LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, released the following statement after voting no Thursday evening on Senate Bill 8:
“This bill was a bad compromise and a bad deal for Michigan workers and small businesses. I refuse to support legislation that will ultimately harm workers and countless small businesses because of government overreach. If we want to see real positive change in Michigan’s economic future, we need to stand firm against these types of far-left Democrat policies that are pushed upon us by radical out-of-state-special interest groups. That is why I said no to these big government-mandated decrees.
SB 8 would impose costly mandates on small businesses by forcing major payroll increases. The bill also increases fines up to $2,500 for every tipped employee who is not paid minimum wage. This is a new, burdensome fee and a huge liability that would be implemented by the Whitmer administration. Any business owner with tipped employees will continue to shoulder the burden of meticulously recording every detail in order to avoid potential litigation by attorneys or state regulators. The bill also:
- Raises the minimum wage from $10.56 to $15 over the next two years.
- Increases the tipped wage from 38% to 50% of the minimum wage by 2031.
- Mandates that tipped workers receive the full minimum wage, or employers face up to $2,500 fines per employee.
- Continues minimum wage hikes based on cost-of-living increases.
“The Feb. 21 deadline set by the Michigan Supreme Court has been established for six months, and Democrats waited until we’re a week out to finally come to the table. This bill was passed so the Democrats could claim an eleventh-hour victory. We have all of next week to craft a responsible bill that would solve all of these problems for small businesses and their employees. I would be happy to join in that effort.”