The Michigan Association of Counties (MAC)

Legislative Update 1-10-25

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MAC accepting applications for internal policy committees

County commissioners are encouraged to apply now for MAC’s five standing committees for 2025. Applications are due by Jan. 31, 2025. To apply, please email a completed application form to Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

To ensure continuity, commissioners who served on committees in 2024 and attended at least three meetings have been contacted to confirm their interest in continuing. New applicants are encouraged to apply, as MAC strives to maintain balanced regional representation across all committees. MAC’s president appoints all committee members.

MAC’s standing committees play a critical role in shaping the association’s policy platform and legislative advocacy. Each committee meets approximately six times per year, with the option for members to participate remotely via Zoom. Meetings will begin in February 2025.

The work of MAC depends heavily on the diverse perspectives and expertise of our member counties. Ensuring representation from every county across Michigan strengthens our policy positions and enhances our ability to effectively advocate for counties’ interests at the State Capitol and with federal officials.

Through input from these committees, the MAC Board of Directors develops legislative policies that address the unique needs and challenges facing Michigan’s counties. Your voice and expertise are vital to this process.

Committee overview

Finance and General Government (meets the 1st Friday at 10 a.m.)

Focuses on property tax revenue, property tax assessments, special millages, county revenue sharing, and government operational issues such as the Open Meetings Act, FOIA and zoning.

Environmental, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Tourism (meets the 2nd Friday at 10 a.m.)

Covers issues related to mining, state and federal land acquisitions, PILT, solid waste management, water quality, energy, conservation and tourism.

Health and Human Services (meets the 4th Monday at 10 a.m.)

Addresses prevention and treatment initiatives for mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, veterans, aging programs and disease prevention.

Judiciary and Public Safety (meets the 4th Monday at 2 p.m.)

Reviews policies and legislation on court system operations, 9-1-1 funding, juvenile justice, indigent defense, sheriff department issues and prisoner re-entry programs.

Transportation and Infrastructure (meets the 4th Friday at 10 a.m.)

Oversees the operation and funding of Michigan’s transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, ports, and ORV trails.

 

Future unclear on legislation to alter health insurance rules

The future of House Bill 6058, which amends the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Act, is now mired in uncertainty, raising significant questions for local governments and the broader legislative process in Michigan. Passed during the 2024 lame-duck session, the bill has not yet been sent to the governor — a situation that could lead to the first legal challenge of the new legislative term.

HB 6058 aimed to address rising health care costs by adjusting the hard cap on employer contributions to employee health insurance. MAC supported an increase in the hard cap, recognizing that health care costs are climbing faster than current inflationary measures can account for. However, the bill’s proposed mechanism has critical flaws that make its implementation problematic:

  • Flawed Inflationary Mechanism:

HB 6058 ties the hard cap increases to the medical care component of the Department of Financial and Insurance Services (DFIS)-approved rate increases.

This metric, however, is not reported separately by insurance companies, making it nearly impossible to calculate.

Previously, adjustments were tied to the medical care component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which excludes pharmaceutical costs, already a major driver of escalating health care expenses.

  • Mandatory 80 percent floor:

The bill mandates that the 80 percent employer contribution becomes the minimum floor for health insurance cost-sharing, limiting flexibility for local governments to manage their budgets effectively.

Currently, local governments have three options under the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Act:

  • Stay within the hard cap for how much the employer pays.
  • Opt for an 80/20 split between employer and employee.
  • Opt out of the act entirely through a resolution of the local governing board.

While MAC supported adjustments to the hard cap, the impracticality of the inflationary mechanism in HB 6058 complicates its utility.

In a surprising move, incoming House Speaker Matt Hall has decided not to send HB 6058 to the governor for signature, despite its passage in both chambers and being ordered enrolled. MAC is unaware of any precedent where an incoming speaker has withheld a bill from the governor after passage.

This decision raises several questions:

  • Does the Speaker have the authority to block the presentation of an enrolled bill to the Governor?
  • What precedent does this set for future legislative actions?

This could be the first legal battle of the new legislative term as stakeholders seek clarity on the speaker’s powers and the fate of HB 6058.

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

 

Forecasters: Legislators will have more money to spend in FY26 budget

Michigan legislators will have about $15.5 billion in General Fund revenue to use for the fiscal 2026 budget, economic and budget experts said Friday in the first Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) of 2025.

