SENATE BILL No. 670

 

 

September 16, 2003, Introduced by Senators CHERRY, PRUSI, SWITALSKI, OLSHOVE, JACOBS, SCOTT, CLARK-COLEMAN, THOMAS, SCHAUER, BASHAM, EMERSON, BRATER, CLARKE and GOSCHKA and referred to the Committee on Health Policy.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Public health code,"                                                       

                                                                                

    (MCL 333.1101 to 333.25211) by adding section 20176b.                       

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 20176b.  (1) A health facility or agency that receives                 

                                                                                

2   state funds shall not use state funds wholly or in part to                  

                                                                                

3   interfere with or discourage unionization by its employees or the           

                                                                                

4   employees of any other health facility or agency.  This section             

                                                                                

5   does not limit the right of a health facility or agency to engage           

                                                                                

6   in lawful activities relating to the negotiation and enforcement            

                                                                                

7   of a collective bargaining agreement.                                       

                                                                                

8       (2) A health facility or agency that receives state funds                   

                                                                                

9   shall maintain accurate and complete records of all expenditures            

                                                                                

10  of those state funds.  The records shall be sufficient to                   

                                                                                

11  demonstrate whether state funds have been expended to interfere             

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   with or discourage unionization.  If the state designates state             

                                                                                

2   funds for a specific use or expenditure, the health facility or             

                                                                                

3   agency shall account for the specific use or expenditure.  If the           

                                                                                

4   state does not designate state funds for a specific use or                  

                                                                                

5   expenditure, the health facility or agency shall allocate the               

                                                                                

6   funds on a pro rata basis to all expenditures of the health                 

                                                                                

7   facility or agency that are related to the purpose for which the            

                                                                                

8   state funds are received.                                                   

                                                                                

9       (3) A health facility or agency subject to the record-keeping               

                                                                                

10  requirements of subsection (2) shall prepare and submit to the              

                                                                                

11  department 4 times per calendar year a quarterly report that                

                                                                                

12  specifies each expenditure of state funds.  The health facility             

                                                                                

13  or agency shall file each report within 30 days after the end of            

                                                                                

14  each calendar quarter.                                                      

                                                                                

15      (4) On its own initiative or in response to a complaint that                

                                                                                

16  the department determines credible, the department may at any               

                                                                                

17  time audit the records of a health facility or agency to ensure             

                                                                                

18  compliance with this act.                                                   

                                                                                

19      (5) After an audit under subsection (4), the department shall               

                                                                                

20  determine if that health facility or agency has failed or refused           

                                                                                

21  to do any of the following:                                                 

                                                                                

22      (a) Comply with the record-keeping requirements of this                     

                                                                                

23  section.                                                                    

                                                                                

24      (b) Comply with the reporting requirements of this section.                 

                                                                                

25      (c) Provide the department with access to its records for an                

                                                                                

26  audit under this section.                                                   

                                                                                

27      (6) A health facility or agency that authorizes an                          


                                                                                

1   expenditure of state funds in violation of this section may be              

                                                                                

2   subject to civil liability as provided in this section.  The                

                                                                                

3   attorney general or a person may, on behalf of this state, bring            

                                                                                

4   a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover              

                                                                                

5   the full value of the state funds that were expended in violation           

                                                                                

6   of this section.  The damages collected under this section shall            

                                                                                

7   be deposited in the general fund.  The court may award court                

                                                                                

8   costs and other expenses of litigation including attorney fees to           

                                                                                

9   a party who successfully brings an action pursuant to this                  

                                                                                

10  section or to a person who successfully defends against an action           

                                                                                

11  brought under this section that the court determines is                     

                                                                                

12  frivolous.  A health facility or agency adjudicated to have                 

                                                                                

13  violated this section is ineligible to receive state funds for a            

                                                                                

14  period of 3 years after the date the judgment against the health            

                                                                                

15  facility or agency is entered.                                              

                                                                                

16      (7) As used in this section:                                                

                                                                                

17      (a) "Interfere with or discourage unionization" includes, but               

                                                                                

18  is not limited to, all of the following:                                    

                                                                                

19                                                                               (i) A communication in any form that advocates, directly or                         

                                                                                

20  by implication, that an employee should vote against                        

                                                                                

21  unionization.                                                               

                                                                                

22      (ii) Hiring or consulting persons to advise on means to deter                

                                                                                

23  unionization or impede a labor organization that represents                 

                                                                                

24  employees from fulfilling its representation responsibilities.              

                                                                                

25      (iii) Holding meetings to influence employees to refrain from                

                                                                                

26  unionizing.                                                                 

                                                                                

27      (iv) Planning or engaging in employee-supervisor activities                  


                                                                                

1   to deter the lawful activities of a labor organization.                     

                                                                                

2       (b) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation,                 

                                                                                

3   association, governmental entity, or other legal entity.                    

                                                                                

4       (c) "Receive state funds" means to acquire state funds in any               

                                                                                

5   form, including a grant, payment under contract, reimbursement,             

                                                                                

6   or other direct payment, and includes a subcontractor's receipt             

                                                                                

7   of payment for performance of any portion of a contract funded              

                                                                                

8   with state funds.                                                           

                                                                                

9       (d) "State funds" means any money drawn from the state                      

                                                                                

10  treasury or other fund of the state, and any state resources,               

                                                                                

11  including a good or service or the value of a good or service,              

                                                                                

12  that is provided to a person.                                               

                                                                                

13      (e) "Unionization" means the organization of employees for                  

                                                                                

14  the purpose of collective bargaining.                                       

                                                                                

15      (f) "Use state funds" means expenditure of state funds by a                 

                                                                                

16  person who receives state funds.  The expenditure may be for any            

                                                                                

17  purpose, including operating expenses, supplies, maintenance,               

                                                                                

18  utilities, capital facilities, or equipment.