News

Gov’t Affairs News – plastic bags, patio permits, and more

Plastic bag/container pre-emption bill introduced

Legislation to pre-empt local ordinances related to plastic bags and containers was introduced on March 15 as SB 853 and referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.

Michigan retailers’ sales and forecasts rise

LANSING – Michigan retailers boosted their three-month sales forecasts after posting improved sales in February, according to the latest Michigan Retail Index survey, a joint project of Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Gov’t Affairs News – direct wine shipments, judicial levies, and more

Michigan's Capitol Building.

Senate committee discusses judicial levies

Over the last two weeks, the Senate Local Government Committee heard testimony on legislation that seeks to address how judgments against municipalities can be funded.

Preventing sales lawsuits

Many states, including Michigan, have laws that award a salesperson twice the amount of the actual commission, along with attorney fees and litigation costs, if the salesperson wins a lawsuit over commissions.

Gov’t Affairs News – med sync, recycling, and more

Senate Committee approves biosimilars bill without notification

The 10-person Senate Health Policy Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved the S-1 substitute of HB 4812, which allows for the substitution of interchangeable biosimilar drugs without requiring the pharmacist to notify the prescriber.

Retailers project modest 2016 sales growth

LANSING – Despite a slow start in January, Michigan retailers are forecasting sales growth averaging 2 percent in 2016, according to the latest Michigan Retail Index survey, a joint project of Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Michigan Retailers Association offers three dozen college scholarships

LANSING – Michigan Retailers Association is offering approximately 36 college scholarships this spring through the annual competition funded by its Michigan Retailers Foundation.

The scholarships are available for the 2016-17 academic year to the families of MRA member businesses and their employees.

Gov’t Affairs News – cigar tax cap, med sync and more

Cigar tax-cap discussions echo Main Street Fairness arguments

The House Appropriations Committee heard testimony Wednesday on SB 476, a bill that would ensure the 50-cent tax cap remains in place for individual cigars.

Don’t be a target in new EMV world

As most of you are aware (perhaps painfully), there has been a big change in the relationship between merchants that accept credit cards and the banks that issue them. This “liability shift” happened October 1 and impacts face-to-face payment transactions involving cards with an EMV chip on the front.