These conferences are required by statute to determine the state of Michigan’s financial resources as lawmakers draft annual budgets, including spending areas that are critical to county needs, such as revenue sharing.

As recently as fiscal 2017, the state General Fund was only $10 billion, so this year’s projections continue a sustained renaissance in state resources.

The Legislature will begin its budget work in earnest in February when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer presents her Executive Budget recommendations. The next revenue conference, in May 2025, will set the final numbers available for spending for the FY26 state budget, which is supposed to be finished, by statute, by June 30.

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

 

Speaker Hall announces new committees, removal of local government committee

House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) announced committees for the 2025-2026 term this week and has removed the longstanding House Local Government Committee.

It remains to be seen what this means for local government advocacy in the Legislature in the upcoming term. Legislation that would typically be referred to the local government committee will now be referred to specific policy areas, i.e., finance, tax policy, transportation, etc. This will allow House members to review bills impacting local government through the lens of their specific policy areas of expertise and/or interest. MAC, as always, will continue to advocate to legislators the importance of local control.

Speaker Hall also established a new committee, the Select Committee on Protecting Michigan Employees and Small Businesses, focused solely on addressing tipped wage and earned sick time legislation. Rep. Ken Borton (R-Otsego), a former MAC Board president, will serve as Majority vice chair on the committee, and Rep. Matthew Bierlein (R-Tuscola), another former MAC Board President, is a member of the committee. 

MAC is working alongside other stakeholders and lawmakers to ensure counties can provide paid leave to employees without undue financial burden onto the taxpayer. 

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

 

Webinar to guide counties on prepping for broadband funding

On Jan. 30, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) will host a webinar for local officials on “How Local Governments Can Prepare for BEAD Funding.”

The webinar will run from1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Click here to register.

“With $1.559 billion allocated to support broadband development in Michigan through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Act, the state of Michigan’s High-Speed Internet Office’s (MIHI) is focused on expanding high-speed internet to over 238,000 underserved locations across the state. This presents a unique opportunity to build lasting digital infrastructure, improve affordability, and enhance digital literacy for Michigan residents.

“This funding is important for encouraging economic development, entrepreneurship and public participation. Local governments are encouraged to collaborate on applications or work with providers to ensure local needs are met. All applicants must pre-register before March 10 and funding application must be submitted by April 9, 2025.

“This interactive webinar will provide an overview of BEAD, the application process, and how local governments can prepare to apply or partner with providers. It is targeted to elected officials, administrators, community and economic development professionals, and education and business partners.”

Learn more about the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Questions? Contact Naheed Huq, Manager, SEMCOG Economic and Community Vitality, at 313 324-3356.

 

MAC still has OMA booklets available

MAC continues to offer booklets explaining the dos and don’ts of Michigan’s Open Meetings Act.

Printed in partnership with the firm of Cohl, Stoker and Toskey, P.C., the booklets can be obtained in small quantities (up to 20 per county) by contacting  Communications Director Derek Melot at melot@micounties.org.

MAC also has posted a digital version of the booklet to our website.

 

Next Treasury webinar to address F65 Update, Numbered Letters

The Michigan Department of Treasury is pleased to announce its next Chart Chat webinar at 2 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2025. The Chart Chat webinar series provides local governments with critical information related to accounting and auditing topics, measuring local government fiscal health, and other important updates.

To submit questions or register, click here.

Topics covered will include:

  • Numbered Letters and F65 Update
  • Qualifying Statements  
  • Retirement Reporting (PA 202 of 2017) 

Presentations and recordings from this webinar, along with previous webinars, can be found at TREASURY – BLGSS Learning Center. For support related to Treasury’s local government services, visit TREASURY – Contact Information.

 

Staff picks

Fata, Gibson join MAC as governmental affairs associates

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Looking to build on recent success in Lansing capped by the enactment of 4-year terms for county commissioners in 2021, MAC expanded its Governmental Affairs Team today with the addition of two governmental affairs associates.

Fata

Madeline Fata comes to MAC from the offices of Rep. Ken Borton (R-Otsego), who is himself a former MAC Board president.

Fata (fata@micounties.org) also worked in the offices of state Sens. Wayne Schmidt (R-Grand Traverse) and Dale Zorn (R-Monroe) and for Michigan Legislative Consultants, a Lansing-based lobbying firm.

She has a bachelor’s degree in social science from Michigan State University, with a secondary degree in anthropology. Between Fata and Governmental Affairs Director Deena Bosworth (anthropology, Western Michigan University), MAC may have the largest anthropology contingent of any advocacy office in the United States!

