News & Events
MNA Legislative Update 01-12-12
01.12.2012
Happy New Year/Special Thursday Edition
After being off for close to four weeks to enjoy a lengthy holiday break, Michigan’s legislature finally returned to their duties on Wednesday, January 11th. You’ll notice that this week’s update is being delivered on Thursday instead of Friday. This is a one-time occurrence due to some necessary scheduled updates of the program we use to mass email. Next week we will return to the regular Friday afternoon/evening delivery. Happy New Year!
Right-to-Work (for less)
2012 is off and running and Right-to-Work (for less) is rearing its ugly head once again. We managed to get through 2011 without being forced to succumb to this detrimental legislation, but we knew it would be back. Rep. Mike Shirkey – R and Sen. Patrick Colbeck – R are leading the charge for this legislation in their respective chambers. In addition, Speaker of the House Jase Bolger – R is also on board and ready to push this legislation through the House when the time comes. The cards are stacked against us, especially as pressure mounts due to the fact that our neighbor, Indiana, is already moving their Right-to-Work (for less) legislation quickly.
Legislation Impacting Nursing
On a more upbeat note, we’re confident that 2012 will be a year of positive changes for nursing. Our goal is to do everything we can to see two pieces move through and pass the legislature in 2012.
1. Workplace Violence: SB 642 and SB 643
a. These bills have already passed the Senate with flying colors.
b. They are currently in the House Judiciary Committee waiting to be taken up.
2. Safe Staffing Legislation: No bill numbers are available yet.
a. We have two Democratic sponsors for this legislation lined up:
i. Sen. Rebekah Warren – Ann Arbor
ii. Rep. Jon Switalski – Warren
b. Our goal is to make a big push for this long-awaited and extremely important legislation to become a reality for Michigan nurses.
Threat to Auto No-Fault Insurance: HB 4936
While we managed to prevent any changes to Michigan’s Auto No-Fault insurance in 2011, the issue will continue to be contentious in 2012. Efforts are well underway on both sides of the issue and it is critical that we all do our part to let the legislature know how important Auto No-Fault is and how catastrophic it would be to every Michigan driver if it were to change. Please call or write your state legislators and ask them NOT to support this legislation if you haven’t already done so. A letter-writing campaign has been set up at http://www.minurses.org/legislation/action.
State of the State Address
Next Wednesday, January 18th, Governor Rick Snyder will deliver his second State of the State address to the full legislature in the Michigan House of Representatives. The address will be televised, so we encourage all of our members who are not working that evening to tune in to hear what he has planned for Michigan in 2012. We saw what 2011 was like, so one can only imagine what 2012 will bring.
Michigan Nurses MARCH!
It’s that time of the year again! MNA is gearing up for the best Nurses MARCH yet on Wednesday, March 14th, 2012, at the Lansing Center. Registration forms will be mailed to Local Bargaining Unit Chairs and past participants this Friday, January 13th, so please look for them in the mail next week. Take a minute, fill out a form and secure your spot as soon as possible because space is limited. If you prefer to register online, go to http://www.minurses.org/legislation/nursesmarch to complete the form electronically. Our goal this year is to have 500 members attend, so we hope you choose to be one of them!
Contribute to the MNA-PAC
2012 is here and that means we are only months away from November and elections. If you haven’t already done so and would like to, please sign up to contribute to the MNA-PAC in 2012. You can do a one-time donation or set up a monthly payment plan, the choice is up to you. Contribution forms are available online at http://www.minurses.org/legislation/mna-pac or by mail. Contact Mariam Robinson at mariam.robinson@minurses.org to have a contribution form mailed to your home address.
