Michigan gun, abortion and workplace union changes to take effect in 2024

Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·3 min read
133
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

A bevy of Democratic bills signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this year did not garner enough GOP support to take effect immediately. But major changes Democrats made on labor, gun and abortion policies in Michigan will kick in next year.

In 2022, Democrats won full control of the state Legislature for the first time in 40 years. They wielded their new legislative majorities to take action on policies that stalled under GOP control of the Legislature. But without sufficient Republican support on some measures, legislation approved by Whitmer did not go into effect as soon as the ink from her signature on the bills began to dry.

Instead, legislation that did not obtain enough votes to take immediate effect becomes effective 90 days after the state Legislature adjourns for the year. This legislative session, lawmakers adjourned historically early, enabling laws not granted immediate effect to kick in mid-February unless the legislation specified a different effective date.

That includes a bill setting Michigan's presidential primary date for Feb. 27, Whitmer's tax overhaul and some changes to Michigan's education system such as removing a state requirement to hold back third graders who fail a reading proficiency test and eliminating an A-F letter grade system for ranking public schools.

Other big changes Democrats made in Michigan will take shape early next year.

Michigan taxes: Whitmer signed legislation expanding the state Earned Income Tax Credit

Right-to-work repeal

On a party-line vote, Democratic lawmakers approved legislation repealing Michigan's so-called "right-to-work" law which allowed those in unionized workplaces to opt out of paying union dues and fees. Just over half of states have right-to-work laws in place. With the stroke of her pen, Whitmer made Michigan the first state in nearly 60 years to abandon the policy, which was long opposed by labor advocates.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer takes the stage at the UAW special bargaining convention at Huntington Place in Detroit, Tuesday, March 28, 2023.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer takes the stage at the UAW special bargaining convention at Huntington Place in Detroit, Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

The new law taking effect early next year will impact those in the private sector whose workplaces have collective bargaining agreements in place.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision currently bars public sector unions from requiring employees covered by collective bargaining agreements to pay union dues. But Whitmer also signed a bill that repeals right-to-work for public sector workers in the event the court reverses that decision.

Gun safety

A series of gun safety bills signed by Whitmer will also go into effect next year. Those include an expansion of background checks to include all firearm purchases, requirements to safely store guns to keep them out of the hands of children and a new law allowing courts to temporarily remove guns from those a judge deems pose an imminent threat to themselves or others.

Officials and people in the crowd cheer on Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after she signs into law bills that would allow police officers, family members and medical professionals to ask courts to issue an extreme risk protection order to temporarily take away guns from those who pose a danger to themselves or others on Monday, May 22, 2023, outside of the 44th District Court in Royal Oak.

Whitmer also signed a package of bills that will temporarily ban those with domestic violence convictions from possessing and purchasing firearms and ammunition in Michigan.

A Reproductive Health Act

After Michigan voters approved an amendment enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution last year, Democrats in the state Legislature followed up by repealing some abortion-related restrictions Michigan had on the books.

Michigan Rep. Lauren Pohutsky hugs Dr. Sarah Wallett, Planned Parenthood chief medical operating officer, before a news conference where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Reproductive Health Act with lawmakers and activists who worked to get the legislation passed at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Mich., on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Both women were instrumental in getting the legislation passed and vow to keep working to get the rest of the bill passed that was excluded like mandatory 24-hour, and Medicaid coverage.

Whitmer signed a new Reproductive Health Act removing regulations for clinics that abortion rights advocates characterized as onerous, removing a state law requiring the purchase of a special insurance rider for private health plans to cover abortion and removing another banning higher education institutions' pregnant and parenting services offices from providing referrals for abortion services.

While Whitmer had called on lawmakers to repeal Michigan's 24-hour waiting period for those seeking abortions and a ban on Medicaid funding for the procedure, Democrats did not have enough votes to do so.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Democrats laws take effect in 2024: Right-to-work, guns, more