20 MiMfg Magazine August 2020
MFG
Voice
Mike
Johnston Dave Greco David Worthams
Vice President of Director of Regulatory Director of Human
Government Mike Johnston Affairs & Environmental Dave GrecoAffairs
David Resource Worthams Policy
Your MMA Government
Affairs Team at Work
MMA Achieves MFG Exemptions for PPE
Mike Johnston • 517-487-8554 • [email protected]
The Department of Treasury recently issued
Revenue Administrative Bulletin 2020-9 in response
to the MMA Tax Policy Committee’s request to
exempt personal protection equipment (PPE)
related to COVID-19 by including it in the
definition of industrial processing.
This important win represents a significant tax
cut specifically for manufacturers that have spent
significant resources on newly required PPE. In
addition, the agency responded to MMA’s specific
request that it be retroactive, rendering all eligible
PPE expenditures since the beginning of the crisis
exempt. MMA wishes to thank the Department of
Treasury for responding quickly to this request.
MMA Continues Effort to Pass
Vetoed Tax Deferral Legislation
Mike Johnston • 517-487-8554 • [email protected]
The Legislature is again moving forward on two
MMA-supported tax deferral packages that received
strong legislative support before being vetoed by
Governor Whitmer in early July. The legislation
includes the Summer Property Tax deferral package
and the deferral of Sales Use and Withholding.
Senate Bill 943 would allow taxpayers, including
business owners, to defer interest-free summer 2020
assessments until 3/1/21. The bill would also allow local
governments to offer the tax deferment for individuals
and businesses on summer 2020 property taxes.
MMA understands the uphill battle of overcoming
the Governor’s veto but will continue to work with the
Legislature and the Administration while advocating
for the critical cost-savings and burden reductions these
bills represent to manufacturers and local employers.
Member Alert: Check Your
UIA Statement’s Accuracy
David Worthams • 517-487-8511 • [email protected]
MMA has learned from various businesses that
unemployment benefits have been charged improperly
to some employers. In addition, fraudulent charges
continue to be a problem. It is important to flag any
errors in the statement to quickly determine what
charges to your UIA account need to be disputed.
The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA)
Summary Notice of Statement of Benefit Charges
and Credits, sent quarterly to employers, provides a
summary of all of the individual weekly statement
of charges and credits for the calendar quarter. If
you notice an error on your second quarter statement,
dispute it with the UIA and contact your MMA
Government Affairs team so that we can advocate
on your behalf.
Bills Signed to Increase CTE Access
David Worthams • 517-487-8511 • [email protected]
Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently signed
two bills expanding the ability for students in high
school to dual–enroll in classes in a local community
college by making summer courses eligible for the
program. House Bill 4546 and House Bill 4547 were
sponsored by State Representatives Bronna Kahle (R–
Adrian) and Ben Frederick (R–Owosso). The legislation
provides a new pathway for students interested in a
career in manufacturing to obtain the necessary
training while meeting existing CTE criteria.
Update on PFAS Rule Promulgation
Dave Greco • 517-487-8543 • [email protected]
Michigan’s Joint Committee on Administrative
Rules (JCAR) heard testimony on 7/22/20 from
MMA regarding the proposed Safe Drinking Water
Standards ruleset, which flagged critical areas of
concerns with the proposed rules, as well as solutions
to enhance and improve the rules. While JCAR
previously articulated many of these concerns to
EGLE in a formal letter from Chairman Lucido
and raised similar questions at the committee
hearing, JCAR did allow the rules to move to the
Secretary of State for official promulgation. They
went into effect 8/3/20.
While MMA is disappointed in this result, your
Association will continue to act as the leading voice
on the issue by raising concerns surrounding the
rules, including the need to get the science right,
highlighting underestimated costs for municipalities
and businesses, and pointing out the “unintended
consequences” related to Part 201 cleanup standards. 6
Get the latest updates on legislative and regulatory issues. Join an MMA Policy
Committee or subscribe to weekly MFG Voice updates. Learn more at mimfg.org.