New Michigan Legislation Aims to Solve Healthcare Worker Shortage

Michigan lawmakers have introduced a package of bills designed to ease employment barriers for individuals with criminal records seeking roles in the state’s healthcare sector, SADO reported.

The proposed legislation, House Bills 6399-6402, arrives as the state faces a looming staffing crisis. According to the Michigan Health Council’s 2025 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index, the state is projected to see a massive shortfall in essential roles over the next decade.

By adjusting current restrictions, the bills aim to tap into a workforce of more than 500,000 Michiganders who are currently barred from healthcare employment due to existing laws.

Under current Michigan law, individuals with various misdemeanor and felony convictions are prohibited from working in healthcare settings for up to 15 years after completing their sentences. While the law maintains strict prohibitions for offenses involving assault, abuse, homicide, or home invasion, the new bills would shorten the waiting period for other offenses.

The proposed changes would reduce the waiting period for felonies from 15 years to 10 years, and for misdemeanors from 10 years down to five. This adjustment specifically targets lower-level offenses, such as shoplifting, which currently prevent individuals from working in hospitals or nursing homes despite having no bearing on patient safety.

The legislation has been referred to the House Health Policy committee and is currently awaiting a hearing. Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Springport) is sponsoring the bills.

The debate over these restrictions often centers on the balance between public safety and economic necessity. Supporters argue that the current system creates unnecessary hurdles for reentry, while critics often emphasize the importance of absolute vetting in medical environments.

Skorup said that the state currently restricts thousands of people from hundreds of industries by blocking their ability to obtain licenses. He argued that the bills take a measured approach to providing economic opportunity, which research suggests is beneficial for the economy.

The impact of these barriers extends beyond individual job seekers to the stability of the healthcare system itself. Sheryl Kubiak, PhD, Founding Director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice at Wayne State University, suggested that long-term restrictions can hinder successful community reentry.

She added that reexamining these barriers while maintaining safeguards benefits both those returning to their communities and a healthcare system in need of workers.

Separate from the healthcare employment bills, Safe & Just Michigan has released a new issue brief titled “Creating Good Habits: Fixing Michigan’s Habitual Offender Laws.” The report examines how the state’s habitual sentencing laws, which date back to the 1920s, are applied inconsistently across different counties.

Because habitual sentencing is an optional enhancement, prosecutors in different counties use it with varying frequency. This results in disparate sentences for similar offenses depending on the jurisdiction. Furthermore, a 2008 Michigan Supreme Court ruling in People v. Gardner expanded the law’s scope, allowing individuals to be considered habitual offenders after a single arrest if multiple convictions arise from the same incident.

A proposed “Gardner fix” via Senate Bill 895 seeks to align the law with its original intent by ensuring enhancement tiers reflect separate criminal incidents rather than total conviction counts. The bill also proposes a 10-year lookback period.

The bills and the ongoing debate over sentencing reform represent a broader effort to reconcile Michigan’s legal frameworks with modern economic and social needs.