In just under two weeks, many Michiganders will pick sides when the Michigan and Michigan State football programs collide in a blockbuster faceoff between Top 10 teams. Whether they’re wearing blue or green, eyes throughout the state will be fixed on East Lansing on Halloween weekend.

No matter which side they’re on, Michigan residents can all rally behind the positive steps the state’s economy has taken in recent months. With a slow but steady recovery underway, policymakers are seeking ways to keep this momentum going.

Toward that goal, the Michigan House Judiciary Committee today advanced a bill aimed to prevent a new rule from throwing sand in the gears of the state’s economy. As we wrote last week, Committee Chairman Graham Filler’s bill would prevent new delays in background checks that help Michiganders access new jobs, volunteer roles and more.

Specifically, the bill would continue to allow matching a person’s name and birth date to verify their identity when looking for any red flags in their background. The bill would also prevent forcing background checks to rely on criminal records systems with big criminal history data gaps. Without the bill, Michigan’s economic progress could stall due to delayed background checks and subsequent hiring.

Fortunately, the Judiciary Committee advanced Chairman Filler’s bill to the full House, where it could receive a vote in the coming weeks.

Last week, the Consumer Data Industry Association led more than a dozen groups from Michigan and beyond in a letter supporting Chairman Filler’s bill. The groups wrote:

“With a recovering economy, it is now more important than ever to prevent any delays that disadvantage Michiganders seeking employment, housing, and much more. HB 5683 will ensure that the State of Michigan is not enacting unnecessary barriers to those goals.”

Check back for more developments on this issue in the weeks ahead.