State Representative Jason Woolford (R-Howell) praised Republicans for spearheading the effort to pass last-minute changes to impending paid leave and tipped wage laws, protecting small businesses from confusing and burdensome government mandates. He also expressed his frustrations with the Democrat majority in the Michigan Senate for delaying these crucial legislative fixes until the last possible moment and forcing through a watered-down version instead of a stronger solution.

“My House Republican colleagues and I made this issue our main priority to begin the term, introducing legislation to protect small businesses before we did anything else,” Woolford said. “While the bills we passed this evening ensure Michigan’s small business community avoids disaster, we have a far-diminished restoration of reasonable wage and paid leave requirements because of the Senate Democrats.”

The compromise between the Republican-led House of Representatives and the Democrat-led Senate comes just hours before changes in Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act and tipped wage laws are set to go into effect. These changes are a result of a Michigan Supreme Court decision last year. The court inexplicably ruled that a previous Michigan legislature’s amendment of the wage and paid leave laws was unconstitutional because they occurred the same year in which the laws were passed by ballot initiative.

“I’ve said before that the Supreme Court-mandated law changes were not supported by the voters, their elected representatives, or anyone in the small business community, so it makes no sense to me that Democrats would try to retain so much of those mandates,” Woolford said. “As frustrating as it is that they would not listen to the voice of the people, I’m glad we were at least able to get a deal done to prevent disaster thanks to Republicans’ consistent efforts.”