Bill Text: MI SB1012 | 2013-2014 | 97th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Labor; hours and wages; leave time for employees to vote on election days; provide for, and provide sanctions for noncompliance. Creates new act.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-07-16 - Referred To Committee On Reforms, Restructuring And Reinventing [SB1012 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2013-SB1012-Introduced.html
SENATE BILL No. 1012
July 16, 2014, Introduced by Senator ANANICH and referred to the Committee on Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing.
A bill to require employers to provide paid leave for
employees to vote; to provide the conditions for granting the
leave; to prohibit discrimination against employees who request or
use the leave; and to provide for remedies for a violation of the
act.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 1. (1) This act shall be known and may be cited as the
"voting leave act".
(2) As used in this act:
(a) "Election" means an election regulated under the Michigan
election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.1 to 168.992.
(b) "Employee" does not include an independent contractor, a
domestic servant employed in or about a private home, or a farm or
ranch laborer.
(c) "Employer" means an individual or entity, including this
state and a political subdivision of this state, that regularly
employs 50 or more full-time employees.
(3) Subject to subsections (4) and (5), an employer shall
allow each of his or her employees to request and take paid leave,
not to exceed 3 hours for each election day, for the purpose of
voting in an election.
(4) An employee shall provide the employer with notice of the
intent to use leave under this act 7 or more days in advance of the
election day.
(5) An employer may deny use of leave requested under this act
only if granting the leave would endanger the public safety or
welfare.
Sec. 2. (1) An employer shall not discharge, threaten, or
otherwise discriminate against an employee regarding the employee's
compensation, or the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment
because the employee requests or takes leave under this act.
(2) An employee may bring a civil action against an employer
who violates the employee's rights under this act and may recover
the greater of the employee's actual damages or $2,500.00 for each
violation.