Tri-City Sun

State Representative Jerry Neyer has led the passage of House Bill 4017, a measure aimed at reducing state fines for family farms that do not report a workplace death of an immediate family member within the required eight-hour window. The bill received broad bipartisan support in the House.

“By passing this bill, we’re standing with farmers and their families by making sure that no one grieving the loss of a loved one is harshly punished for simply being human,” said Neyer, R-Shepherd. “When a loved one dies unexpectedly on a family farm, the last thing on anyone’s mind is paperwork. My plan maintains the need to alert the state of workplace fatalities while recognizing the difficulty of these situations and offering more grace for those who miss the deadline.”

The push for legislative change followed a 2019 incident where Keith Eisenmann, co-owner of a family farm, died after falling through a barn roof while making repairs. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) requires employers to report any employee workplace death within eight hours. In this case, Eisenmann’s family did not meet the reporting deadline due to their distress and were fined over $12,000 by state officials.

Under House Bill 4017, family farms will still be required to report workplace fatalities involving immediate relatives. However, if there are no prior violations, penalties for missing the eight-hour reporting window would be reduced by 80 percent.

“Michigan law should recognize the realities of farm life. These people aren’t just coworkers; they’re family,” Neyer said. “My legislation brings common sense to an outdated rule by acknowledging you can’t treat family farms the same way you treat huge corporations with massive human resource departments. Our Michigan farms are the heart of our rural communities, and they deserve fair, humane treatment when facing the unthinkable.”

The legislation now moves to the Senate for further review.