STATE OF MICHIGAN
Journal of the Senate
100th Legislature
REGULAR SESSION OF 2020
Senate Chamber, Lansing, Thursday, May 28,
2020.
10:00
a.m.
The
Senate was called to order by the President, Lieutenant Governor Garlin D.
Gilchrist II.
The roll was called by the
Secretary of the Senate, who announced that a quorum was present.
Alexander—present Horn—present Outman—present
Ananich—present Irwin—present Polehanki—present
Barrett—present Johnson—present Runestad—present
Bayer—present LaSata—present Santana—present
Bizon—present Lauwers—present Schmidt—present
Brinks—present Lucido—present Shirkey—present
Bullock—present MacDonald—excused Stamas—present
Bumstead—present MacGregor—present Theis—present
Chang—present McBroom—present VanderWall—present
Daley—present McCann—present Victory—present
Geiss—present McMorrow—present Wojno—present
Hertel—present Moss—present Zorn—present
Hollier—present Nesbitt—present
Senator Kevin Daley of the 31st
District offered the following invocation:
As we gather here today to do the
work of the people of the great state of Michigan, let us ask our God for the
help we need to act with honor, integrity, honesty, and humility doing the work
that has been entrusted to us. Please help us, Lord, to work together to
fulfill the promises we made with our oath of office to uphold the Constitution
of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Michigan, and to
faithfully discharge the duties of the office we have been elected to. We pray
for our constituents, please help us to give them hope—the hope and sense of
calm that we get from having our great faith in You. And finally, we pray for
all the business owners, that they will have the ability to rebuild their
businesses and that our economy will return to its robust state.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The
President, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, led the members of the Senate in
recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motions and Communications
Senator Shirkey entered the Senate
Chamber.
Senator MacGregor moved that Senator
MacDonald be excused from today’s session.
The motion prevailed.
The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
Messages from the House
A bill to amend 1895 PA 3,
entitled “The general law village act,” by amending section 18 (MCL 69.18), as
amended by 1984 PA 179.
The House of Representatives has
passed the bill, ordered that it be given immediate effect and pursuant to
Joint Rule 20, inserted the full title.
The question being on concurring in the
committee recommendation to give the bill immediate effect,
The recommendation was concurred in, 2/3 of the members serving voting
therefor.
The Senate agreed to the full title.
The bill was referred to the Secretary for
enrollment printing and presentation to the Governor.
A bill to amend 1949 PA 300,
entitled “Michigan vehicle code,” by amending section 625t (MCL 257.625t), as
added by 2016 PA 243.
The House of Representatives has
passed the bill, ordered that it be given immediate effect and pursuant to
Joint Rule 20, inserted the full title.
The question being on concurring in the
committee recommendation to give the bill immediate effect,
The recommendation was not concurred in, 2/3 of the members serving not
voting therefor.
Senator MacGregor requested the yeas
and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered, 1/5 of the
members present voting therefor.
The
recommendation was concurred, 2/3 of the members serving voting therefor, as
follows:
Roll Call No. 152 Yeas—26
Barrett Johnson Nesbitt Stamas
Bizon LaSata Outman Theis
Brinks Lauwers Polehanki VanderWall
Bumstead Lucido Runestad Victory
Daley MacGregor Schmidt Wojno
Hertel McBroom Shirkey Zorn
Horn McCann
Nays—10
Alexander Bullock Irwin Moss
Ananich Chang McMorrow Santana
Bayer Geiss
Excused—1
MacDonald
Not
Voting—1
Hollier
In The Chair: President
The Senate agreed to the full title.
The bill was referred to the Secretary for
enrollment printing and presentation to the Governor.
House
Bill No. 5766
The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
General Orders
The motion prevailed, and the President,
Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, designated Senator McMorrow as Chairperson.
After some time spent therein,
the Committee arose; and the President, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, having
resumed the Chair, the Committee reported back to the Senate, favorably and
without amendment, the following bills:
House Bill No. 5766, entitled
A bill to amend 1973 PA 186,
entitled “Tax tribunal act,” (MCL 205.701 to 205.779) by adding section 37a.