Samantha Gibson has even deeper ties to MAC, having served as an intern on our Governmental Affairs Team in 2019-20.

Gibson

Gibson (gibson@micounties.org) was most recently the legislative director for Rep. Rodney Wakeman (R-Tuscola), where she focused on policy work for the House Families, Children and Seniors Committee. Gibson has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Michigan State University.

Madeline will staff MAC’s policy committees on Transportation and on Environmental, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs.

Sam will staff MAC’s policy committees on Health and Human Services and on Judiciary and Public Safety.

“I am very excited to bring on both of these up-and-coming women to our staff,” said Deena Bosworth, MAC’s director of governmental affairs. “Each brings a level of expertise, personality and advocacy skills that will help shape and define the future of our organization.”

ARP Resources for Counties

Legislative, MAC news, NACo, Uncategorized

MAC has created this area to collect and share information on American Rescue Plan funds that related to Michigan’s 83 counties.

LATEST: SLFRF Project and Expenditure Report User Guide (July 2022)

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Commissioners testify in favor of 4-year term legislation

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Jim Storey at MAC’s Lansing offices prior to testifying to a Senate committee on four-year terms for commissioners.

Allegan County Commissioner Jim Storey and Dickinson County’s Joe Stevens testified Thursday (April 29) in favor of four-year terms for county commissioners before the Senate Local Government Committee.

The duo spoke on behalf of Senate Bills 242 and 245.

Senate Bill 242, by Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Dickinson), and SB 245, by Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Oakland) would bring four-year terms to Michigan in the 2024 presidential election cycle. Passage of these bills would end Michigan’s status as one of just five states with two-year terms on all commissioners.

In his testimony, Storey said, “In short, county commissioners are responsible for overseeing county governments whose job is service delivery, every day of every week of every month of every year. Being distracted from this service delivery, not legislative, function by short elected terms disserves the residents we share.”

MAC continues to encourage commissioners to add their voices to the four-year term effort. As of Thursday afternoon, 54 county leaders had responded. Please add your voice to this effort today by clicking here.

MAC also requests that counties adopt official resolutions of support for the legislation. To download a template for this purpose, click here.

Legislative Update 7-24-20

Events, Legislative, MAC news, MACSC, NACo, Uncategorized

FY20 budget deal uses federal COVID aid to compensate counties for revenue sharing cuts

Legislative leaders and the Governor’s Office reached final agreement this week on a plan to balance the current FY20 state budget by making large cuts to state spending and backfilling them with federal COVID aid dollars.

Of note for counties is a $97 million cut in revenue sharing from the state, backfilled with $150 million in federal aid that has some restrictions.

So, the August revenue sharing payment will not go out as a revenue sharing payment. Instead, the state will be sending out payments to local governments out of a new $150 million pot of CARES funding. The amount that will be sent to each unit eligible for the August revenue sharing payment will be based on their proportion of the total pot of the $97 million that was cut.

If your county, for example, was getting 2 percent of the $97 million, you will get 2 percent of the $150 million.

MAC has confirmed that this will be a disbursement, but it is assumed at this point that counties will have to issue a report back to the State certifying that the funds were allocated to COVID-19-related expenses. Eligible allocations would include non-reimbursed public health and public safety payroll expenditures, personal protection equipment and facility modifications.

In addition to the revenue sharing changes, the budget bill has also extended the July 17 deadline to apply for the payroll reimbursement program. The deadline to apply for that now will be one week from the time this supplemental budget is enacted. This was done to accommodate those entities that were not originally eligible to apply for the funds, included public safety authorities and district health departments. 

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

 

MAC forming workgroup to study options on tax foreclosure

Following a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that gutted the system of tax foreclosures that counties have used for years, MAC will be forming a workgroup to study ways to address the consequences of the decision.

In Rafaeli v. Oakland County, the court ruled county treasurers cannot keep excess funds after a foreclosed property is sold and the overdue tax bill is satisfied. The court said such funds, minus the owed taxes, must be refunded to the former homeowner.

“We are disappointed in the decision,” said Stephan Currie, executive director of the Michigan Association of Counties. “We are still trying to determine the fiscal impact on our members. And we have concerns about the costs to our members of those properties that we end up selling at a loss, and concerns about the loss of funds used to remove blight from our communities.”

