Amplifying the Voice of Michigan’s industry

This article appeared in the February 2025 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

Michigan’s shifting legislative landscape in 2025 will present opportunities to foster industry growth and shape policy at the state level and MMA’s Government Affairs team remains at the “tip of the spear” when it comes to identifying and addressing vital industry issues.

Advancing the goals of the manufacturing industry not only supports MMA members but also safeguards the state’s largest and most important economic sector. Achieving those goals starts with members sharing their priorities and concerns.

“The value of our association is that it amplifies the voice of any one member,” says Mike Johnston, MMA Executive Vice President of Government Affairs & Workforce Development. “We always say we’re the shield and tip of the spear. Members can stand with us, and we will bring the fight on their behalf.”

Advocates for Michigan Manufacturing Businesses

With Republicans taking control of the Michigan House, single party control shifts to a divided government, which allows a more balanced approach to manufacturing issues. MMA was successful under single party control to increase talent funding and establish a $100 million Research and Development Tax Credit, and blocked a long list of anti-business legislation. (see sidebar for more)

“I think we’ll see a different tone in Lansing this year,” says Dave Worthams, MMA Director of Employment Policy. “With Republicans taking control of the House and Democrats maintaining control of the Senate, more deliberation and compromise will be necessary. We hope to see less aggressive anti-manufacturing policies being pushed through.”

With overarching goals of making Michigan more competitive, productive and profitable for businesses of all sizes, MMA’s Government Affairs team builds direct connections and relationships with legislators in every Michigan district.

“You’re either at the table or you’re on the menu,” says Johnston, who has been with the MMA team for 26 years and who had previously served as Director of the House Republican Policy Office in the State House. “When we have an issue on behalf of businesses, we get meetings quickly and are able to articulate the issues. We represent the largest sector of Michigan’s economy and we bring that mantle to every discussion.

“The impact that a large multinational corporation has on a community is clear but small businesses drive the economy of a local community as well,” he adds. “If only one business has a particular concern, MMA can speak on its behalf — and their efforts echo and reverberate through the Legislature and to other businesses that might be having similar issues.

“We’re respected not because of who we are but because of who we represent, manufacturing, the largest sector of the economy. We are respected because of the make-up of our membership with companies in almost every community in the state. Our power is rooted in our membership.”

The Coming Year

MMA has 10 policy committees that draft MMA’s Legislative and Regulatory Agenda. The committees are comprised of a diverse array of members that work with MMA to develop policy direction for the Association and interact with policymakers.

Many issues that were on the table in 2024 will continue to be priorities in 2025, including those involving employment policy, environmental policy, regulatory policy, tax policy and workforce development.

Earned Sick Time Act

MMA advocates say the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA), scheduled to go into effect on 2/21/25, has several downfalls that they will work to resolve.

The Act gives employees one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, with a cap of 72 hours. It does not exempt employers based on size or the type of work they do, and it does not separate contractors or part-time workers from full-time employees. It also does not require an employee to provide an employer with advanced notice for time off.

“The way the Act is written is so broad and so nonsensical that it’s nearly impossible for an employer to comply with it,” Worthams says, adding that some employers already give more than 72 hours and may have to cut back to comply. “We’ve got a lot to do to fix this in the current Legislature.”

MMA’s team is working to reform ESTA so that it is a law that allows both employers and employees to easily provide and use paid sick leave.

Talent Development

“MMA has been a leader in addressing the talent challenge,” Johnston says, “But the state needs a more robust talent development pipeline.”

That includes getting career technical programs back into high schools through manufacturing-driven curricula and skill programs, such as LIFT’s “IGNITE” program, and creating more Employer-Led Collaboratives (ELCs) to further connect manufacturers with schools.

“Manufacturing is the backbone of Michigan’s economy, so our state must evolve to stay ahead in offering the education that leads to in-demand careers,” says Worthams, who has spent 25 years as an associate, advisor, director and board member across various political sectors. “Attracting and nurturing talent is key to unlocking new economic opportunities in the state, and education and training policies play a critical role in maximizing and securing these opportunities for long-term growth.”

Our priority is to increase funding dedicated to the Going PRO Talent Fund from the current $55 million to at least $100 million to meet industry demand for support in short-term training programs.

Tax Policy

MMA remains focused on ensuring tax policies remain competitive against the ever-changing policies of governments in other states and around the world.

In the coming year, the MMA Government Affairs team will be focused on continuing to support attraction and retention of manufacturing capital and investment though economic development programs like the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) Fund and proposed incentive programs that benefit small and mid-size companies through a tax capture mechanism.

“New dynamics will be in play in this session that will impact our path to success on economic development incentives,” said Johnston. “Senate Democrats have been focused on repurposing incentive dollars for community investments and House Republicans are now calling for incentive dollars to be used to invest in roads. We’ll be working to make sure that Lansing decision-makers know that we must out-compete other states to attract and retain manufacturing investment and job creation.”

The Association will also continue decades of work to reduce manufacturing property tax burdens and support Michigan’s critical tool & die industry through specialized tax credits, training funds and capital access funds.

Environmental Regulation

“Ever-changing environmental and regulatory policies pose challenges for business; we must continue to ensure that the regulated community is strongly represented during the development of the polices that impact them,” says Mike Witkowski, MMA Director of Environmental and Regulatory Policy.

“We work closely with legislators to start from a place of how to get businesses to open here, how to get them to expand, how to get them to build more things here, to set up shop here in Michigan, and to grow and thrive and support the people that live here,” he says.

While environmental protection and clean energy goals are commendable, lawmakers must keep the cost of regulation in mind.

“We know that businesses are limited by capital as well as the currently available technology,” says Witkowski, who has 13 years of experience working directly in the Legislature.

“Lawmakers must consider what’s affordable, realistic and impactful rather than focusing on the most aggressive and advanced solutions,” he says. “They have to take a hard cold look: is there an impact on the environment, or are we establishing unnecessary and unattainable standards for PR value?”

Witkowski adds that a lack of long-term consistency in policies could stymie growth as well.

“Any industry needs to have consistent, stable and clearly understood standards. If you keep changing those standards every few years, there’s no stability and there’s no consistency, and folks are going to go elsewhere to build new plants, to expand and to have more predictability and stability in their futures.”

Michigan is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, including its waterways, varied geology, access to lumber, access to mining and more. According to Witkowski, “The state should focus on enhancing opportunities for growth and marketing of Michigan’s wealth of natural resources.”

Make Your Voice Heard

Businesses that would like to make their voices heard in 2025 can speak up through MMA.

“We have a unique opportunity, and a unique responsibility to have those relationships with legislators for the sole purposes of giving our members access and driving the manufacturing agenda,” Johnston says.

Check out mimfg.org for opportunities to engage, including but not limited to joining a Policy Committee, attending the annual MMA Legislative Day or reaching out to MMA’s Government Affairs team directly.

MMA is in Lansing every day, engaging with legislators with a goal of advocating for businesses’ best interests regarding these and other issues that arise in 2025. Stay close to the action as the legislative session unfolds and make your voice heard to amplify the power of Michigan manufacturing.

Have a manufacturing story to tell? E-mail communications@mimfg.org.