A bill to amend 1976 PA 451,
entitled “The revised school code,” by amending section 1178 (MCL 380.1178), as
amended by 2019 PA 38.
The bills were placed on the order of
Third Reading of Bills.
Senate Bill No. 417, entitled
A bill to amend 1978 PA 368,
entitled “Public health code,” by amending sections 17744a and 17744d (MCL
333.17744a and 333.17744d), section 17744a as amended and section 17744d as
added by 2015 PA 221.
Substitute (S-2)
Senate Bill No. 418, entitled
A bill to allow certain law
enforcement officers and firefighters to administer auto-injectable epinephrine
in certain circumstances; to provide access
to auto-injectable epinephrine by eligible entities, law enforcement
officers, and firefighters; and to limit civil and criminal liability of
certain entities and individuals.
Substitute (S-1)
Senate Bill No. 844, entitled
A bill to amend 2019 PA 39,
entitled “Administration of opioid antagonists act,” by amending section 107
(MCL 15.677).
Substitute (S-1)
House
Bill No. 5766
The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
By unanimous consent the Senate
returned to the order of
Third Reading of Bills
Senator MacGregor moved that the Senate
proceed to consideration of the following bill:
House
Bill No. 5766
The motion prevailed.
The following bill was read a third
time:
House Bill No. 5766, entitled
A bill to amend 1973 PA 186, entitled “Tax tribunal act,” (MCL 205.701
to 205.779) by adding section 37a.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The
bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows:
Roll Call No. 153 Yeas—37
Alexander Geiss MacGregor Santana
Ananich Hertel McBroom Schmidt
Barrett Hollier McCann Shirkey
Bayer Horn McMorrow Stamas
Bizon Irwin Moss Theis
Brinks Johnson Nesbitt VanderWall
Bullock LaSata Outman Victory
Bumstead Lauwers Polehanki Wojno
Chang Lucido Runestad Zorn
Daley
Nays—0
Excused—1
MacDonald
Not
Voting—0
In The Chair: President
The question being on concurring in the
committee recommendation to give the bill immediate effect,
The recommendation was concurred in, 2/3 of the members serving voting
therefor.
Pursuant to
Joint Rule 20, the full title of the act shall be inserted to read as follows:
“An act to create the tax tribunal; to provide for personnel,
jurisdiction, functions, practice and procedure; to provide for appeals; and to
prescribe the powers and duties of certain state agencies; and to abolish
certain boards,”.
The Senate agreed to the full title.
By unanimous consent the Senate
returned to the order of
Motions and Communications
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 26.
A concurrent resolution to demand
that the Governor compile and make publicly available certain data, to
encourage medical professionals to provide elective medical procedures, and to
encourage the people of Michigan to continue to practice safe social
distancing.
(For text of resolution, see Senate Journal No. 43, p. 747.)
The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor,
and the concurrent resolution was placed on the order of Resolutions.
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
Resolutions
Senator MacGregor moved that the Senate
proceed to consideration of the following resolutions:
Senate
Resolution No. 121
Senate
Concurrent Resolution No. 26
The motion prevailed.
Senator Hollier offered the following
resolution:
Senate
Resolution No. 121.
A resolution to recognize May 2020
as Brain Tumor Awareness Month.
