State Rep. Dave Prestin on Thursday cast a key vote to save small businesses and tipped workers from devastating mandates set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. In a bipartisan vote, the House passed a common-sense plan – House Bill 4002 – to protect small businesses from unrealistic sick time rules while ensuring workers have access to leave time when they need it.

“This solution is far from perfect, but it’s the best deal we could get from Senate Democrats and the Governor,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Without this deal, the mandates imposed by the Supreme Court ruling would’ve obliterated U.P. businesses and restaurants. Anything that’s bad for the Lower Peninsula – and these mandates would’ve been a lot worse than bad – is apocalyptic for us. Thanks to the hard work of many House and Senate Republicans, and a few brave Democrats who bucked their party, businesses and restaurants across Michigan are going to live to fight another day.”

HB 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.

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