MDVA offers full-time experienced legislative representation in Lansing. We specialize in effective interaction with government: legislative administrative and regulatory.

We provide advocacy on behalf of our members to strengthen and support our industry. We are constantly monitoring the legislative process to protect our industry interests, participating in coalitions to support Michigan's economic business climate and initiating our own agenda where it is needed to benefit our members.

MDVA’s aggressive, hard hitting advocacy effort has served the membership of the association well.  Each year we have succeeded in killing many potentially devastating bills in addition to passing critical legislation for the benefit of our member businesses.  The commitment and vision of the MDVA Board of Directors, the active participation of the MDVA membership, and the powerhouse of the day to day Lansing team with GCSI, have taken MDVA to the top of our game.  In the past few years, we have achieved:

P.A. 458 & 459 of 2008, tightens enforcement on illegal tobacco tax trafficking

P.A. 433 of 2008, phases out tobacco taxes from gross receipts in Michigan Business Tax

P.A. 417, of 2000, exempted vended pop from sales tax

P.A. 503, of  2002, increased  tobacco wholesalers discount

P.A.  607, of 2002, created a tobacco tax bad debt deduction

P.A. 286, of 2003, allocable share amendment to the MSA enforcement

P.A. 474 of 2004, tightens enforcement on illegal internet cigarette sales

Defeated HB 4912-4913 and SB 587-588 of 2005, to repeal the sales tax exemptions on vended products

Defeated HB 4385 and SB 328 of 2007, to increase the cigarette and OTP tax

Defeated HB 4381-4382 and SB 317-320 of 2007, to repeal the sales tax exemptions on vended products

Defeated HB 5252 of 2007, to eliminate the cigarette stamping discount, and repeal the tobacco products tax bad debt deduction