HOUSE BILL No. 5145

 

November 13, 2013, Introduced by Rep. Forlini and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1, entitled

 

"Michigan employment security act,"

 

by amending section 13m (MCL 421.13m), as amended by 2012 PA 219.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 13m. (1) A professional employer organization that has

 

not previously filed shall file a report with the agency in

 

accordance with R 421.121 and R 421.190 of the Michigan

 

administrative code for a determination of its status as a

 

liable employing unit and employer under this act. A PEO

 

determined to be a liable employer shall complete an electronic

 

employer registration in the manner approved by the agency to

 

register its employer liability.

 

     (2) Except as provided in subdivision (b), a PEO that is a

 


liable employer shall use the following method for reporting

 

wages and paying unemployment contributions under this act:

 

     (a) The PEO shall comply with all requirements of this act

 

that apply to a contributing employer. The PEO shall file a

 

single quarterly wage report and unemployment contribution

 

report and pay contributions of its client employers based on

 

the account information of each client employer. The

 

unemployment agency shall convert a reimbursing employer to a

 

contributing employer beginning with the calendar quarter in

 

which the employer becomes a client employer of a PEO. The PEO

 

shall file reports required under R 421.121 of the Michigan

 

administrative code and make contribution payments by electronic

 

reporting and payment methods approved by the agency. The PEO

 

shall notify the agency within 30 days after any employer

 

becomes its client employer and within 30 days after any client

 

employer discontinues its association with the PEO. All of the

 

following apply to a rate calculation for client employers of

 

the PEO:

 

     (i) For a client employer that is a contributing employer

 

and was a client employer of the PEO on the date that the PEO

 

changed to the reporting method provided in this subdivision,

 

the following rates apply:

 

     (A) Except as provided in sub-subparagraphs (B) and (C), if

 

the client employer reported no employees or no payroll to the

 

agency for 8 or more calendar quarters or, beginning January 1,

 

2014, 2015, for 12 or more calendar quarters, the client

 

employer's unemployment tax rate will be the new employer tax

 


rate.

 

     (B) If the client employer was a client employer of the PEO

 

for less than 8 calendar quarters or, beginning January 1, 2014,

 

2015, for less than 12 calendar quarters, the client employer's

 

unemployment tax rate will be based on the client employer's

 

prior account and experience.

 

     (C) If the client employer's account has been terminated

 

for more than 1 year or if the client employer never previously

 

registered with the agency, the client shall be separately

 

registered using a method approved by the agency within 30 days

 

after the employer becomes a client employer of the PEO. The

 

client employer shall be assigned the new employer unemployment

 

tax rate.

 

     (ii) A business entity that is a contributing employer and

 

becomes a client employer of the PEO on or after January 1, 2014

 

2015 shall retain its existing unemployment tax rate or

 

establish a new rate as provided in section 19.

 

     (b) A PEO that is a liable employer and that was operating

 

in this state before January 1, 2011 may elect and use the

 

reporting method in subdivision (a) before January 1, 2014,

 

2015, but shall report using the method in subdivision (a) on

 

and after January 1, 2014.2015.

 

     (3) A PEO that is a liable employer is the employer for

 

purposes of claims management and hearings under this act on

 

behalf of the client employer.

 

     (4) A PEO that reports under subsection (2)(a) shall

 

confirm the mailing address of the client employer, which may be

 


stated as that of the PEO or of the client employer. The PEO

 

shall disclose the business address of the client employer,

 

which shall be the physical address of the client employer, to

 

the agency.

 

     (5) Either the PEO that reports under subsection (2)(a) or

 

the PEO's client employers, but not both, shall file a quarterly

 

wage detail report electronically, and shall file a quarterly

 

contribution payment in a manner approved by the agency. If a

 

client entity of a PEO leases some of its employees from the PEO

 

but retains the remainder of its employees, the leased employees

 

shall be reported by the PEO under the client entity's

 

unemployment insurance agency account number and the retained

 

employees shall be reported by the client entity under an

 

agency-assigned subaccount number of the client entity's account

 

number.

 

     (6) The agency shall issue a FUTA certification in

 

accordance with the internal revenue code of 1986, 26 USC 1 to

 

9834, and regulations, rulings, instructions, and directives of

 

the internal revenue service.

 

     (7) The requirements of this section do not preclude the

 

agency from enforcing any provision of this act based on any act

 

or omission by a PEO that occurred before January 1, 2011.

 

     (8) As used in this section, "professional employer

 

organization" or "PEO" means that term as defined in R

 

421.190(1)(d) of the Michigan administrative code.