House votes to cut workplace-safety penalties for deaths on family farms

Michigan family farms that fail to report a workplace death involving an immediate family member would face a smaller MIOSHA penalty under a measure the state House sent to the Senate.

The bill (HB 4017), sponsored by Rep. Neyer, reduces by the maximum allowable amount the civil penalty for failure-to-report violations when the deceased is a family member working on a family farm. Backers argue grieving families should not face the same financial exposure as a corporate operator that hides a fatality. Worker safety advocates warn that any reduction in reporting penalties weakens accountability.

The House adopted a substitute and passed the bill 80 to 25 on Roll Call No. 188 on September 2 with five members not voting, and gave it immediate effect. The bill arrived in the Senate on September 8 and was referred to the Committee on Labor.

A Senate hearing has not been scheduled.