residents and received less than $10 million in Recovery Funds, are not required to submit a report by January 31, 2022, and there will not be a report record available for you to do so. Your first reporting deadline to submit the Project and Expenditure Report will be April 30, 2022, and annually afterwards. A Project and Expenditure Report will be made available for your jurisdiction to complete ahead of your April 30, 2022, deadline.

Public notice bills don’t help counties, MAC tells House committee

Bills purporting to modernize Michigan’s requirements for local governments to issue public notices got a thumbs down by MAC in a House hearing this week.

MAC testified in opposition to Senate Bill 258, by Sen. Curt VanderWall (R-Mason), and SB 259, by Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Wayne), before the House Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee. The bills passed the Senate 34-0 last fall.

Deena Bosworth, MAC governmental affairs director, told committee members that counties oppose the current version of both bills as they do not curb county costs to do postings, reduce the unnecessary details of many of the posting requirements or assist locals in meeting legal timelines.

Bosworth added that MAC remains ready to work with sponsors on amending the legislation to make it beneficial to counties that have to navigate a media landscape far different from the one of the 1960s when notice requirements were enacted.

For more information on this issue, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

Staff picks

Survey: 52% of state, local public workers considering leaving jobs (RouteFifty)
Cities and states find new ways to tax streaming services (Pew Trusts)
State and Federal Broadband Programs (Michigan House Fiscal Agency)
Thelma Sutcliffe, oldest person in U.S., dies at 115 (NBC)

Nationwide is helping NACo participants protect savings and retirement income with full suite of in-plan guarantees

January 28, 2022NACo, MACSC, Marketing

By Nationwide Retirement Solutions

The SECURE Act (Setting Every Community up for Retirement Enhancement Act) signed into law on Dec. 20, 2019, opened a new era of opportunity for retirement plan participants by expanding the ability for plan sponsors to help participants not only plan for retirement, but also live in retirement. One way the Act will help is by making in-plan guarantees within defined contribution plans such 457(b)s and 401(a)s more accessible and portable than before.

This comes at an opportune time as American savers weather a perfect retirement storm. Given the pandemic’s impact on market volatility, consumers are much more interested than ever before1 in solutions that can provide a level of certainty and protection. Retirees are living longer and facing greater pressure to fund their own retirement, as costs for healthcare and long-term care continue to rise. Employers (plan sponsors) are looking for accessible, portable and affordable solutions to help their employees protect their savings and ensure income in retirement.

To meet this need, Nationwide announced a suite of new in-plan guarantee solutions to meet the needs of plan sponsors and participants.

“We’re confident that a suite of solutions will give plan sponsors the flexibility to select the option that’s best for their participants,” said Eric Stevenson, President of Nationwide Retirement Solutions. “Our approach is unique, by going beyond retirees’ well-established need for guaranteed income, to also address their growing need to protect principal.”

As an established industry leader serving government and corporate retirement plans, as well as a top provider of annuities, Nationwide is uniquely equipped to address this challenge. It has the in-house expertise to develop new solutions and deep partnerships across the industry to bring them to market.

Upon announcing a suite of in-plan guarantees in late 2020, Nationwide Retirement Solutions has seen strong momentum in plans adopting annuity-based protection and income solutions for retirement plan participants.

The momentum continues with Nationwide Indexed Principal Protection® (NW-IPP), an in-plan group fixed indexed annuity. This new investment option provides the potential for growth based on the return of a market index (subject to a cap rate) while also providing principal protection and liquidity. Additionally, there are no investment minimums for participants wanting to allocate to NW-IPP.

There are now more than 600 plans that have adopted this solution. “The number of plans that have already adopted Nationwide Indexed Principal Protection in such a short period demonstrates the market was clearly ready for this type of solution and shows how plan sponsors recognize participants are looking for ways to protect their investments, while at the same time having the opportunity to grow their retirement nest egg,” added Stevenson. “Nationwide Indexed Principal Protection is one of the first fixed indexed annuities to be offered as an in-plan guarantee that can help participants address both of these needs.” For plan sponsors interested in learning more about NW-IPP, visit www.nrsforu.com/nwipp

Since launching NW-IPP, Nationwide continues to work with industry partners to introduce solutions offering guaranteed lifetime income. Structured as collective investment trusts (CITs), these investment options offer participants the opportunity to grow their retirement savings with the promise of generating guaranteed income in retirement – money they can’t outlive. These solutions offer a simple experience along with useful planning tools, helping participants to worry less about running out of money in retirement.

Nationwide is excited to be able to offer solutions built to help participant plan for the future and reach their retirement goals. To learn more about these additional solutions, contact your Nationwide representative.

The sixth annual Advisory Authority Survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Nationwide from May 27-June 25, 2020, among 1,768 financial advisers and 817 investors, ages 18+.

Nationwide Indexed Principal Protection is a group fixed indexed annuity issued by Nationwide Life Insurance Company and held in the general account. Group fixed indexed annuities are not stock market investments and participants are not directly investing in a market index. Guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Transfers out of this contract to other funding providers are subject to certain restrictions.