Oakland County had argued in the case that keeping the profits was constitutional because the tax foreclosure law gives delinquent homeowners a type of due process, reported Michigan Radio. Therefore, the county reasoned, counties aren’t taking the homeowners’ rightful property, because the homeowner had already forfeited it.

MAC continues its legal analysis of the ruling and will be reporting back to members when that analysis is complete.

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

 

Live talk with Tom Izzo confirmed for Annual Conference

Legendary Michigan State University coach Tom Izzo will address attendees of the 2020 Virtual Annual Conference LIVE on Aug. 20 at 11 a.m., MAC confirmed this week. After his remarks on leadership and team building, the national championship coach will take questions.

The live chat will be one of the highlights of the 2020 MAC Virtual Annual Conference, which will include events on days between Aug. 18 and Aug. 27.

Other highlights include:

  • Plenary sessions that will feature MAC’s Legislative Update, the semi-annual “State of MAC” report and an address by MAC Board President Veronica Klinefelt
  • The Annual Business Meeting, during which members will vote on MAC’s policy platforms for the 2020-21 year
  • Seven policy workshops that will focus heavily on the implications of COVID-19 for counties in the coming months
  • A Virtual Exhibitor Show that will allow attendees to select up to five firms from which to hear 10-minute presentations

The unique nature of this event also brings changes to registration procedures:

  • The conference registration fee is only $50 for members, which includes all county officials
  • Attendees must register by a new deadline prior to the event – Aug. 7
  • MAC will not accept “walk-up” registrations during the conference (this is due to credentialing and election procedures adopted for the conference)

Start your registration with our Attendee Packet.

 

Senate committee approves trial court fee authority extension

Extension of the authority of trial courts to levy costs on defendants is one step closer to enactment this week, after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved House Bill 5488. 

The bill, by Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Jackson), would extend statutory authority, and maintain the status quo, for Michigan’s trial courts to levy costs to defendants. Currently, that authority expires this October.

The state’s Trial Court Funding Commission said court costs “directly account for as high as $291 million annually in support (most of the 26.2 percent generated). Additionally, approximately $127 million of the annual funds transferred from the State originate from court assessments at sentencing. When totaled, Michigan trial courts are supported, in significant part, by over $418 million assessed to criminal defendants.”

The Commission also reported “findings from the survey of local funding units show that the total cost of Michigan’s court system (outside of the supreme court and court of appeals) amounts to between $1.14 billion and $1.44 billion.” Of the total amount, the percentage of local court operations expenses covered by state general fund is 2.24 percent. The report calls for a rebalancing of state and local funds and makes recommendations for the Legislature to consider for a stable court funding system.

Without completion of HB 5488, a longer-term stable funding solution cannot be worked out as an assurance that courts will not be in financial crisis is the utmost importance at this most difficult financial time for county governments.

Passage of the extension is a key priority for MAC this year. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill when it returns for session work in early August.

For more information on this issue, contact Meghann Keit at keit@micounties.org.

 

Legislative goals identified for jail reforms

This week, legislative leaders and bill sponsors teed up September priorities to include jail task force recommendations.

The “Smarter on Crime, Better for Communities” campaign focuses on four principal objectives: 

  • Eliminate driver’s license suspension as a penalty for offenses unrelated to dangerous driving
  • Expand the use of arrest alternatives at the system’s forefront, allowing policemen the discretion to issue citations for all misdemeanors and re-identifying some traffic misdemeanors as civil infractions
  • Convert low-level offenses to jail alternatives and eliminate mandates for minimum jail sentences to serve
  • Reduce jail admission for probation and parole violations, which is Michigan’s fifth-most-common reason for incarceration

Senate Bills 1046-51 and House Bills 5844 and 5846-5852 are before the judiciary committees in their respective chambers. MAC will be evaluating each one and partner with other key stakeholders in making policy decisions that conform with MAC platforms.

MAC policy platforms, before the membership this August, were amended to include “continued partnership with the Michigan Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration to support smart criminal justice reform and lessening burdens on county jails while maintaining public safety.”

For questions on this issue, contact Meghann Keit at keit@micounties.org.

 

Health worker immunity legislation has uncertain fate

Legislation to clarify legal immunity to health workers dealing with COVID-19 cases is headed to the governor after final approval this week by the House and Senate of two bills.

Senate Bill 899 (H-2) clarifies when immunity applies and under specific circumstances.