Whereas, Brain tumors,
specifically glioblastomas, have become recognized in recent years as one of
the deadliest cancers; and
Whereas, There have been an
estimated 770 new diagnoses of brain tumors in Michigan in 2020, and an
estimated 600 Michigan residents will die from a brain tumor in 2020; and
Whereas, Brain tumors can be
deadly and impact the quality of life. Brain cancer continues to be the leading
cause of cancer deaths among children and young adults; and
Whereas, In 2010, brain tumors
were the highest per-patient initial cost of care for any cancer group with an
annualized cost at well over $100,000; and
Whereas, More than any other
cancer, brain tumors can have lasting and life-altering physical, cognitive,
and psychological impacts on a patient’s life; and
Whereas, Despite the amount of
brain tumors, and their devastating prognosis, there have only been four
approved drugs by the Food and Drug Administration and one device to treat
brain tumors in the past thirty years; and
Whereas, Michigan is proud to be
home to high level brain cancer centers such as the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center at Henry Ford Hospital and Rogel
Cancer Center: University of Michigan; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we
recognize May 2020 as Brain Tumor Awareness Month; and be it further
Resolved, That Michigan has
attained national recognition as a leading center of excellence in the field of
brain tumor treatment and research as a result of the number of patients traveling
to the state for clinical trial participation, grant dollars locally used to
create jobs, and professionals specializing in brain tumors across the state.
Senator MacGregor moved that the
rule be suspended.
The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
Senators Chang, Polehanki, Santana and
Wojno were named co-sponsors of the resolution.
Senate
Concurrent Resolution No. 26.
A concurrent resolution to demand
that the Governor compile and make publicly available certain data, to
encourage medical professionals to provide elective medical procedures, and to
encourage the people of Michigan to continue to practice safe social
distancing.
(This resolution was discharged
from the Committee on Government Operations earlier today. See p. 805.)
The question being on the
adoption of the concurrent resolution,
The concurrent resolution was adopted.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Lucido’s statement is as
follows:
I rise today on Senate Concurrent
Resolution No. 26. Colleagues, our Governor continues to insist that every
decision she makes in response to COVID-19 is based on facts, science, and
data. But when asked time and time again for access to the data and for an
explanation as to why an executive order was given or decision was made, we get
nothing. What information led to the policy of putting infected COVID-19
patients into nursing facilities? How many people got sick or died because of
that decision?
Why don’t we know the daily number of the
available hospital beds occupied by all the patients since January 1, 2020,
segregated by inpatient beds, negative air flow beds, and ICU beds, as provided
by the hospitals? Why don’t we know the available hospital beds occupied by
confirmed COVID-19 patients since January 1, 2020, segregated by inpatient beds
and negative air flow beds as provided by the hospitals; emergency room visits
in total and the daily number of emergency room visits by patients testing
positive for COVID-19 since January 1, 2020; confirmed COVID-19
hospitalizations and confirmed COVID-19 deaths that are related to retirement
homes or nursing homes since January 1, 2020; confirmed COVID-19
hospitalizations and confirmed COVID-19 deaths of individuals who had other
pre-existing conditions or underlying health conditions since January 1, 2020
with segregation of those health conditions and a breakdown of the confirmed
COVID-19 hospitalizations and confirmed COVID-19 deaths by age, gender, and
race; ventilators available and daily inventories of hospital PPE since March
10, 2020? How about the amount of PPE possessed by the state government and the
quantities distributed to each hospital since March 10, 2020? How about
the medical professionals who have been furloughed, had their hours reduced, or
received a cut in pay since March 10, 2020? How about the COVID-19 tests
conducted since March 10, 2020, including the positive and the negatives?
Where is the data? Where is the
Governor who, not long ago as a Senator, stood just over there on that side of
the aisle and railed against the lack of government transparency, openness, and
public input? Where is the Governor who, as a Senator, stood in the shadows of
the Capitol and had a microphone in her hand shouting that she isn’t afraid of
the people, proclaiming that it is the people who run our state? Does she no
longer believe in transparency? Is she afraid of the people now? Does she not
still believe the people run the state? Members of this chamber, ladies and
gentlemen, where is the data?
The Governor has issued over 100
executive orders, more than any other Governor in this country. Each one has
had an impact on our lives in some way—jobs lost, businesses shuttered, lives
irrevocably changed. If we are truly all in this together as one Michigan—a
team of 10 million—then let’s all be in this together.
