State Rep. Jerry Neyer this week spearheaded the passage of his plan to protect grieving family farmers from harsh state fines. House Bill 4017 would reduce penalties levied against family farms that fail to properly report a workplace death of an immediate family member within the currently required eight-hour window. The legislation passed the House with broad, bipartisan support.

“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 need for changes to state law stems from a 2019 incident in which the co-owner of a family farm, Keith Eisenmann, fell through a roof while making repairs on a barn and died from his injuries.

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) requires employers to report any employee workplace death within eight hours. The Eisenmann families, understandably distraught following the loss of their loved one, did not file the paperwork within the eight-hour window. That minor oversight led to state officials fining the family more than $12,000.

Under Neyer’s legislation, family farms will still have to report workplace fatalities for immediate relatives, but the fines for failing to properly do so within the eight-hour window will be substantially reduced; penalties will be reduced by 80 percent if the family farm does not have any prior violations.

“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 “My legislation brings common sense to an outdated rule by acknowledging you can’t treat family farms the same way you treat huge corporations with massive human resource departments.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 plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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