Close up of Education Muse painted on the interior of the Capitol dome in Lansing, Mi

MLA Advocacy News

Call to Action: MLA Opposes HB 4530-4533, Please Contact Your Senator Today!

April 29, 2021

On April 27, HB’s 4530-4533 were presented and passed in the Michigan House of Representatives. This package of bills eliminates the May and August elections and replaces them with a June election. Click the links to see who voted in support and who opposed. HB 4530 Passed 63 to 46, HB 4531 passed 67 to 42, HB 4532 passed 65 to 44, and HB 4533 passed 65 to 44.

House Bills 4530-4533 would amend different acts to remove the May regular election date and move the date of the primary election in Michigan from August to June, limiting a jurisdiction to holding only two elections in a year.

Call to Action: MLA Opposes HB 4530-4533

Call to Action: MLA stands in Opposition to HB 4530-4533 and ANY Legislation Limiting Election Dates.

March 25, 2021

On Tuesday, March 23, a package of bills, HB4530-4533 was presented at the House Elections and Ethics Committee. HB4530-4533 eliminates the May and August elections and replaces them with a June election.

MLA Statement in Opposition to SB22

February 25, 2021

A bill to amend 1893 PA 206 “The General Property Tax”
Introduced by Senator Runestad on January 13, 2021

On average, Michigan Libraries depend on locally dedicated millages for 77% of their funding and this number is increasing nearly 1% each year. At the same time, diminishing property values reduce tax revenues, and DDAs and TIFAs are constantly siphoning dedicated millages. While millages aren’t the sole source of revenues for libraries, none is more important. Everyone is familiar with how property taxes have declined in value and collection in recent years, which obviously has impacted the library's ability to sustain all its operations.

MLA Members Meet With New Legislators

February 25, 2021

February has been a busy month of meet and greets with our freshman legislators. Approximately 30 new house members were elected last November, took office in January, and MLA has been busy ever since setting up 30-minute introductory Zoom meetings with each of them. The new legislators have been very open to our conversations and have expressed their sincere support for libraries throughout Michigan.

Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference Findings for FY21 and FY22

January 28, 2021

State economists including State Treasurer Rachel Eubanks, State Budget Director Dave Massaron, Senate Fiscal Agency Director Christopher Harkins, and House Fiscal Agency Director Mary Ann Cleary, agreed to upgrade state revenue projections in response to data that shows the doom and gloom from the economic shutdowns enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will not be nearly as bad as originally feared. These projections* were presented at the January 15, 2021 Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC).

When Michigan’s government finally closes the books on FY2020 (last year), it is projected to have a $2.5 billion surplus in the General Fund and a nearly $1.2 billion balance in the School Aid Fund. These numbers will be carried over into the current fiscal year. The combined $3.7 billion surplus is a complete turnaround to where state officials projected the budget's position to be last summer when Michigan was staring into a $2.2 billion hole for FY2020. The state economists stated that the federal government's help with unemployment payments, stimulus checks, and COVID-19 relief help for public health care, is a big driver for the change.

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