News & Events

Nurses Day at the Capitol

In honor of National Nurses Week and Florence Nightingale’s birthday, MNA members participated in our first Nurses Day at the Capitol on Thursday, May 12^th. Members from our Board of Directors, Congress on Public Policy, MNA-PAC Board of Trustees, Congress on Workplace Safety and Health, and Congress on Nursing Practice took part in a day of meeting, greeting, and policy making with the offices of their state legislators. It was a great opportunity for MNA members to take part in the political process and to advocate for issues near and dear to our hearts: eliminating workplace violence and implementing safe staffing ratios. We’d like to send out a big thank you to all the nurses who came out to participate because their presence did not go unnoticed and that was one of the key goals of Thursday's agenda. Awareness about these issues needed to be increased and the members who participated made that happen with flying colors.

Proposed Changes to the Public Health Code re: Nurse Practitioners

Senator Jim Marleau – R will be introducing legislation soon that will limit the scope of practice for nurse practitioners in the Michigan Public Health Code. For years nurse practitioners have been trying to get the Michigan legislature to clearly define their scope. In addition, they have wanted to expand their prescriptive authority in the world of healthcare. This bill would put physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners into the same category, as if they perform the same duties and fill the same role in our health care system. If this legislation passes after being introduced, any promise of scope expansion will come to a grinding halt. “The language will cripple the healthcare system by putting nurse practitioners under excessive supervisory restrictions currently not written into the public health code.” ~ President-Elect of the Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners, May 10, 2011. Please take a minute to call or write Senator Marleau to let him know that we do not support this pending legislation. His office can be reached by phone at 517-373-2417 or by email atjimmarleau@senate.mi.gov.

EITC Substitute

In response to the tax package that passed the House of Representatives last week, a substitute has come out in an effort to preserve the Earned Income Tax Credit with a 6 percent rate instead of the current 20 percent. The substitute to HB 4361 would eliminate the proposed new $25 per child tax credit for individuals eligible for the federal version of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the enhanced Homestead Property Tax Credit for the working poor. This would help to cover the cost of the EITC, which is $100 million. Those who are eligible could claim a state income tax credit equal to 6 percent of their federal EITC credit. The substitute already has the support of the Snyder administration, so if it passes both chambers and moves to the Governor’s desk, he will definitely sign it into law.

Tax Package Update

After much speculation on whether the votes were there or not, the Senate passed HB 4361 eliminating the Michigan Business Tax and replacing it with a 6 percent corporate income tax, the taxation of pensions, and the elimination of most business and income tax credits. The bill will now move to the House of Representatives for final approval and then on to Governor Snyder’s desk to be signed into law. This bill was a large piece of the budget negotiations that have been taking place. With its passage, the rest of the budget bills will most likely move along quickly in this process. Because the full Senate vote was 19-19, Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley was forced to use his tie-breaking abilities as President of the Senate. This is a rare occurrence on the Senate floor. The passage of this bill means big changes for Michigan, particularly on the backs of the working class as they take on the burden of shouldering the financial woes of our state.

House Health Policy

Rep. Lesia Liss – D, RN, has introduced legislation in the House Health Policy Committee requiring prior notification and informed consent between the parent(s) and a patient or a physician and a patient when a pharmacist interchanges antiepileptic drugs that have been prescribed for the treatment of or prevention of epilepsy and seizures. HB 4600 would amend the Public Health Code if it passes. 

Staying informed is critical, as well as getting involved at the local level. Get yourself out there, call or write your legislators, let us help you set up in district meetings with them, and take some time to go to their monthly coffee hours. It is imperative that we all get involved and stay involved with this process.