Bill would ban questions, discrimination over contraceptive use
The Democratic plan is in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision which allows some family owned businesses to opt out of providing contraception coverage in health plans. (courtesy photo)LANSING — Employers in Michigan would be barred from asking employees or job candidates about their use of contraceptives under legislation introduced by Senate Democrats.
The Employee Contraceptive Privacy Act, as the bill would be known, also would prevent employers from discriminating against employees or potential hires if they choose not to disclose whether they use birth control or if they file a complaint alleging their employer violated the act.
Employees or job applicants would be allowed to file a civil suit seeking damages or injunctive relief.
“Your boss has a say in what you do when you’re on the clock — not when you’re at the doctor’s office,” Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement. “There is no reason an employer should be involved in anyone’s health care decisions, and this legislation makes that clear.”
Senate Bill 397 was introduced this month and has been referred to the Senate’s government operations committee.
Angela Wittrock, Ananich’s spokeswoman, said the bill is in response to the 2014 Supreme Court ruling on Hobby Lobby, which allows some family-owned companies to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage.
Separately, Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-Meridian Township, and Rep. Sarah Roberts, D-St. Clair Shores, have introduced bills in both chambers to repeal a law that requires women to purchase additional insurance coverage for abortions with their health insurance policies.
The Legislature approved the law in December 2013. Right to Life of Michigan initiated the legislation through a petition drive, which made it immune from a veto by Gov. Rick Snyder.
Hertel’s bill, Senate Bill 63, was introduced in January and has been pending in the Senate’s insurance committee. Roberts’ bill will be House Bill 4764.
Capitol tour
Michigan’s Capitol is getting the Google treatment.
Novi-based LunaTech 3D plans to photograph the entire building — inside, out and possibly from the air — as part of a virtual tour that could go live later this year.
The Michigan Capitol Commission, which oversees the 136-year-old statehouse, awarded the $9,950 contract.
Soon, trekking to Lansing won’t be the only way to visit the Capitol, which LunaTech CEO Doug Willett says will be great for school groups and other far-flung visitors.
LunaTech, founded in 2008, uses Google Inc.’s Street View technology to give virtual life to restaurants, hotels and other businesses.
The company will use its Inneract software with the tour, which links visitors to videos and other interactive features about the location, Willett said.
It’s part of an effort to open up the Capitol to more visitors, both physical and virtual, said John Truscott, a Lansing public relations executive and vice chairman of the Capitol Commission. The group is finishing up a photography schedule so LunaTech can get to work.
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