HOUSE BILL No. 4694

 

 

June 6, 2017, Introduced by Reps. Reilly, Lucido, Calley, Allor, Runestad, Johnson, Barrett, Hoitenga, Brann, Hauck, Kelly and Theis and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1966 PA 165, entitled

 

"An act to invalidate certain requirements for indemnity in the

construction industry,"

 

by amending section 1 (MCL 691.991), as amended by 2012 PA 468.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. (1) In a contract for the design, construction,

 

alteration, repair, or maintenance of a building, a structure, an

 

appurtenance, an appliance, a highway, road, bridge, water line,

 

sewer line, or other infrastructure, or any other improvement to

 

real property, including moving, demolition, and excavating

 

connected therewith, with that improvement, a provision purporting

 

to indemnify the promisee against liability for damages arising out

 

of bodily injury to persons or damage to property caused by or

 

resulting from the sole negligence of the promisee or indemnitee,


or his or her agents or employees, is against public policy and is

 

void and unenforceable.

 

     (2) When entering into a contract with a Michigan-licensed

 

architect, professional engineer, landscape architect, or

 

professional surveyor or a landscape architect who is authorized to

 

do business in this state for the design of a building, a

 

structure, an appurtenance, an appliance, a highway, road, bridge,

 

water line, sewer line, or other infrastructure, or any other

 

improvement to real property, or a contract with a contractor for

 

the construction, alteration, repair, or maintenance of any such an

 

improvement to real property, including moving, demolition, and

 

excavating connected therewith, with that improvement, a public

 

entity shall not require the Michigan-licensed architect,

 

professional engineer, landscape architect, or professional

 

surveyor, the landscape architect, or the contractor to defend the

 

public entity or any other party from claims, or to assume any

 

liability or indemnify the public entity or any other party for any

 

amount greater than the degree of fault of the Michigan-licensed

 

architect, professional engineer, landscape architect, or

 

professional surveyor, the landscape architect, or the contractor

 

and that of his or her respective subconsultants or subcontractors.

 

A contract provision executed in violation of this section is

 

against public policy and is void and unenforceable.

 

     (3) For the purposes of this section, a contractor may be an

 

individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited

 

liability company, joint venture, construction manager, or other

 

business arrangement.


     (4) As used in this section, "public entity" means this state

 

and all agencies thereof, of this state, any public body corporate

 

within this state and all agencies thereof, of those public bodies,

 

and any nonincorporated public body within this state of whatever

 

nature and all agencies thereof; of those public bodies, including,

 

but not limited to, cities, villages, townships, counties, school

 

districts, intermediate school districts, authorities, and

 

community and junior colleges as provided for in section 7 of

 

article VIII of the state constitution of 1963, and their employees

 

and agents, including, but not limited to, construction managers or

 

other business arrangements retained by or contracting with the

 

public entity to manage or administer the contract for the public

 

entity. However, public entity does not include institutions of

 

higher education as described or provided for in section 4 or 6 of

 

article VIII of the state constitution of 1963, or their employees

 

or agents.

 

     (5) Nothing in this act affects the application of 1964 PA

 

170, MCL 691.1401 to 691.1419.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No. ____ or House Bill No. 4695 (request no.

 

02929'17) of the 99th Legislature is enacted into law.