Court Rules that Minimum Wage Question Be on the Ballot

Liz Gullett

Aug 24, 2018

This week, the Court of Appeals ruled that a ballot proposal to increase Michigan’s minimum wage to $12/hour should be certified by the Board of State Canvassers (BSC). Previously, the BSC voted 2-2 on the question of certification, which meant it was not certified. Proponents of the minimum wage increase appealed to the courts and in a 2-1 decision the court ordered that it be certified. “Once it is certified by BSC, the proposal will head to the legislature who will have 40 days to act on the proposal. If they do not act, the proposal will go before voters on the November General Election ballot,” explained Tim Ward, President of MLC.

Currently, the Board of State Canvassers is scheduled to meet on August 24 and September 6, with a third meeting scheduled on September 7 if needed.

The proposal seeks to increase the minimum wage from $9.25/hour to:

$10/hour on January 1, 2019
$10.65/hour on January 1, 2020
$11.35/hour on January 1, 2021
$12/hour on January 1, 2022

Opponents of the ballot proposal have not yet announced if they will appeal the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.