
The first two introduced bills this term became the first two bills to pass the House Thursday, HB 4001 and HB 4002, which keep the tipped wage credit in place, adjust the minimum wage increase schedule and prevent small businesses from having to offer the same sick time benefits as big businesses.
HB 4001 passed 63-41 with Republican Rep. Brad Paquette (R-Niles) voting no and Democratic Reps. Carol Glanville (D-Grand Rapids), Peter Herzberg (D-Westland), Tullio Liberati, Jr. (D-Allen Park), Will Snyder (D-Muskegon), Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) and Angela Witwer (D-Lansing) voting yes.
HB 4002 passed 67-38 with Reps. Noah Arbit (D-West Bloomfield), Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit), Carol Glanville (D-Grand Rapids), Peter Herzberg (D-Westland), Tullio Liberati, Jr. (D-Allen Park), Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw), Will Snyder (D-Muskegon), Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) and Angela Witwer (D-Lansing) voting yes with all of the Republicans.
Reps. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City), Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe), Veronica Paiz (D-Harper Woods), Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) and Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills) were absent.
In total, 13 Democrats offered amendments to the two bills and some gave no-vote explanations, too. When asked if the Democratic caucus had voted to take a caucus position on the bills, Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) said “what happens in caucus stays in caucus.”
“Madam speaker, do you think that when Elon Musk catches a stomach bug, he misses a day’s wage?” asked Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) in his floor speech.
Getting bipartisan votes for both bills is encouraging as the bills head to the Senate, said Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland), who chaired the Select Committee on Protecting Employees and Small Business. When asked why one of his Republican colleagues voted no on the first bill, Schuette said “everybody has their own shade of red.”
Schuette said he’s an optimist about passing the bills with immediate effect before the Feb. 21 deadline when the Michigan Supreme Court ruling the bills aim to undo would take effect.
“It seems unfortunate that much like middle schoolers facing a homework assignment, (the Legislature) works best on a deadline,” Schuette said.
Puri told reporters that he thinks there’s been a false choice and narrative presented that legislators were picking between business and workers.
He said when customers go out to eat in other states, they don’t ask or research how much the server is going to make if they don’t tip, because they can’t tell the difference.
“I bet if I polled all of you, you couldn’t name a lot of the states (with this in place),” Puri said to reporters.
He also said if there could be meaningful discussion, he’d love to engage in it. When it was pointed out to him that this issue has been looming since the start of the summer and was the reason the Republican caucus walked out at the end of last term, Puri said it was the speaker’s prerogative.
Article courtesy MIRS News for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
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