Colleagues, I urge you to support this
concurrent resolution because the people of this state deserve to know what is
going on. The people demand to know why the Governor is doing what she is
doing. Share what you know, Governor, because an informed citizenry makes for a
civil and peaceful state.
Recess
Senator MacGregor moved that the
Senate recess subject to the call of the Chair.
The motion prevailed, the time
being 10:30 a.m.
The Senate was called to order by
the President pro tempore, Senator Nesbitt.
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
Introduction and Referral of Bills
A bill
to amend 1998 PA 58, entitled “Michigan liquor control code of 1998,” by
amending sections 205, 233, 609c, 609d, and 1014 (MCL 436.1205, 436.1233,
436.1609c, 436.1609d, and 436.2014), section 205 as amended by 2015 PA 246,
section 609c as added by 2017 PA 130, section 609d as added by 2020 PA 26, and
section 1014 as added by 2015 PA 47, and by adding sections 537a, 538, and 551.
The
bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on
Regulatory Reform.
Senator MacGregor introduced
A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled “The general
property tax act,” by amending section 78a (MCL 211.78a), as amended by 2014 PA
499, and by adding section 44e.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Finance.
Senators Brinks, Ananich, Wojno, Chang, Bayer, Geiss,
Bullock, McCann, Irwin, McMorrow, Moss, Alexander, Santana, Hertel and Hollier
introduced
A bill to create a task force on racial disparities in
the department of health and human services and to prescribe its powers and
duties; to provide for the powers and duties of certain state and local
officers and entities; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Government Operations.
Senators Irwin, Brinks, Bullock, Bayer, Moss, Geiss,
Alexander, Chang and Santana introduced
A bill to amend 1965 PA 203, entitled “Michigan
commission on law enforcement standards act,” by amending the title and
sections 9, 9b, 9c, and 9d (MCL 28.609, 28.609b, 28.609c, and 28.609d), the
title as amended by 1998 PA 237 and sections 9, 9b, 9c, and 9d as amended by
2018 PA 552, and by adding section 9f.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
A bill to amend 2005 PA 244, entitled “Deferred
presentment service transactions act,” by amending the title and sections 2,
11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 45, 48, and 53 (MCL 487.2122,
487.2131, 487.2133, 487.2135, 487.2137, 487.2139, 487.2142, 487.2151, 487.2152,
487.2153, 487.2154, 487.2155, 487.2156, 487.2165, 487.2168, and 487.2173),
section 2 as amended by 2016 PA 140 and section 35 as amended by 2016 PA 141,
and by adding sections 24, 31a, and 32a.
The House of Representatives has passed the bill and
ordered that it be given immediate effect.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.
A bill to prohibit postsecondary educational
institutions in this state and certain athletic organizations from preventing a
college athlete from receiving compensation for the use of his or her name,
image, or likeness rights.
The House of Representatives has passed the bill and
ordered that it be given immediate effect.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.
A bill to amend 1931 PA 328, entitled “The Michigan
penal code,” by repealing section 411e (MCL 750.411e); and to repeal acts and
parts of acts.
The House of Representatives has passed the bill and
ordered that it be given immediate effect.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.
A bill to amend 2005 PA 244, entitled “Deferred
presentment service transactions act,” by amending section 51 (MCL 487.2171).
The House of Representatives has passed the bill and
ordered that it be given immediate effect.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.
A bill to amend 1979 PA 94, entitled “The state school
aid act of 1979,” by amending sections 11, 17b, 201, and 236 (MCL 388.1611,
388.1617b, 388.1801, and 388.1836), sections 11 and 236 as amended by 2019 PA
162, section 17b as amended by 2007 PA 137, and section 201 as amended by 2019
PA 52.
The House of Representatives has passed the bill and
ordered that it be given immediate effect.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
A bill to make, supplement, adjust, and consolidate
appropriations for various state departments and agencies, the judicial branch,
and the legislative branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021; to
provide for certain conditions on appropriations; and to provide for the
expenditure of the appropriations.
