Rep. Rudy Hobbss' Site Feed

Hobbs' Bill Ensures Earned Sick Days for All Michigan Workers

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:50:29 -0400

LANSING — House Democratic Floor Leader Rudy Hobbs (D-Southfield) has introduced a bill that would allow workers to take earned paid time off to recover from illnesses without fearing retribution. When passed into law, the bill would create a uniform statewide standard that would slow the spread of harmful diseases such as influenza and norovirus in workplaces. It would also protect the general public from catching those diseases from infected employees who otherwise wouldn’t be allowed to take a day off or couldn’t afford to stay home without pay. Currently, 1.5 million Michigan workers are unable to take paid time off.

“Companies win when their employees come to work healthy, rested and ready to take on the day, and families win when they are able to care for their sick children and achieve economic security through earned paid sick days,” said Hobbs. “Workers, employers and customers alike will benefit from this proposal. A healthy workforce leads to a healthy community and a healthy economy.”

Danielle Atkinson, director of Mothering Justice, explained, “Every day, millions of workers in Michigan are forced to jeopardize their wages and their jobs when they become sick or need to care for a sick child or loved one. For mothers, this reality is devastating. Forty-three percent of working women in the private sector are unable to take a single paid sick day when they or their children are ill.”

Hobbs’ bill would require employers to set aside one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours an employee works. The bill also stipulates when a worker could use this earned time off, including their own illness, the illness of a close family member or recovery after violent crime. A recent poll in Michigan found that nearly 60 percent supported earned sick days, including majorities across all regions and partisan groups.

“Making sure people who are sick are able to stay home and recover is just common sense and the right thing to do,” Hobbs said. “Many in Lansing have recently argued in favor of a uniform, statewide solution, and this bill offers just that.”

Reps. Hobbs and Barnett Honored for Legislation that Helps Nonprofits

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:40:51 -0400

Reps. Hobbs and Barnett Honored for Legislation that Helps Nonprofits

Michigan Nonprofit Association thanks Reps. for law benefiting nonprofits

LANSING - House Democratic Floor Leader Rudy Hobbs (D-Southfield) and State Representative Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) were honored Wednesday as 2013 Nonprofit Champions by the Michigan Nonprofit Association for their work to pass a new law that helps nonprofit organizations save resources.

“I’m honored to receive this award, but the true gratification comes from knowing this law is helping Michigan’s nonprofit organizations,” Hobbs said. “Nonprofits contribute an immeasurable good to our state by providing food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless and a safe haven to battered women, to name just a few. It’s good to know that these organizations will be able to put more of the money donated to them toward providing these services.”

Passed last year, Senate Bill 1337 exempts nonprofits from up to $5,000 in sales taxes on items used for fundraising. Nonprofits in the state were already exempt from paying the sales tax on items needed to carry out the organization’s purpose. Now, nonprofits are exempt from paying sales tax on the items they need to fundraise, such as envelopes, paper and other necessary items.

In exchange, nonprofits and their volunteers contribute services — including counseling, medical care, staffing food banks and soup kitchens — to families, children, veterans and seniors who need help. The value of these services is estimated to be $5.1 billion each year, and enables people to obtain care and services that the state doesn’t provide.

“Since the start of the recession a few years ago, many nonprofits have struggled to maintain the services they provide while coping with a decline in donations,” Barnett said. “This new law takes some of the pressure off the organizations that work so hard to benefit the families and seniors in Michigan who need their help. I was glad to help pass this law, and I’m grateful for the recognition from the Michigan Nonprofit Association.”

Democrats Add Amendments to Egregious Budget Plan

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:38:00 -0400

LANSING — House Democratic Leader Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills), Democratic Floor Leader Rudy Hobbs (D-Southfield) and state Representative Rashida H. Tlaib (D-Detroit), Democratic vice chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, expressed their disappointment that the state budget is moving ahead without key amendments offered by their colleagues. The measure, House Bill 4328, covers all state government spending not directly related to education funding.

“The amendments my colleagues offered today would have provided funding to critical programs for Michiganders who need them most,” Greimel said. “Unfortunately, Republicans continue to show they are unconcerned with the needs of our communities, our veterans and our middle-class families.”

Democrats offered several amendments in the area of general government. The proposed changes included increasing the funding allotment for the Department of Civil Rights to the level of the governor’s recommendation, reversing the cuts of film incentives to bolster a growing industry in Michigan and capping the compensation and benefits of department directors and appointees to be no higher than the governor’s, eliminating exorbitant salaries of bureaucrats.

“House Republicans talk about shared sacrifice all the time, but too often, they are unwilling to do the sharing. Such is the case here in Lansing,” Hobbs said. “With one hand, Republicans are denying an increase to revenue sharing that would help communities provide vital services, and with the other, they’re allowing gubernatorial appointees to collect outrageous pay and benefits. It’s absolutely hypocritical.”

Other failed amendments would have expanded the Healthy Kids Dental Program and accepted federal funding for Medicaid expansion, two initiatives the governor supports, and increased funding for infant mortality prevention. Democrats also tried to protect public safety by restoring funding for the Michigan State Police trooper school and to provide for veterans in need, by allocating funding for veterans’ mental health and substance abuse treatment and by cracking down on abuse and neglect in veterans homes.

“It’s completely unconscionable that Republicans would refuse to provide the proper care for the men and women who served this country,” Tlaib said. “Then again, these are the same people who won’t provide dental care to needy kids and deny health coverage to 400,000 people in our state. Obviously, conscience is in short supply.”

Despite the Republican rhetoric to act in a bipartisan manner this term, all Democratic amendments failed without a vote.

House Democrats Unveil Middle-Class Plan

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:28:00 -0400

LANSING —?? House Democratic Leader Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills), Democratic Floor Leader Rudy Hobbs (D-Southfield) and the House Democratic Caucus today announced their plan for families, seniors and kids with the release of Michigan’s Middle Class Plan. The plan is based on the response the House Democrats received during their recent statewide Real State of Our State listening tour.

“We heard from residents across Michigan, and the overwhelming theme was that we must stop the harmful Republican policies of the last two years,” said Greimel. “We promised, at each of our nine stops, to take the citizens’ voices back to Lansing, and that is exactly what the Michigan Middle Class Plan does.”

The House Democrats’ Middle Class Plan includes real solutions to problems facing Michigan’s families, seniors, kids and women. The plan calls for middle-class tax relief, restoring and protecting funds to public education, eliminating barriers to health care for women, and provides solutions for fixing our roads and bridges. Michigan’s Middle Class Plan will:

Repeal the tax on seniors’ retirement income, restore the per-child tax deductions, restore the Earned Income Tax Credit to 11 percent, restore the Homestead Property Tax Credit.
Level the playing field for overweight and out-of-state trucks, ensure existing transportation funds are used for road construction and refinance existing infrastructure bonds.
Make the School Aid Fund only available for use in funding K-12 education and increase per-pupil funding by $320.
Improve access to health care for women by removing barriers to clinics and increasing access to family planning services.

“Michiganders can’t wait until 2014 for policies that benefit them and not corporate special interests,” said Hobbs. “Our plan is in direct response to what we heard across the state, and it’s time that Republicans realize that they represent all people in this state, not just those that fund their campaigns or can help them out after they leave office.”

For more details, or to view the plan in its entirety, visit www.realstateofourstate.com.

Real State of Our State Listening Tour

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:38:00 -0400