Will you accept a microchip embedded in your body? What sounds like protection against that potential issue, may not be when you read all the text. The Michigan State House of Representatives this week approved House Bill 5672. The stated intent is to prohibit employers from requiring employees to accept a microchip as a condition of employment. We’ve been doing that to our pets for years for identification. But most people cringe at the idea of being microchipped for any reason.

Hudsonville Attorney Katherine Henry says the questionable provisions aren’t necessarily hidden in the wording of the legislation. She says they are clearly stated. Henry says if a company gets a court order, the legislation allows the company to require employees to submit to microchipping for just about any reason the company thinks is appropriate.

Posting on her Facebook page, Henry says, “So, while requiring an individual to implant, inject, or ingest a device is ENTIRELY unconstitutional, the legislature passed this bill ALLOWING employers to force employees to do so, as long as a court has ordered it. So, as long as a court orders this unconstitutional invasion of an individuals' body, the legislature fully supports it!”

Henry also points out the new proposed legislation limits the amount of damages a Michigan resident can receive if winning a lawsuit against an employer for the intrusion. Attorney Henry writes, “This means that when you are fired for refusing to get a device (microchip, etc.) injected into your body, you can only get the exact amount you can prove you have lost as a direct result of that. Punitive damages (to emphasize to potential violators that this kind of requirement placed on employees will NOT be tolerated), and statutory damages (which is a dollar amount the legislature sets to make it easier for the aggrieved party to collect money damages from an illegal act by the other party - in other words, the aggrieved party only has to show that the other party violated this law, and doesn't require them to have to prove the specific dollar amount they are out) could easily have been included in this bill, but they were not. So, not only does the bill allow for the unconstitutional invasion of a person's body by their employer, but it also severely limits the amount of damages an aggrieved employee may receive when they sue their employer over it.”

House Bill 5672 won overwhelming support in the Michigan State House of Representatives this week. But the Michigan State senate has not yet opened debate. Many state residents are posting on social media they plan to overwhelm State Senators with comments and questions to help prevent the legislation from becoming law. At least as written.

Protesters at the Capital in Lansing

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