State Rep. Cam Cavitt on Thursday released the following statement regarding recently agreed upon legislation to save small businesses and workers from devastating mandates set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.

“Northeast Michigan businesses are going to be able to keep their doors open as a direct result of the hard-fought solutions we approved today,” said Cavitt, R-Cheboygan. “I recently spoke with the owner of PAC Sanitation out of Onaway. He said he these mandates could’ve caused severe disruptions in trash service. Every other industry operating in our communities would have experienced similar disruptions. The compromise may not be what we dreamed of, but it will stop hiked prices, layoffs, and shutdowns. That’s something we can all get behind.”

House Bill 4002 guarantees all workers have access to sick time while clarifying the strict, complex rules that were originally set to take effect. The plan allows employers of all sizes to choose the sick time plan that works best for their businesses and create unique policies regarding “no call, no show” incidents. The legislation also safeguards businesses from baseless lawsuits and other attacks from left-wing activists.

A plan to protect tipped workers, Senate Bill 8, passed the House Wednesday, maintains the tip credit at 38% through 2025 while implementing annual wage increases, eventually capping at 50% of the minimum wage in 2031. The plan also heightens the penalties for employers who fail to fairly compensate their staff.

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