On February 21st, 2025, the Senate of the State of Michigan passed an important and exciting new piece of legislation that will help thousands of working citizens. This legislation, titled “Senate Bill 8” or “The Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act” plans to incrimentally increase the statewide hourly minimum wage from $12.48/hour in 2025 to $15/hour in 2027. In addition to increased hourly pay, the Improved Workforce Opportunity Act intends to allow employees 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, which will allow them to make their lives easier if an umplanned event occurs.
This piece of legislation will impact my community greatly. As I outlined in my Community Research Project, nearly 1,500 households in South Lyon, MI qualify for Title I benefits, meaning that they are currently experiencing financial struggles and need help to fund small things such as school lunches. An increase in hourly wage will help these families-in-need pay for essential items and services, which will increase their quality of life. Additionally, the increase in sick time will allow families to be prepared in case of an illness in the household. In general, Senate Bill 8 provides a crucial increase in standards of living for families across the State of Michigan.
If not already interpreted by this entry, my opinion on Senate Bill 8 is that it is an amazing piece of legislation, and I hope that more states increase their minimum wage laws. It allows struggling families to have a greater standard of living and to have the enjoyable, stress-free life that they deserve. It improves family health by providing increased sick time, and it allows communities to become better places to live because of the happy families it creates.
If you would like to learn more about The Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act, please visit https://www.michigan.gov/leo/-/media/Project/Websites/leo/Documents/WAGE-HOUR/LEO-Sick-Time-Act-FINAL.pdf?rev=0fca4c8bae7844a7990bd77a6e83dcf6. (This was also the primary source for this entry).
Artifact and Reflection:
Reflection: This was a really interesting topic for me to research! I certainly do follow the National news and frequently read articles relating to federal laws that have been passed (many of which are controversial), but I’ve never really taken the time or an interest in looking at legislation passed by my state’s Congress.
I chose this piece of legislation (Senate Bill 8) because it is something that I truly care about. I’m 15 years old, and I work at a senior living facility where I help residents with their technology (fixing smartphones, TVs, etc.), and every day, I see employees that are paid a low minimum wage, but work long hours and deserve more for what they do. I am, quite honestly, also very excited to get an increased salary, as it will help fund my time in college, my car, and other day-to-day resources that I will use throughout my life. I’m also excited to see how much it will help struggling families in my community, and I look forward to seeing if it will change any of the research I have done in my Community Research Project.
Artifact: I don’t really have a great artifact for this entry, as I did most of my research through the Michigan Senate’s website and through Google Search. However, below is a .PDF file of Senate Bill 8, of which this entry is about. I hope you’ll take a look at it.
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