Written by Forrest Wall, CAE, Staff Vice President, and Industry Relations
Self-Insured Fund Legislation Enacted
Legislation of importance to the members of AAM’s Apartment Building Management Workers Compensation Self-Insured Fund was passed unanimously by the Michigan Senate and signed into law by Governor Snyder on November 16. The bill previously passed the Michigan House of Representatives in the spring. Public Act 195 of 2015 (previously House Bill 4362) codifies that the employer members participating in a self-insured group own the surplus funds of that group. The need for legislation arose after a class action lawsuit exposed an ambiguity in state law regarding surplus ownership. My thanks to all of you (there are too many to mention by name) who responded to our call to action by contacting your Senator in support of the bill!
Tax Tribunal Reform Legislation Introduced
For those of you who have appealed property tax assessments, you are aware of the importance of the Michigan Tax Tribunal. An effort is now underway in the legislature to update the law covering the Tribunal’s organization and some of its procedures. AAM is taking part in a work group in support of this initiative, along with a variety of other business interests. One of the key proposals in the legislation is an increase in pay for Tribunal judges. There is widespread agreement that the current pay structure is less than what it should be, which severely limits the pool of potential candidates for service. Additionally, the proposed legislation provides needed gubernatorial appointment provisions and additional appeal time.
The legislation as originally introduced had some points of concern as well. One provision would have changed the typical system of utilizing a single judge to hear cases in favor of a system mandating multiple judges for every case. Another troubling proposal provided for an allowance for dissenting opinions. AAM and its work group partners successfully sought removal of these provisions and will continue work on this bill in 2016.