The House of Representatives has passed the bill and
ordered that it be given immediate effect.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
A bill to amend 1931 PA 328, entitled “The Michigan
penal code,” (MCL 750.1 to 750.568) by adding section 217i.
The House of Representatives has passed the bill and
ordered that it be given immediate effect.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
A bill to amend 1972 PA 222, entitled “An act to
provide for an official personal identification card; to provide for its form,
issuance and use; to regulate the use and disclosure of information obtained
from the card; to prescribe the powers and duties of the secretary of state; to
prescribe fees; to prescribe certain penalties for violations; and to provide
an appropriation for certain purposes,” by amending sections 1 and 2 (MCL
28.291 and 28.292), section 1 as amended by 2018 PA 605 and section 2 as
amended by 2018 PA 669.
The House of Representatives has passed the bill and
ordered that it be given immediate effect.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Statements
The motion prevailed.
Senator Bayer’s statement is as
follows:
We know that COVID-19 is not just
a Michigan problem. Across the world, cities, states, and countries are in
crisis. People are suffering both from physical health as well as economic
damage. In Michigan we are fortunate to have a Governor and an administration
that has been determinedly and successfully moving us forward through this
public health crisis. And because of that we are now able to move
economically—with care—with precautions in place to reopen our economy with the
same level of attention and detail from our Governor and the administration.
We also know that like every
other state in this country, we are now looking at potentially a multi-billion
dollar drop in state revenue this year and next. Losing potentially $2 billion
from the General Fund and over a billion from our K-12 education fund is truly
horrible. There is no way for us to make up a loss in a year through our
standard operations. And as I learned last year in my first year working on the
state budgets, we already didn’t have enough revenue for good governing here.
We didn’t have adequate funds to fix the roads. We haven’t had enough for that
for a long time. Nor did we have enough to give a fair revenue share to our
local governments. Most critically, we did not have enough to adequately fund
our schools. We have not had enough for years. In fact, we have had declining
funding for K-12 since 1995. And this year our schools are looking at increased
costs to be able to provide education in this today’s new world—the world where
they will use blended learning models—sometimes in school and sometimes online
because of distancing needs, and other new costs for cleaning, transportation,
screening, and many more things, just to keep our teachers safe. Not enough to
be able to provide a good education.
So I’m here now to beg for your
assistance. This is a national problem and we need help from the federal
government to get through this. Every state is facing crushing revenue losses.
And our state—our kids and families—need us to do anything and everything we
can to find the resources to get things running again. We cannot recover our
economy if we don’t recover education. Please do everything you can—each of you—to
advocate for funding for our state, for our families, our roads, our local
police and fire, for our children and their future. Reach out to our federal
government. Help us get the funding that we need to help our kids and their
future.
The President, Lieutenant Governor
Gilchrist, resumed the Chair.
Senator Santana’s statement is as
follows:
Today I rise to speak to an
unfortunate trend that is starting to emerge in this chamber—a trend that is
very dangerous; in fact, disastrous to our democracy and the republic in which
we serve. We are steering away from bipartisanship, collegiality, and a spirit
of goodwill, and headed toward becoming a chamber that resembles a third-world
nation whose parliaments engage in physical fights and throwing chairs at each
other during heated debates. And honestly, I do not see how we as leaders of
this state will ever find solutions to our most challenging problems when one
side of the chamber attacks the other. I don’t know about anyone else, but I
can assure you that the people in my district have had enough of the political
fights. The people back home want to hear about progress, unity, and
understanding.
This trend of incivility that has
seemingly taken over this chamber could not have come at a worse time. Unless
your political motives have blinded you, we are slowly reopening the state and
recovering from a global pandemic, we have an economy that has been decimated,
we have a state budget that requires readjustments, we have lawsuits flying in
and out of court, we have county sheriffs who openly defy the Governor’s
orders, and if none of this grabs your attention, we have a flooding tragedy in
Midland and surrounding communities that will require all of us to step up our
game and do everything we can to help the thousands of brothers and sisters who
have been impacted.
