POAM News First Week of Lame Duck Update

Lame Duck Update – 11/30/18

The Michigan Legislature has completed its first week of “lame-duck.” POAM and our lobbyist have been actively engaged with legislators and fighting for you on issues that impact law enforcement. Several bills have been introduced that that make changes to OPEB benefits or impact POAM members.

Senate Bill 1178 – Introduced by Senator Geoff Hansen

• This legislation makes material changes to Public Act 202 which was enacted at the end of 2017. POAM is opposed to this bill as it would mandate how local governments calculate OPEB liabilities and tie the hands of local governments.

House Bill 6512 – Introduced by Representative Kathy Crawford

• This legislation makes changes to Public Act 202. While it doesn’t specifically target law enforcement, this bill could be used as a vehicle for broader changes that threaten your benefits. We strongly believe that any changes to Public Act 202 should be considered during the normal legislative session, not lame duck.

House Bill 6531 – Introduced by Representative Jim Lower and Senate Bill 1209 Introduced by Senator Phil Pavlov

• This legislation makes changes to how municipalities calculate their health care costs under the hard cap or 80/20 contribution requirement by employees. We are opposed to this bill as it will increase health care contribution costs for POAM members.

House Bill 6474 Introduced by Representative Steve Johnson and Senate Bill 796 introduced by Senator Marty Knollenberg

• These bills prohibit a public employer from entering into a bargaining agreement that allows for release time to conduct union business. Employees eligible for PA 312 and correction officer are exempted from the requirements of this bill.

We expect a strong push to pass this legislation over the next 2-3 weeks.

We will continue to keep you informed if this or other legislation begins to gain traction. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates as well.

Kenneth E. Grabowski

POAM Legislative Director

Recommended Read: PA 202 Updates and Upcoming Lame Duck Session