FIREFIGHTER:  OTHER EMPLOYMENT                                                      H.B. 4624 (H-2):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                      REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 4624 (Substitute H-2 as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Joe Haveman

House Committee:  Local Government

Senate Committee:  Local Government and Elections

CONTENT

The bill would amend the public employment relations Act to do the following:

-- Specify that a fire department employee could volunteer for, or seek and accept part-time or paid on-call employment with another fire department.

-- Prohibit a local unit of government from barring that outside employment.

-- Prohibit collective bargaining from addressing a prohibition on that outside employment.

Specifically, an employee of a public fire department could volunteer for or seek and accept part-time or paid on-call employment with another fire department, if that employment did not conflict with his or her performance of the original employment as determined by the original employer.  The bill specifies that it would not create a right for a full-time employee of a public fire department to accept full-time employment with another fire department. 

The bill would prohibit a local unit from adopting or applying an ordinance, rule, or policy in conflict with the right granted an employee under the bill. 

Collective bargaining between a public employer and a bargaining representative of its employees could not include the subject of a prohibition on an employee volunteering for or obtaining paid on-call employment with another fire department.

Proposed MCL 423.215a                                            Legislative Analyst:  Patrick Affholter

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State government.  It would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on local government, which would depend on how fire services currently are organized and the extent to which the bill would affect the cost and availability of firefighters.

Date Completed:  2-27-14                                                  Fiscal Analyst:  Elizabeth Pratt

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.