MICHIGAN GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
September 2021
August 2022
1. Please make sure you file your 2021-22 IRS 990-N postcard, 990 EZ or 990 before the September 15th deadline. If you cannot meet that deadline, which should NOT occur for the 990-N postcard, please file an extension.
2. No change in the employment situation as most of you know from how difficult it is to get wait staff, bar tenders and cooks at your Lodges.
The same holds true for Michigan wholesalers, who deliver beer, wine, and mixed spirit drink to licensed retail establishments. They have reported difficulty in hiring enough people to sufficiently staff their businesses.
The state liquor law made it illegal for persons under 18 years of age to engage in the sale of alcohol, even if that constituted a small part of their work duties.
Amending the law to narrowly restrict the types of alcohol-related work duties that 16- and 17-year-olds can do, could ease the burden faced by many wholesalers.
House Bill 5695 amended the Michigan Liquor Control Code to allow an individual 16 years of age or older employed by a wholesaler to build a display of, mark the price of, rotate, and place brands that were represented or sold by the wholesaler for an off-premises retailer.
House Bill 5696 amended the Code to reduce the age, from 18 to 16 years of age, of a person who need not be licensed as a salesperson to engage in certain activities, including building displays of brands or marking prices.
House Bill 5726 amended the Youth Employment Standards Act to allow a work permit to be issued for a minor 16 years of age or older for employment with an establishment where alcoholic beverages are distributed. These bills became new laws on 7/1/2022. The new laws have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
3. “The Bridge” July 29, 2022 -LANSING —
On July 27, 2022 A Court of Claims judge ordered Michigan businesses to increase minimum wage from $9.87 to $12 per hour and required businesses to offer paid sick leave. Those changes are now delayed, after the judge considered the ability for businesses and the state to adapt to new laws.
· A court fight over the increase could affect Raise the Wage, an ongoing ballot initiative to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Michiganders likely won’t see changes in their minimum wage or paid sick leave until at least February, according to a Friday court ruling over the state Legislature’s handling of citizen-backed initiatives in 2018.
4. The Bridge news article “June 14, 2022, LANSING — Pausing Michigan’s gas tax and the sales tax on gasoline purchases could slice more than 50 cents a gallon off of wholesale fuel prices and is one of the few tools state officials have to ease the burden of high prices at the pump.
A majority of lawmakers have backed some type of tax freeze on gas purchases for months, arguing the state’s $6 billion budget surplus is enough to cover any hit to the state budget. But for months, lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have been unable to enact a gas tax holiday, even as prices skyrocket to $5.22 per gallon as of Tuesday. Maryland, Connecticut, Georgia, Florida and New York have suspended their taxes. There are solutions on the table so if this concerns you please contact your State Senator, Representative or the Governor’s Office and ask them why this has stalled.
5. Charitable Gaming : Poker rooms: No change to Senate Bill 0564 - passed the Senate and is in the Regulatory reform Committee. The bill would amend the Bingo Act.
6. Congressman Jack Bergman of the UP has introduced the following legislation to improve school safety and access to mental healthcare resources. H.R. 7966, the STOP II: The Secure Every School and Protect our Nation’s Children Act,
7. Customers at Michigan bars and restaurants will now be able to pour their own beers, wines, and pre-mixed cocktails starting immediately. On Monday, July 11, Senate Bill 656 passed, which amends the Michigan Liquor Control Code of 1998 to allow for tabletop and wall-mounted taps to be installed.
Senator Jim Runestad put together the legislation with a statement, “Michigan has one of the largest craft beer industries in the country and this bill will improve safety for Michigan consumers and our hospitality industry. Michigan can now join 45 other states that currently allow self-dispensing technology as an option for busy establishments. There are additional safety measures to limit and track the amount each individual consumes and reduces the touches on each individual glass.”
In other states, self-serve alcohol usually works with a card system. Customers hand the waitstaff, bartender, or host a credit card upon arrival in exchange for self-serve card. This card keeps track of ounces poured. At the end of the visit, visitors hand back the card and settle up with the credit card on file or another payment method. In Michigan, pours for individuals are limited to 96 ounces, which equals six pints of beers.
8. Senate Bill 971 which passed 6/30/2022 proposes the creation of a state veteran’s cemetery in Northern Michigan, something which bill sponsor Sen. Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington, said will create better opportunities for Michigan veterans and their families. Michigan currently has two national veterans cemeteries located in the Southern Lower Peninsula— one at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta and the other at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly. The bill was referred to the Committee on Military, Veterans and Homeland Security.
9. HB 6108, HB 6109, SB 0576 and SB 0720: would amend the Public Health Code to require a tobacco specialty retail store to prohibit a person under the age of 21, instead of 18, from entering the store while it was open for business.
In the Youth Tobacco Act a "minor" means an individual who is less 18 years of age. The bill would modify the definition of "minor" to mean an individual who is less than 21 years of age. The Act requires a person who sells tobacco products at retail to post a conspicuous sign in a place close to the point of sale.
The bills were approved by the Governor on 7/21/2022 with immediate effect 8/17/2022.
FIREARMS:
There have been 52 bills introduced regarding firearms licensing : http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(d3uoouitbiv5jj4wtxjcvnog))/mileg.aspx?page=Bills