HB 5182 amends Michigan's worker compensation law to clarify injured workers' access to medical care. It requires employers to provide payment for treatment from a worker's chosen doctor within 10 days of notice, or face a $100 daily penalty (capped at $25,000). The bill also establishes a preauthorization process for medical treatments, requiring employers to respond to requests within 10 business days or risk delays in care. These changes directly affect injured workers seeking medical treatment and employers/carriers responsible for covering costs under the law.
HB 5177 expands Michigan's workers' compensation coverage to include specific volunteer roles by amending the definition of "employee" in the Worker's Disability Compensation Act. It directly affects on-call members of volunteer underwater diving teams, safety patrol officers (including school volunteers), volunteer civil defense workers, and on-call members of life support agencies who are injured while performing duties - whether paid or unpaid. The bill ensures these volunteers receive full workers' compensation benefits, including wage replacement calculated using the state average weekly wage at the time of injury. This change extends existing protections to these volunteer groups without altering their status as non-employees under other laws.
SB 529 prohibits paying individuals who collect signatures for election petitions a fixed amount per signature or per completed petition sheet. Instead, it requires petition circulators to be paid an hourly wage for their work. This law directly affects people employed to gather signatures for campaign petitions, nominating petitions, qualifying petitions, or recall petitions in Michigan. The bill amends Michigan's election law to ensure circulators are compensated based on time worked, not the number of signatures collected.
SB 700 sets a strict 3-year limit for Michigan's unemployment agency to recover improperly paid benefits, barring recovery actions after this period except for identity fraud or intentional fraud cases. It directly affects individuals who received overpaid unemployment benefits, requiring the agency to issue recovery determinations within 3 years of the benefit payment date. The bill also establishes new waiver rules: recovery must be waived if overpayment resulted from agency errors, or if the claimant faces financial hardship (income below 150% of federal poverty guidelines). These changes aim to prevent prolonged debt collection for most overpayments while maintaining enforcement for intentional misconduct.
SB 15 amends Michigan's Earned Sick Time Act to expand the definition of "small business" from fewer than 10 employees to fewer than 25 employees. This change means more small businesses (with 11-24 employees) will now qualify for the act's simplified rules, including accruing 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, with a maximum of 40 hours of paid sick time per year. The bill maintains existing provisions requiring employers to provide earned sick time for employee health, family care, or safety needs (such as domestic violence or sexual assault), while clarifying definitions like "domestic partner" and "family member." It does not create new benefits but adjusts eligibility to cover more small employers under the current framework.
This resolution urges Congress to freeze the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for H-2A agricultural workers at the 2023 level ($15.10/hour) through 2025. It directly affects Michigan farmers who rely on the H-2A program, as the current 2025 AEWR in Michigan is $18.15/hour - a 34% increase since 2019. The resolution seeks to prevent further wage hikes for temporary farm workers, aiming to reduce rising labor costs amid broader farm expense increases. It does not change existing law but calls on Congress to pass legislation implementing this freeze.
HB 4168 prohibits employers from using tips that exceed the minimum wage difference to cover other wage payments. It directly affects tipped workers (such as restaurant servers) and their employers by ensuring tips only count toward meeting minimum wage requirements up to specific percentages (starting at 38% in 2025 and rising to 50% by 2031). The bill requires written notice about tip distribution, mandates record-keeping for three years, and clarifies that tips remain the employee’s property regardless of wage calculations. Employers cannot offset wages for shifts with low tips using excess tips from other shifts.
SB 145 prohibits Michigan employers from asking job applicants about their past wages, credit scores, or credit history during the hiring process. This directly affects job seekers by preventing employers from using this information to make hiring or compensation decisions. The bill amends Michigan's Fair Employment Practices law to explicitly ban employers from requesting or seeking such details, replacing a prior prohibition on wage history inquiries. It aims to reduce pay discrimination by ensuring compensation decisions are based on current job requirements, not past earnings or credit data. The law would apply to all employers covered under Michigan's wage and employment protections.
This bill requires Michigan employers to pay employees for any accrued but unused paid vacation leave when employment ends. It applies to workers who have earned vacation time but didn't use it before leaving a job, such as through resignation or termination. Employers must pay this out unless the separation was a furlough (a temporary shutdown under specific conditions) or the employer provided unlimited vacation leave. The law will take effect on January 1, 2027.
HB 4264, the "Job Applicant Credit Privacy Act," bans most employers in Michigan from using an applicant's credit history to make hiring decisions or asking about it during the recruitment process. It directly affects all job seekers and employers, except for specific roles in banking (state/nationally chartered banks, savings institutions, credit unions), licensed financial services, or casinos. The bill also prohibits employers from retaliating against applicants who oppose violations or participate in investigations, and bans any requirement for applicants to waive their rights under this law. Violators face civil lawsuits allowing for damages, injunctions, or attorney fees.
