SENATE BILL No. 794

 

 

February 18, 2014, Introduced by Senators COLBECK, SCHUITMAKER, MARLEAU, PAPPAGEORGE, GREEN, JONES, BRANDENBURG, ROBERTSON, BOOHER, EMMONS, HUNE, HILDENBRAND, JANSEN, HOPGOOD, BIEDA and MOOLENAAR and referred to the Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Homeland Security.

 

 

 

     A bill to prohibit an employer from discriminating against,

 

disciplining, or discharging an employee who is absent from work to

 

respond to an emergency as a civil air patrol volunteer; to

 

establish the conditions under which an employee is entitled to

 

employment protection; and to provide remedies for a violation of

 

this act.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. (1) This act shall be known and may be cited as the

 

"civil air patrol employment protection act".

 

     (2) As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Civil air patrol" means the civilian auxiliary of the

 

United States air force.

 

     (b) "Employee" means an individual who receives wages or

 


remuneration for providing services to an employer.

 

     (c) "Employer" means a person that provides wages or

 

remuneration to 1 or more individuals who perform services for the

 

employer under an express or implied contract of hire.

 

     (3) Subject to subsection (4), an employer shall not

 

discriminate against, discipline, or discharge an employee because

 

the employee is absent from work if all of the following conditions

 

are met:

 

     (a) The employee is absent for the purpose of responding as a

 

member of the civil air patrol to an emergency declared by the

 

governor.

 

     (b) The employee gives his or her employer as much notice as

 

possible of the dates the employee will be absent to serve with the

 

civil air patrol during the emergency.

 

     (c) The employee provides the employer with verification from

 

the civil air patrol of the emergency need for the employee's

 

volunteer service.

 

     (4) This act does not do any of the following:

 

     (a) Prohibit an employer from treating the time the employee

 

is absent because of emergency civil air patrol service as unpaid

 

time off.

 

     (b) Prohibit an employer from complying with a collective

 

bargaining agreement or employee benefit plan entered into before

 

the effective date of this act.

 

     (5) An employee or former employee may bring a civil action

 

for damages or equitable relief to enforce this act.