The latest comments—I am not from
Detroit, or everything isn’t about Detroit—are divisive, tacky, and, quite
frankly, insulting. Especially when the members of this chamber are considering
the following: over the weekend, the people of Detroit asked me about the
people in Midland and how the people in Detroit were praying for the people of
Midland, and how the people of the 3rd District wanted me to do everything I
could to help the people of Midland. This is what makes me proud to be a
Detroiter. I have represented some of the poorest zip codes in the state of
Michigan and the people in my district are so empathetic to others that they
ignore their own circumstances for just a moment to inquire about the
circumstances of others. That is what being a Detroiter is all about.
I don’t consider myself a person
who engages in partisan attacks, and I don’t engage in that type of behavior. I
guess you consider me to be an old-school politician—a politician who reads
legislation, studies the budget, and makes decisions based on the best
information available at the time for debates that impact all Michiganders’
lives. It’s OK to have a professional disagreement without engaging a prolonged
state of pettiness and vitriolic criticism.
I’m originally from Cincinnati,
Ohio and I have lived in Detroit for the past 20 years, and I am proud to call
myself a Detroiter, I’m proud to raise my children in Detroit, and I’m proud to
represent Detroit. As a duly elected State Senator, I would be negligent in my
duties if I did not stand up here and voice my disapproval regarding the lack
of civility and the apparent disrespect of my people and my city during these
challenging times. I will not sit here and allow for anyone to disrespect the
memory of the people whom God has called up as a result of this pandemic. These
people have names to them—State Senator Morris Hood; Pastor William Harris Sr.
from Grace Community Church; Pastor Eric Maxie from U Turn Outreach Ministries;
Tom Wilson.
Senator Geiss’ statement is as follows:
A few weeks ago, my brother
Senator from the 4th District rose in this body and said I know your measure
not by the words from your mouth but by your actions. And yesterday my brother
Senator from the 2nd District implored us all to denounce racism, to find
our inner angels, and bend the arc towards justice. My brother Senator from the
18th District spoke of the need for anti-bias training for law enforcement, and
it is clear the same is needed for lawmakers. And my sister Senators from the
1st and 13th districts, in their own powerful ways, asked us to come together.
But I ask how can we come together when the majority in this chamber is having
an existential crisis?
After eight years of unfettered
access to the executive branch, of both branches doing one another’s bidding,
and through it all, the minority remained civil while pointing out and seeking
to rectify inadequacies and injustices. Now, though, when that access and
perceived power are reduced, we get statement after statement of feigned
outrage. Where was this outrage from the majority for Flint where an entire
community was poisoned and at least two generations left to feel the aftermath
of that poisoning? While some here were prattling on ad nauseum about the lost
decade, you helped create the lost generation of Flint babies with your
silence. Where was this outrage during the educational crises with Buena Vista,
Inkster, Detroit, or Benton Harbor? It was non-existent. Sure, you’re
Detroit, but only when it’s convenient and for when it’s a baseball game or the
auto show.
Yesterday, here, words were
uttered from the gentleman from the 16th District to the effect of trust cannot
begin without honesty. And there were more orations about integrity, about
failed leadership. What about the lack of honesty, the absence of integrity,
and the failed leadership from some members of this body who gave the green
light on emergency managers after the people said “no” at the ballot box? About
gutting earned paid sick leave after adopting the ballot language whole cloth?
How can we trust this body? How can the citizens of Michigan trust this body?
How can anyone—especially people
of color—trust this body when it allows and condones symbols of hate and white
supremacy to be present in the chamber and continue to go unchecked? It has
been literally 34 days since a member drove roughly 90 minutes from his home,
got out of his car, walked from the Binsfeld lot to the Capitol, took the
elevator to this floor, and still chose to wear upon his face one of the most
clear symbols of hatred and white supremacy in this chamber during session.
Where was the outrage other than from this side of the room? Where is the
action from this body? Where is the integrity and leadership?
