LANSING – All Michigan public employees would have to pay for at least 20 percent of the cost of their health benefits under legislation passed Wednesday by the Michigan Senate.
The Senate, as expected since Republicans make up a two-thirds supermajority of the body, mustered the two-thirds majority needed to adopt the constitutional amendment SJR C on a 26-12 vote. And it passed SB 7, on a 25-13 vote, although it required only 20 votes for passage.
The measures would impact cities, townships, counties, villages, school districts, intermediate school districts, charter schools, public universities, community colleges, the state and any other public employee. But for the requirements in SB 7 to apply to public university and state employees, the constitutional amendment (SJR C) would have to be adopted.
Getting the two-thirds majority needed in the House, where Republicans have a 63-47 majority and would need 11 Democrats to reach the 74 votes needed for a two-thirds majority needed to put the issue on the November 2012 ballot, is highly unlikely. If the House did adopt the proposal, the requirements still would not apply to state and public university employees unless voters passed the measure.
Counties, cities, villages and townships could opt out of the requirement with a two-thirds vote of their council or board.
Gongwer News Service will have more on this story in today’s Michigan Report.
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