The immunity will apply during the period from March 10, 2020, to Jan. 1, 2021 and “extend to any death or injury arising out of or resulting from any act or omission by a health care provider or health care facility, including a county medical care facility (MCF) while engaging in one or more of the following activities: 

  • Rendering COVID-19-related health care services to a person with presumed, suspected, or confirmed COVID-19
  • Arranging, scheduling, rescheduling, canceling or postponing the rendering of health care services, including a decision to use telehealth or other remote services instead of an in-person encounter, in reliance on or in compliance with any administrative or governmental agency, division, or department policy, rule, or directive or any executive order or law regarding health care services provided by a health care provider or health care facility
  • Acts, omissions, or decisions resulting from a shortage of necessary resources, including blood products, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals or staffing

However, it is uncertain if Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will sign the bill, as she and legislative Democrats have said they believe the protections go too far.

“The governor put in place liability protections for frontline workers when cases were spiking and she’s prepared to do so again if necessary,” said Whitmer aide Tiffany Brown in a MIRS News Service report. “The only obstacle frontline workers face is the legislative majority that refuses to recognize a state of emergency during this once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic, casting doubt on these protections.

 “This bill attempts to paper over that failure. Moreover, it’s also just bad policy. Immunity should be available in very limited circumstances; it should not be a permanent feature of any emergency, which will only harm the people receiving care.

 SB 956 (H-3) requires the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to do the following:

  • By Aug. 15, 2020, conduct an evaluation of the operation, efficacy, clinical outcomes and performance of each COVID-19 regional hub that was implemented and operating during the state response to coronavirus in nursing homes and provide a detailed report on that evaluation to the House and Senate Health Policy committees.
  • By Sept. 1, 2020, in consultation with hospitals located in each of the state’s eight health care regions, develop a plan based on relevant and updated guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), describing a process to ensure that there is at least one dedicated facility available for coronavirus-positive patients in each of the eight health care regions to provide care only for those ineligible for admission at a hospital, nursing home, or adult foster care facility. DHHS would have to submit the plan to the House and Senate Health Policy committees upon its completion.
  • Beginning Sept. 1, 2020, if a hospital determined that a coronavirus-positive person was not eligible for hospital admission and the person was not a nursing home resident, the hospital would have to transfer him or her to a dedicated facility described above or a field hospital or other facility used as a surge capacity for the hospital.
  • Beginning Sept. 1, 2020, a person who had tested positive for coronavirus and who was being moved from another health facility or agency could not be admitted or retained for care in a nursing home unless the person had since recovered from coronavirus.
  • Beginning Sept. 1, 2020, unless a nursing home could provide care to a coronavirus-positive resident in a physically separate building, the nursing home would have to move the resident to a dedicated facility described above or a field hospital or other facility used as a surge capacity for a hospital.

For more information on this issue, contact Meghann Keit at keit@micounties.org.

 

MDHHS rescheduling, changing format of opioid town halls­­­­­

The Michigan Opioids Task Force and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) are rescheduling and changing the format of previously announced local town halls on opioids. These town halls will now be in a virtual format.

The following is the new town hall schedule:

  • Northern Lower Michigan (previously the Gaylord town hall), Wednesday, Sept. 23.
  • Flint and Thumb Region (previously the Flint town hall) Friday, Sept. 25.
  • Upper Peninsula (previously the Escanaba town hall) Thursday, Oct. 8.
  • West Michigan (previously the Grand Rapids town hall) Friday, Nov. 6.
  • Macomb and Oakland counties (previously the Sterling Heights town hall) Thursday, Dec. 3

“During the events, state officials will seek to learn more about how the opioid epidemic has impacted different regions of the state. To ensure information gathered reflects the experience of the local communities, residents are asked to only participate in the virtual town hall for the area in which they reside,” the department said in a statement.

More details on how to participate will be provided at Michigan.gov/opioids closer to the events.

In 2018, Michigan recorded more than 2,000 opioid-related overdose deaths and more than 8,000 Michiganders have lost their lives to this epidemic in the last five years. At the town halls, MDHHS and the Michigan Opioids Task Force will share the 2020 strategy to turn the tide on the crisis, seek feedback from the public and host a Q& A about the crisis response.      

A few key questions will guide the conversation:

  • How has the opioid epidemic affected you, your family or your community?
  • What services, programs or policies would you recommend to help address the crisis?
  • How can the state help combat stigma and change the narrative around opioid use disorder?

For more information about the state’s opioids response and available resources, visit Michigan.gov/opioids.

 

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