Now, when I was a girl, one of
the lessons imparted to me was you’ll be judged by the company you keep. Let’s
talk about the company that some members of this allegedly-esteemed body keep.
Cavorting with people who protest for freedom with known symbols of hatred and
white supremacy—swastikas, nooses, and, yes, even Confederate flags. People who
on one day provide quite the ceremonial oratory theatrics—verbally condemning
acts and intimations of violence and murder—but a few days later the very
leader of this body drove 118 miles from his district during a pandemic not
just to rake leaves but to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with and praise the very
same people and groups who made such utterances and threats as well as with
members of an anti-government, para-military group. I ask where is the outrage
for that? Where is the trust, the leadership, and the integrity?
Words, your words, mean nothing;
the actions, however, everything. Your slip is showing. It’s clear that the
masks and hoods have been pulled off, revealing the true self. Congratulations.
You’ve proven the hypocrisy of this democracy. Now, my comments today are not
an indictment on all, but to the voice of the majority I am gravely
disappointed. To others, silence means acceptance. Be mindful of the company
you keep. I challenge you to prove me wrong with your words and deeds, and let
us do the right thing and stand together as one Michigan.
Senator Horn’s statement is as follows:
Yesterday we had a friend and a
colleague stand up, near tears, with passion, describing the devastation from
floods in his community. A simple request from our friend and colleague was to
open up the restaurants to give his people a chance for a warm meal and a place
to sit down. Mr. President, no American citizen—no Michigander—should have to
suffer the indignity of pleading to Lansing for a warm meal and eating in
comfort. No sole proprietor—no family-owned business—should need to bend a knee
to this government for permission to protect their life’s work. No Michigan
blue collar worker of any skill should need to stand head-in-hand before this government
for permission to put bread on their family’s table.
If you want true democracy—I say
to my friends on the other side of the aisle who just spoke—you want true
democracy? You want checks and balances. You want this body to work together?
Then stand up and defend this body. Stand up with me today and ask this
Governor to remove her executive orders—yes, her executive orders work as a
force of law, because she said so. And you know what? We, as a body, an equal
co-branch of government—as we tell our fourth graders as they learn about
checks and balances—we can manage this crisis in partnership with the Governor
using actual laws. Stand up with me. It’s easy to sit in the comfort—in the
temporary comfort—of the Governor’s blanket of authority and then create drama
for yourselves and stand up here and accuse the other side of all kinds of
things. We need to be managing this state. This government—our citizens, the
majority of our citizens—are being unheard. This is insane, Mr. President,
and it needs to be corrected. Stand with me. Defend this institution. Defend
this noble body. Tell this Governor to set aside her sole authoritarianism and
work with this body—work with this Legislature, the House and the Senate—to
work on behalf of the citizens of the state of Michigan. It’s time.
The President pro tempore, Senator
Nesbitt, resumed the Chair.
Senator Barrett’s statement is as
follows:
Pay no attention to the Governor
behind the curtain. I started Memorial Day weekend disappointed in our
Governor. By yesterday, I was mad. Today, I’m furious. My kids are seven, five,
and three years old. They spent Memorial Day weekend running through a lawn
sprinkler because our Governor has closed down the beaches at the county parks
that me and my family enjoy for our recreation. My character was impugned by
our Governor and her office on Friday night. I blew the whistle on a story we
now know was completely true. I had corroborated the story before I had posted
it, and I knew my source was credible and trustworthy. It had 500 shares,
dozens of comments, and countless other interactions by Friday night. Yet, in
the dead of night, I was contacted with a request to remove my post because the
Governor was denying it. Out of an abundance of caution and a desire to hope
that this was not true, I removed my post overnight until I could again validate
the claims that were made.
