Legislative Update 12-20-24

Written by Derek Melot on December 16, 2024. Posted in Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, MACSC, Marketing, NACo

2024 Lame Duck in Review: Blame Duck?

Lansing’s democratic trifecta came to an end this week after several weeks of lame duck session. From House Republicans leaving session in protest last week, to the Senate holding a marathon 26-hour session this week, lame duck has been nothing short of eventful. MAC’s legislative update is fluid at the moment, while senators approach Friday afternoon still in session.

Friday, December 13th, 2024

House Republicans vacated session in protest amidst failed negotiations between House Republican Leader Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) and Speaker Joe Tate (D-Wayne) regarding fixes to minimum wage for tipped workers, Earned Sick Leave Act, and a potential road funding deal. After 13 hours of session, House Democrats adjourned late Friday night when a series of bills failed to pass, including legislation to increase tipping fees. Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Wayne) left the House chamber around 10:00pm, forcing the House to adjourn with a quorum no longer present in her absence.

Wednesday, December 18th, 2024

House Democrats’ ability to muster their majority, let alone a quorum, worsens with Rep. Karen Whitsett’s (D-Wayne) refusal to attend session unless her priority legislation is addressed. In the meantime, Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Wayne) joins her House colleague in boycotting session, citing the legislature’s lack of movement on her desired criminal justice reforms and a dissatisfaction with ongoing “corporate welfare.” Both chambers adjourn without voting. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer chimes in, only to remind legislators of her disinterest in signing any legislation without receiving a road funding plan and her economic development package.

Thursday, December 19th, 2024

After a tumultuous back and forth between Rep. Whitsett and House Democratic Leadership regarding her attendance on Thursday, a Call of the House was ordered in hopes of restoring a quorum and allowing democrats an opportunity to pass bills they otherwise could not take up. The Call of the House was issued for over an hour, and despite Rep. Whitsett being present within the Capitol, she did not return to the House floor, forcing Speaker Tate and House Democrats to adjourn until December 31st, 2024. At that time, a quorum is required to adopt the sine die resolution, officially ending the 102nd session.

Sen. Santana, however, returned to the senate floor Thursday. As of 11:30am on Friday, December 20th, the Senate has been in session for nearly 26 consecutive hours. Senate Republicans have requested bills be read in their entirety prior to a vote. Lengthy debate and filibuster have filled more of the last 26 hours than votes have.

With the unexpected turn of events throughout the 2024 lame duck session, a flurry of bills did not see further action and “died” in the second chamber. Read below for issues MAC has tracked throughout the 2023-2024 term that came down to the wire this week:

MAC’s Policy Wins in the 2024 Lame Duck Session:

– SB 1167 and HB 4688, which would have made minimum staffing levels a subject of collective bargaining for sheriff’s deputies, died because it did not get voted on in the House. The bill would have also allowed such issues to be elevated to binding arbitration, a provision that raised significant concerns among county officials.

– SBs 605-611, dubbed “Polluter Pay” legislation, ultimately died in the House. The bills were inaccurately titled and would have actually held non-liable parties responsible for pollution caused by previous owners.

– Although we came a long way with the bill sponsor on amendments to the statewide septic code, we consider the death of SB 299 a win for our membership. Initially sweeping in scope, the final version of the bill was significantly scaled back. The compromise included the elimination of the proposed periodic evaluation cycle and left county point-of-sale ordinance intact. The legislation passed the Senate along party lines but eventually died in the House.

On the flip side, MAC is disappointed to see the following actions on bills:

– Despite intensive lobbying efforts, the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund bills, HB 4274 and HB 4275, failed to pass the Senate. These bills, championed by the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC), the Michigan Municipal League (MML) and the Michigan Townships Association (MTA) sought to secure consistent funding for local governments.

– Legislation amending the Public Employer Healthcare Contribution Act is headed to the governor’s desk, despite MAC’s attempt to offer amended language. HB 6058 increases the hard-cap limit on employer contributions to employee health insurance and adjusting cost-sharing provisions for employers and employees. Public employers opting for the 80/20 cost-sharing model are required to pay a minimum of 80% of healthcare costs, rather than the current cap of 85%. Counties will still have the option of opting out of the act altogether by a 2/3 vote of the board.

The Senate has not yet acted on the following bills:

– HB 5431, or Michigan’s Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act (WICA), is unlikely to receive a vote in the Senate Friday, due to MAC’s opposition and successful stalling of the bill. While MAC supports the goal of ensuring wrongly incarcerated individuals are made whole by the government, HB 5431 would have led to the dismantling of the 4 county- operated Conviction Integrity Units, increased court costs. As the largest funding source for trial courts, counties cannot be subject to increased costs.

– HB 5695, requiring the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to participate in the federal Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) reimbursement program. The GEMT initiative in Michigan will reimburse local agencies and emergency services providers for serving vulnerable populations. $500,000 was included in the FY25 state budget to assist MDHHS in starting up GEMT in Michigan. MAC supports this legislation and anticipates a vote on Friday.

Please tune in to MAC’s Podcast 83 next week for further updates on the legislative action for the remainder of Friday, December 20th.

Johnson retires in Otsego County, ending 44-year run in county office

Executive Director Stephan Currie was on hand in Otsego County on Dec. 17 to honor Commissioner Doug Johnson, who retired in December after 44 continuous years of service to his county and community. (Photo courtesy of Otsego County)

In a ceremony on Dec. 17, Otsego Commissioner Douglas Johnson was honored by his colleagues, legislators and the Michigan Association of Counties for his upcoming retirement, which will end a remarkable 44-year run as a county commissioner.

Johnson began his Otsego service in 1981, the first year of the Ronald Reagan presidency. “Starting Over” by John Lennon was no. 1 on the pop charts that January. And the Detroit Lions had just finished 9-7 behind rookie sensation Billy Sims.

“People’s attitudes change towards you once you get into office,” Johnson said in a Michigan Counties profile of him as the longest-serving commissioner in 2022. “They are not always going to agree with you. And it’s always a challenge to help them understand why you do what you’re doing, and you’re doing what you think is right for the majority of the people that you serve.”

In addition to serving many years as chair of the Otsego County Board, Johnson has long served as board president of the Michigan Counties Workers’ Compensation Fund.

For those interested in starting a public career, Johnson advised in 2022, “Stay focused on the work and be true to yourself, your beliefs and your values.

“It is important to be honest and dependable and follow through on your promises; also, accept the fact that not everybody is going to agree with you and to not beat yourself up over it.”

All at MAC wish a wonderful retirement for Johnson and his wife Sherry.