Bulletins
Creating a new sales tax on services after midnight has its drawbacks. In the dead of night last weekend, legislators passed a plan to put a sales tax on some services. Included in the new tax were various “consulting” services and “landscaping” services. At the same time, policymakers exempted construction
Most of you have received a notice from the Operating Engineers Local 324 relative to allocating three cents ($.03) per hour from the Labor Management Committee to the Retiree Benefit Fund. This re-allocation has been approved by the Trustees and you will be issued new report forms for the work
State government is open for business after lawmakers gave Governor Granholm what she wanted this morning to call off a shutdown. After the Senate early this morning passed a sales tax expansion, Granholm ordered state employees to work, ending a brief halt in services that began at 12:01 a.m. today.
Details Emerge on What is a “Taxable Service” The construction industry dodged a major bullet this week during the state’s budget negotiations. All the way up to the 11th hour, the Legislature and governor were discussing adding a sales tax to a range of services. The industry that could have
MITA informed contractors in a bulletin last week about the possibility of a state government shutdown. MITA continues to hear rumors that legislators will avoid the situation by passing a temporary continuation budget. Nonetheless, MITA believes it is important that contractors begin preparing for the possibility of a shutdown. Earlier
Senate Finance Committee Approves Highway Trust Fund Fix The Senate Finance committee on September 21 unanimously approved “The American Infrastructure Investment and Improvement Act,” legislation that will generate new revenues for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) Highway Account to meet SAFETEA-LU investment commitments. The measure would also raise revenues for
As a possible state government shutdown looms, MITA lobbyists have been busy working the corridors of the state capitol. From raids on road dollars, to gas tax tweaks, new taxes on services, ground water discharge fees or possible government shutdown, the mutations are endless as the budget crisis negotiations reach
MITA staff have been a part of the state legislative budget wranglings reported in the news in recent days. Just yesterday, the State Senate passed a one-month extension on the state budget in order to avoid a shutdown. The governor has threatened to veto the bill, saying that she will
State Revolving Fund Projects Bring Work for Underground As the state’s fiscal year comes to an end in three weeks, the state will close the books on an expected $550 million in loans for fiscal year 2007, compared to awards averaging only $160 million per year over the last three
After several months of negotiations MITA has been successful in gaining the approvals of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Department of Management and Budget, and Attorney General on a proposal that will allow prime contractors an alternative to the Owners and Contractors Protective (OCP) liability policy MDOT currently requires.
You will recall back in June 2004, at the recommendation of the Subcontracting Team (MITA, MDOT, FHWA), MDOT implemented a “pilot” subcontracting process that would streamline subcontract approvals while maintaining accountability for documentation and compliance. Key elements of the then new subcontracting process were, subcontracts would not be approved by
This week MITA began ratcheting up public pressure on legislators to deal with the problems of transportation funding in light of the Minnesota bridge collapse. There were also a number of legislative developments at both the state and local levels that are of interest to MITA members. MITA Creates Urgent
