On the final session day of Sunshine Week, the House passed HB 4001, a bill that makes numerous changes to the FOIA law, making it more costly to comply and more punitive for local units of government if a mistake is made.  The bill passed in bipartisan fashion, 102 supporting and 8 opposing.

The House passed version of the legislation is here.  While we recognize this version is improved from the introduced version, we still have a number of concerns with it and remain in opposition.  Additionally, there are many punitive damages for local units of government who are abusing FOIA or those who may have made a mistake in processing but there is nothing in the legislation to address abuses on the other side.

This bill now moves onto the Senate. I would encourage you to contact your Senator and relay the impact this will have on your communities to them.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305. 

This week the House Tax Policy Committee voted out a ten bill package that represents months of negotiations on personal property tax (PPT) reform. The Michigan Municipal League’s message on PPT has consistently been 100 percent, guaranteed replacement. The bills do represent 100 percent replacement and a more stable reimbursement mechanism.

The bills, Senate Bills 821-830, now head to the House floor. We expect the House will vote on the legislation next week. We anticipate these bills will continue moving quickly through the legislative process, likely making it to the Governor’s desk before spring break in April.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This week the House passed Senate Bill 636, a bill that would give phone companies the ability to transition from traditional land lines to internet-based service beginning January 1, 2017.

The bill would amend the Michigan Telecommunications Act to do make a number of changes including eliminating a requirement for a Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) proceeding for a telecommunication provider to discontinue basic local exchange or toll service to an exchange, beginning January 1, 2017. It would also require a provider wishing to discontinue service to notify the MPSC, the provider’s customers, any interconnecting providers, and the public at the same time as filing a petition for discontinuance with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The bill would further require a provider to notify the same parties again upon the FCC’s approval, at least 90 days before discontinuing service. It would also allow the MPSC to issue an order allowing the current provider to provide the service until another willing provider was available, if the MPSC determined that another provider was not capable of providing the service.

The legislation now heads to the Governor for his signature.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

Today, the House Commerce Committee passed House Bill 5097, a bill that would exempt police and fire from PA 54 so they can have retroactive pay increases after a contract expires. In 2011 the legislature passed a number of reforms to help employers control costs and be better stewards of taxpayer resources. One of the, if not the, most significant reform was to prohibit retroactive pay increases after a contract has expired. This game changing statute, PA 54 of 2011, has helped communities settle contracts more quickly and provides more certainty in municipal budgets. Passage of HB 5097 would be detrimental to our ability to settle contracts quickly and efficiently.

I urge you to contact your legislators to let them know how detrimental this carve out would be. The arguments the public safety groups use for supporting this bill are that the number of PA 312 filings would proliferate and the legislature only intended this bill to impact teachers.

According to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission there were only 43 PA 312 filings in 2013 as opposed to 69 in 2011. PA 312 filings are significantly lower than they were before enactment of PA 54.

In addition, even if the legislature only intended this for teachers, it has been a game changer for municipal budgets, and it’s critical that we keep this tool to allow local units the opportunity to settle contracts expeditiously and save taxpayers money.

We appreciate all the members who have already contacted their lawmakers on this issue and we hope others follow their lead. It is critical that you please contact your legislators and ask them to OPPOSE House Bill 5097. You can find the contact information for your Legislators here.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the House Tax Policy Committee took a second day of testimony on a ten bill package that represents months of negotiations on personal property tax (PPT) reform. The Michigan Municipal League’s message on PPT has consistently been 100 percent, guaranteed replacement. The bills do represent 100 percent replacement and a more stable reimbursement mechanism.

The League testified in support of the legislation today and was joined in voicing their support by Mayor Jack O,Reilly from Dearborn and Mayor Kurt Dykstra from Holland. Both Mayor O’Reilly and Mayor Dykstra did an excellent job expressing the views of the League and the positive impact this legislation will have on their communities.

The bills, Senate Bills 821-830, will receive another committee hearing and be voted on next week (3/19). We anticipate these bills will continue moving quickly through the legislative process, likely making it to the Governor’s desk before spring break in April.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the House Tax Policy Committee took testimony from the Lieutenant Governor on a ten bill package that represents months of negotiations on personal property tax (PPT) reform. The Michigan Municipal League’s message on PPT has consistently been 100 percent, guaranteed replacement. The bills do represent 100 percent replacement and a more stable reimbursement mechanism.

The bills, Senate Bills 821-830, will receive another day of testimony tomorrow (3/12). We anticipate the bills moving quickly through the legislative process, likely before spring break in April.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

The National Main Streets Conference is coming to Detroit in May and the Michigan Main Street Center is calling all hands on deck to ensure a great conference experience by all.  Nearly 200 volunteers are needed from May 17 to the 22 to provide support and assistance throughout all areas of the conference.  Because of this, the Michigan Main Street Center is looking to local municipalities and those working on downtown development to meet the challenge.

Check out the link below for a complete list of volunteer opportunities that range in time, commitment, location, and training.  Volunteers committing more than eight hours of time at the conference will receive a 50% discount in registration costs.  All volunteers will enjoy swag, an on-site reception and the peace of mind knowing that they helped contribute to the best National Main Street conference to date!

Volunteer Spot Link

For questions regarding volunteer opportunities or the National Main Street Conference in Detroit check out www.preservationnation.org/msconference or email events@nmsdetroit.org.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate of the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.