On April 12, 2023, Senate Bills 265/266/267 and House Bills 4410/4411/4412, also known as the Drive SAFE (Safety, Access, Freedom, and the Economy) bills, were introduced in the Michigan State Legislature. MIRC supports these bills. We encourage you to contact your elected officials to express your support by clicking on the following links:

Find your Michigan State Senator
Find your Michigan State Representative

HB 4835 (2021) and HB 4836 (2021) would have had a historic moment if they were heard before the Committee. However, an hour before the hearing we were told that Speaker Wentworth (R) asked for the hearing to be canceled.

We have yet to know why. What we do know is that we have built momentum and strong support from various organizations, businesses, legislators, and community members across the state. MIRC is a proud partner in the Drive Michigan Forward Coalition, a statewide coalition seeking to restore driver's licenses for all, regardless of immigration status. Even though the hearing was cancelled unexpectedly, we need to show Speaker Wentworth that as partners and community members we stand strong in what we believe, and we will be heard. Find out how you can join the Drive Michigan Forward coalition.

It’s official! The time has come. There will be a hearing on House Bill 4835 (Driver's Licenses) and House Bill 4836 (State Identifications)! Since 2008, Michigan has required applicants for driver's licenses and state identification cards to provide proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status by making “legal presence” a requirement for showing Michigan residency. These bills would reinstate driver's licenses for everyone, regardless of immigration status.

MIRC supports these bills. See how you can support.

MIRC opposes these bills for the reasons discussed below. We encourage you to contact your elected official to oppose these bills. The bills will have a hearing on June 15, 2021, at 12 pm in the Michigan House of Representatives in the Committee on Military, Veterans, and Homeland Security. To watch the hearing visit the Michigan legislature website for more details.

Michigan Senate
Michigan House of Representatives

HB 4539 (2021), was introduced by Representative LaFave (R), District 108 on 03/18/2021, and HB 4197 (2021) was introduced by Representative Hornberger (R) on 02/10/2021

On May 11, 2021 Senate Bills 433/434, and House Bills 4835/4836 also known as the Drive SAFE (Safety, Access, Freedom, and the Economy) bills, were introduced in the Michigan State Senate and in the Michigan House of Representatives. MIRC supports these bills. We encourage you to contact your elected officials to express your support by clicking on the following links:

Find your Michigan State Senator
Find your Michigan State Representative

On January 27, 2021 Representative Kahle (R) introduced House Bill 4031 (2021). As originally written, the bill sought to reduce the protections for all farmworkers who die or are injured at certain agricultural businesses by increasing reporting time and reducing penalties. The sponsor and secondary sponsors have indicated that coverage of all workers was not their intent for the legislation. They have stated that they are working to make amendments to the original language of the bill to apply ONLY to farm owners’ immediate family members working at certain agricultural businesses. If and when these amendments are presented, MIRC will remain neutral on this bill because it does not directly impact farmworkers; we appreciate legislators’ attention to our concerns about the original poorly-drafted bill. We do not support any action that reduces the ability of the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) to protect workers and promote safe workplaces.

On January 27, 2021 Representative Kahle (R) introduced House Bill 4031 (2021), a bill that would deny Michigan farm workers working at certain agricultural businesses the same protections that other workers receive when they are injured or die at work. The bill seeks to change the amount of time certain agricultural businesses have to report a death or injury to Michigan's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) and reduces penalties for not reporting a death or injury of a farm worker as required. All farm workers, regardless of the type of agricultural employer they work for, should be equally protected by Michigan's workplace health and safety laws. All Michigan agricultural employers should be held to the same reporting standards and held responsible for not timely reporting an injury or death of a farm worker at their workplace. MIRC opposes this bill.