Dear Neighbors,

Welcome to this month’s edition of my e-newsletter. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to tackle the tough issues that will help lower the cost of living, help families get ahead, and build a brighter future for all who call Michigan home.

I welcome your feedback on current issues facing Michigan or the Greater Rochester Area, Troy, Sterling Heights, Shelby Township, and Utica communities. Constituent feedback is vital as I represent our communities in Lansing. If you are experiencing a problem with one of our state government agencies, my office is always available to assist with finding a solution. I respect your opinion and will always do my best to make myself available and accessible to you.

Please take a moment to visit my website, like my official Facebook page, send me an email or call my office at 517-373-0994. If you have any questions, concerns or opinions on what is happening, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Michael Webber
State Senator
9th District

After months of inaction by Lansing Democrats, legislative Republicans forced action to protect Michigan’s hospitality industry. Since July, House and Senate Republicans have been working to prevent job losses after the Michigan Supreme Court issued a ruling that mandated changes to the state’s minimum wage laws and eliminated the tipped credit system. Without legislative action, these changes were set to take effect Feb. 21.

Under the July 31 Michigan Supreme Court order — if left unchanged — the minimum wage was slated to increase 42% from $10.56 an hour to about $15 an hour by 2028 while eliminating the tipped credit for workers who receive tips.

These mandates would have devastated small businesses and tipped workers. Legislative Republicans led the way in passing critical reforms to preserve the tipped credit, keep family restaurants across Michigan open, and save the jobs and livelihoods of tens of thousands of hospitality workers. Importantly, the new reforms will be phased in more slowly, giving small businesses time to prepare and plan for the future.

I supported both bills, House Bill 4002 and Senate Bill 8, which were signed by the governor and make commonsense changes to the Supreme Court ruling.

HB 4002 amended the Earned Sick Leave Act (ESTA) to lower the administrative burden on Michigan businesses while still providing workers with earned sick time. Small businesses, defined as businesses with 10 employees or less, will be required to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours in a year, or front-load all 40 hours at the beginning of the year and allow employees to take it immediately. Small businesses will have until Oct. 1, 2025, to comply with the act. Businesses with 11 or more employees will be required to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 72 hours, or front-load all 72 hours.

In speaking to business owners across my district, I learned that many were worried about the administrative costs of tracking the accrual of ESTA. By allowing businesses to provide all 72 hours of ESTA at the beginning of the year, workers will have access to sick time immediately, and businesses will avoid significant additional costs. A Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity bulletin further explains the ESTA rules for businesses and workers.

Additionally, SB 8 changed the minimum wage increases prescribed by the state Supreme Court ruling. The minimum wage increased to $12.48 per hour on Feb. 21 and will increase yearly until it reaches $15 per hour in 2027. After it reaches $15 per hour, the minimum wage will be adjusted yearly based on inflation. Under the Supreme Court ruling, the minimum wage would have reached $14.97 in 2028.

What we ended up with was a bipartisan compromise that weighed the concerns of both employees and employers while fighting to keep jobs in Michigan and helping small businesses keep their doors open. The nature of a compromise means not everyone got everything they wanted, but everyone did get a chance to make their voices heard, and no one left the negotiating table empty-handed. This solution isn’t perfect, but it does protect our businesses from out-of-state interests, offers flexibility to adapt to policy changes, and maintains employee benefits without driving mom-and-pop shops out of business.

In January, my colleagues and I in the Michigan Senate voted to pass Senate Bills 1 and 2, which would subject the Legislature and the governor to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). State law requires that any public body, except for the Legislature and the governor, that is primarily funded by state or local authorities be subject to FOIA. Michigan is one of only two states that exempts those bodies from FOIA. Both bills passed on a 33-2 vote.

Michigan consistently ranks as one of the worst states for public transparency from its state government. Passing these bills would allow the public to shine a light on what goes on in Lansing and have a better sense of the discussions that go into determining policies that affect every Michigander.

The Senate passed similar legislation in the last legislative term, but those bills did not receive a vote in the House before the end of the year. I am hopeful that leadership in the House will recognize the importance of these bills and put them up for a vote.

I introduced legislation to implement mobile panic alert systems throughout the state’s public and nonpublic schools to ensure real-time coordination between schools, 911 operators, law enforcement, and first responders. Senate Bill 76 would amend Michigan’s Revised School Code to require public and nonpublic schools to implement mobile panic alert systems beginning with the 2025-26 school year. SB 77 would amend the state school aid budget to make $6.7 million available during the current fiscal year for schools to begin implementation.

This legislation would raise Michigan up alongside several other states that have enacted school mobile panic alert systems — critical technology to support the safety of students, school personnel, and campus visitors through real-time communication. These modern systems provide a sound framework to connect schools with first responders during security emergencies, such as non-fire evacuations, lockdowns, and active shooter situations.

School panic alert system legislation, often referred to as Alyssa’s Law after a victim of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has been enacted in Florida, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Texas. Bills have been introduced in Arizona, Nebraska, Georgia, Virginia and Oregon. Other states, including Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Delaware and North Carolina, have provided funding for school panic alert systems without requiring the systems by law.

Please click the image below to hear me speak about this legislation with Local 4 News.

Residents seeking relief from noisy highways would have easier access to sound barrier funding through the Michigan Department of Transportation under legislation I reintroduced.

I was able to secure a $10 million appropriation in the state’s 2024 fiscal year budget for two sections of sound walls to be built along I-75 in Troy after residents raised concerns about increased noise pollution following upgrades to the interstate that were completed in 2015.

The current process of residents appealing to their state legislators to advocate for sound wall funding within the annual state budget isn’t practical or sustainable — a formal funding model is needed. It is my understanding from MDOT that federal dollars are historically used to build sound walls and that this project would not have qualified for federal funding because the original I-75 corridor project was already completed. My bill would fix this situation in the future.

Senate Bill 80 is modeled from a Minnesota law, as it is the only other state with a mechanism set up to fund sound wall construction from the state level and not just from federal dollars. My legislation would create a fund within the Department of Treasury to be administered by MDOT in order to support qualifying noise abatement projects where sound walls currently are not located.

Currently, the only avenue for state funding for a sound wall project is through a direct appropriation in the state budget. Federal funds for sound wall projects are extremely difficult to obtain due to the high requirements for population density and noise level. This bill would create a mechanism for local units of government to apply for state dollars to fund a sound wall project.

State Rep. Ron Robinson, R-Utica, introduced House Bill 4084, which is the same legislation I introduced. SB 80 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, while HB 4084 has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

I joined with other members of the Michigan Aerospace and Defense Caucus on a tour of ORB Aerospace in Lowell earlier this month. ORB is a defense and humanitarian-focused aerospace company dedicated to building a decentralized air travel network to reach the 80% of the world not currently serviced by traditional aviation. It is working to develop an electric aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing to help first responders and governments respond to emergencies where critical infrastructure is damaged by natural disasters.

No appointment is necessary to attend. The 9th Senate District includes the cities of Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy and Utica, along with parts of Oakland Township, Shelby Township and Sterling Heights.