SENATE BILL No. 336

 

 

March 25, 2003, Introduced by Senator THOMAS and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1976 PA 453, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Elliott-Larsen civil rights act,"                                          

                                                                                

    by amending section 605 (MCL 37.2605), as amended by 1992 PA                

                                                                                

    124.                                                                        

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 605.  (1) If the commission, after a hearing on a                      

                                                                                

2   charge issued by the department, determines that the respondent             

                                                                                

3   has violated this act,  or the handicappers' civil rights act,              

                                                                                

4   Act No. 220 of the Public Acts of 1976, being sections 37.1101 to           

                                                                                

5   37.1607 of the Michigan Compiled Laws  the persons with                     

                                                                                

6   disabilities civil rights act, 1976 PA 220, MCl 37.1101 to                  

                                                                                

7   37.1607, or the Michigan racial profiling and report statistics             

                                                                                

8   act, the commission shall state its findings of fact and                    

                                                                                

9   conclusions of law and shall issue a final order requiring the              

                                                                                

10  respondent to cease and desist from the discriminatory practice             

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   and to take  such  any other action  as  it  deems  considers               

                                                                                

2   necessary to secure equal enjoyment and protection of civil                 

                                                                                

3   rights.  If at a hearing on a charge, a pattern or practice of              

                                                                                

4   discrimination prohibited by this act,  or Act No. 220 of the               

                                                                                

5   Public Acts of 1976  the persons with disabilities civil rights             

                                                                                

6   act, 1976 PA 220, MCL 37.1101 to 37.1607, or the Michigan racial            

                                                                                

7   profiling and report statistics act appears in the evidence, the            

                                                                                

8   commission may, upon its own motion or on motion of the claimant,           

                                                                                

9   amend the pleadings to conform to the proofs, make findings, and            

                                                                                

10  issue an order based on those findings.   A  The commission shall           

                                                                                

11  deliver a copy of the order  shall be delivered  to the                     

                                                                                

12  respondent, the claimant, the attorney general, and  to  any                

                                                                                

13  other public  officers and persons as  officer or person the                

                                                                                

14  commission  deems  considers proper.                                        

                                                                                

15      (2)  Action ordered  An order issued under this section may                 

                                                                                

16  include, but is not limited to, 1 or more of the following                  

                                                                                

17  actions:                                                                    

                                                                                

18      (a) Hiring, reinstatement, or upgrading of employees with or                

                                                                                

19  without back pay.                                                           

                                                                                

20      (b) Admission or restoration of individuals to labor                        

                                                                                

21  organization membership  ,  or admission to or participation in a           

                                                                                

22  guidance program, apprenticeship training program, on the job               

                                                                                

23  training program, or other occupational training or retraining              

                                                                                

24  program, with the utilization of objective criteria in the                  

                                                                                

25  admission of persons to those programs.                                     

                                                                                

26      (c) Admission of persons to a public accommodation or an                    

                                                                                

27  educational institution.                                                    


                                                                                

1       (d) Sale, exchange, lease, rental, assignment, or sublease of               

                                                                                

2   real property to a person.                                                  

                                                                                

3       (e) Extension to all persons of the full and equal enjoyment                

                                                                                

4   of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or              

                                                                                

5   accommodations of the respondent.                                           

                                                                                

6       (f) Reporting as to the manner of compliance.                               

                                                                                

7       (g) Requiring the posting of notices in a conspicuous place                 

                                                                                

8   which  that the commission may publish or cause to be published            

                                                                                

9   setting forth requirements for compliance with civil rights law             

                                                                                

10  or other relevant information  which  that the commission                   

                                                                                

11  determines necessary to explain those laws.                                 

                                                                                

12      (h) Payment to an injured party of profits obtained by the                  

                                                                                

13  respondent through a violation of section 506 of this act or of             

                                                                                

14  Act No. 220 of the Public Acts of 1976  the persons with                   

                                                                                

15  disabilities civil rights act, 1976 PA 220, MCL 37.1101 to                  

                                                                                

16  37.1607.                                                                    

                                                                                

17      (i) Payment to the complainant of damages for an injury or                  

                                                                                

18  loss caused by a violation of this act, including a reasonable              

                                                                                

19  attorney's fee.                                                             

                                                                                

20      (j) Payment to the complainant of all or a portion of the                   

                                                                                

21  costs of maintaining the action before the commission, including            

                                                                                

22  reasonable attorney fees and expert witness fees, if the                    

                                                                                

23  commission determines that the award  to be  is appropriate.                

                                                                                

24      (k) Payment of a civil fine for a violation of article 5 of                 

                                                                                

25  this act, an amount directly related to the cost to the state for           

                                                                                

26  enforcing this statute not to exceed 1 of the following:                    

                                                                                

27                                                                               (i) $10,000.00 for the first violation.                                             


                                                                                

1       (ii) $25,000.00 for the second violation within a 5-year                     

                                                                                

2   period.                                                                     

                                                                                

3       (iii) $50,000.00 for 2 or more violations within a 7-year                    

                                                                                

4   period.                                                                     

                                                                                

5                                                                                (l) Other relief the commission  deems  considers                                   

                                                                                

6   appropriate.                                                                

                                                                                

7       (3)  In the case of  If a respondent is operating by virtue                 

                                                                                

8   of a license issued by  the  this state, a political subdivision,           

                                                                                

9   or an agency of  the  this state or political subdivision,  if              

                                                                                

10  and the commission, upon notice and hearing, determines that the            

                                                                                

11  respondent has violated this act and that the violation was                 

                                                                                

12  authorized, requested, commanded, performed, or knowingly                   

                                                                                

13  permitted by the board of directors of the respondent or by an              

                                                                                

14  officer or executive agent acting within the scope of his or her            

                                                                                

15  employment, the commission shall so certify to the licensing                

                                                                                

16  agency.  Unless the commission's finding is reversed in the                 

                                                                                

17  course of judicial review, the finding of the commission may be             

                                                                                

18  grounds for revocation of the respondent's license.                         

                                                                                

19      (4)  In the case of  If a respondent  who  violates this act                

                                                                                

20  in the course of performing under a contract or subcontract with            

                                                                                

21  the  this state, a political subdivision, or an agency of  the             

                                                                                

22  this state or political subdivision,  where  and the violation              

                                                                                

23  was authorized, requested, commanded, performed, or knowingly               

                                                                                

24  permitted by the board of directors of the respondent or by an              

                                                                                

25  officer or executive agent acting within the scope of his or her            

                                                                                

26  employment, the commission shall so certify to the contracting              

                                                                                

27  agency.  Unless the commission's finding is reversed in the                 


                                                                                

1   course of judicial review, the finding is binding on the                    

                                                                                

2   contracting agency.                                                         

                                                                                

3       Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act does not take                      

                                                                                

4   effect unless Senate Bill No. 87 of the 92nd Legislature is                 

                                                                                

5   enacted into law.