Advocacy Update

Forrest WallWritten by Forrest Wall, CAE, Staff Vice President and Industry Relations

Amendments to Elliott-Larsen Act Introduced
Bills have been recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives and Senate to amend the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. The first, House Bill 5656, amends section 502 of the act relating to real estate transactions. It adds victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking to the protected classes. Currently, Michigan’s civil rights law prohibits discrimination in real estate transactions on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, familial status, and marital status. The second bill, House Bill 5804, amends all relevant sections of the act (title, scope, employment, real estate, etc.). This legislation includes sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression among the protected classes under the law. Companion legislation to House Bill 5804 was also introduced in the Senate as Senate Bill 1053.

Truth In Renting Act Change Introduced
On October 1, legislation was introduced to amend one of the sections of the Truth In Renting Act as it relates to provisions prohibited in a rental agreement. House Bill 5869 proposes to strike the prohibition on a waiver of the right to trial by jury.

MIOSHA Offering Matching Funds for Safety Equipment Purchases
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) is offering matching grants of up to $5,000 for the purchase of safety and health-related equipment. The program, called the MIOSHA Safety and Health Improvement Program (MiSHIP) Grant, opened October 1 for application. Grant availability is restricted to companies with 250 employees or less, and priority is being given to residential construction fall protection equipment purchase requests. With a total of $500,000 available from MIOSHA, the program could generate a $1 million investment in worker safety. For application information, visit www.michigan.gov/mioshagrants.

 

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