- Get Out the Vote on Tuesday!
- Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee Holds Hearing on Youth Tobacco and Vaping Bills
- MASB Legislative Priority Meetings Wrapping Up
- Registration is Now Open for Views From the Capitol – Lame Duck Edition
Get Out the Vote on Tuesday!
The November General Election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5! Are you ready? If you haven’t already taken advantage of early or absentee voting options, you may want to review your sample ballot early on the Michigan Voter Information Center. This will show you everything on your ballot as well as help you find your polling place. The ballot is 2 pages long, with national, state and local races and issues on it, so be prepared!
Make sure you’ve returned your absentee ballot or have a plan to vote on Tuesday. If you have not yet returned your ballot, take it to your clerk’s office rather than mailing it in to ensure that it is received in time.
Take your friends/family with you or, if they live elsewhere, encourage them to vote in their precincts. Reach out to out-of-state family; this is a national election and everyone will have at least the president and US House of Representatives on their ballot. This is your opportunity to have a say in our representative democracy. If you don’t vote, how can you complain about the results?
Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee Holds Hearing on Youth Tobacco and Vaping Bills
On Wednesday, the Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee heard testimony on SB 651 (S-1) and SB 652. Both bills establish a license requirement for nicotine and tobacco retailers. The license establishes fines and penalties for any tobacco or nicotine retailers who sell to minors.
Nicotine, tobacco products, vaping products and flavor enhancers will be covered by these bills. They also update language to include the sale of nicotine and vaping products to minors. A retailer will face a fine of $1,500 for selling to a minor. If four violations occur within a 36-month period, the retailer pays a $3,000 fine and will have their tobacco license revoked. Additionally, any person who sells or gives tobacco or vaping products to a minor is subject to fines and penalties of up to $2,500 for multiple offenses.
Testimony in support included Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Parents Against Vaping, Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Association of Public Health, and Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. There was bill opposition from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Petroleum Association, Midwest Independent Retailers Association and Wild Bill's Tobacco.
MASB strongly supports these bills and believes they an important step to curbing youth tobacco and vape use. We encourage you to pass a resolution in support of the Protect Mi Kids legislation and share it with your Senators and Representatives. Your voice is important to help keep momentum on this issue within the Legislature.
MASB Legislative Priority Meetings Wrapping Up
Your Government Relations team has traveled the state over the last two months, holding legislative priority-setting meetings. There is one last meeting to be held on Thursday, November 14 in Region 8 at Oakland Schools. Registration is still available for the event. This will be the last meeting before we move to step two in the process.
Following the last meeting, we will be compiling all the ideas we collected into a survey, which will go out the week of Nov 18. Watch your email for the link. We encourage all our members to take a moment to fill out the survey and identify the issues that MASB should make its legislative priorities for the coming session. The highest vote-getters from the survey will go to the Government Relations Committee in December for consideration and to narrow down. After approval from the Committee, the Board of Directors will review and approve at the January meeting.
Please take a moment to participate in this process, the more voices, the stronger our agenda. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Registration is Now Open for Views From the Capitol – Lame Duck Edition
Register is now open for the upcoming Views From the Capitol – Lame Duck Edition. It will be held at noon on November 18, 2024. Grab a sandwich and join your MASB Government Relations Team as we discuss what we are watching for in lame duck, what rumors are still swirling and take your questions.