Of course, by now, you all know
that the story was true. But I’ve heard no apology from the Governor or her
staff. They challenged my integrity and they were wrong. They engaged in a
cover-up to desperately try and put the toothpaste back in the tube. There’s no
doubt that if I had not continued to substantiate this claim then the Governor
and her staff would still claim it was nothing more than internet hoax. It’s a
shame. We know that this Governor and our Attorney General have gone the
extra-judicial route to retaliate against those who stand up to them. Look no
further than Karl Manke, the peaceful barber in my district who the Governor
tried to close. They lost their injunction in court, so they abused the
administrative process to revoke his license. Should I now be concerned for my
wife who’s a state employee? Should I be worried for myself and my military
career where the Governor serves as the commander in chief? If they will try to
cover up this story, what limits will they go to now? But, I get it. We all
have to pretend that this is normal behavior. Who here hasn’t driven three
hours to rake leaves in May for Memorial Day weekend? Who hasn’t called the
small business storing their boat to wait on hold to talk to the owner and joke
around about their political connections? It’s totally normal. I say again, pay
no attention to the Governor behind the curtain.
Senator Hertel’s statement is as
follows:
Colleagues, I miss the comradery
of this institution. I miss the gravity of it. In the grace—the grace that we
used to give each other—I was not on the phone call that happened, obviously. I
don’t know the details of it. I’ve known Marc Mallory for a long time. He is
the guy who tells really bad jokes. He’s a dentist and a dad. And he just
happens to be one of those people, so when I heard it, I assumed he was joking
as well.
But it really doesn’t matter.
That Marc didn’t run for office, he is not someone that should be mentioned in
these hallowed halls. I can’t even imagine the level of anger that those who
have mentioned him would feel if it was their wives that were mentioned on the
floor of this body. I know how much your families mean to you. I could not
imagine what your reaction would be if that happened. You would be rightfully
outraged.
We have an incredibly serious
situation going on in this state—a complicated budget, people on unemployment,
a pandemic—all kinds of grave things. Two weeks ago we were able to work
together and pass, bipartisanly, an appropriations bill that I believe was a
good step—took in some ideas from the Governor; took in some ideas from this
side of the aisle; took some ideas from your side of the aisle and worked together.
That was a great, I think, step moving forward. For two weeks now, that bill
has languished in the House—no action, no calls to move the bill, no public
push for that over in the House where it’s languished. I’ve sat in hearings on
the unemployment system, where we’ve heard from constituents who have all these
problems.
At some point—at some point the
grace and the gravity of the situation; the grace and the gravity of this
institution has got to be more important than whatever’s going on. In the words
of my good friend, the late Morris Hood, ‘We have a break.’ I ask you to spend
some time with your own families; to spend some time with your—I’m sorry Ken. I
have an enormous amount of respect for each of you. But I’m asking you to spend
a little time and to find a little grace in your heart. And maybe we have to do
that on our side as well. Maybe at some point we all have to sit down and work
together. But at some point it can’t be like this. It’s just not possible. This
institution is too great. I believe that each and every one of you ran for
office for the same reason I did. Because you care about people. You care about
this state. Let’s not talk about boats and whatever else on the floor of the
Senate any longer. Let’s find a way to work together. And remember that we all
have families. And we all have constituents. God bless you all. I’ll pray for
you this weekend.
Announcements
of Printing and Enrollment
The Secretary announced that the
following House bills were received in the Senate and filed on Wednesday, May
27:
House
Bill Nos. 5097 5217 5218 5253 5395 5396 5411 5541
The Secretary announced that the
following bill was printed and filed on Wednesday, May 27 and is available on
the Michigan Legislature website:
House
Bill No. 5810
Committee Reports
The Committee on Finance reported
House Bill No. 5766, entitled
With the recommendation that the bill
pass.
The committee further recommends that
the bill be given immediate effect.
Jim
Runestad
Chairperson
To Report Out:
Yeas: Senators Runestad, Nesbitt,
Daley, Bumstead, VanderWall, Chang and Alexander
Nays: None
The bill was referred to the Committee
of the Whole.
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The Committee on Finance submitted the
following:
Meeting
held on Thursday, May 28, 2020, at 8:30 a.m., Harry T. Gast Appropriations
Room, 3rd Floor, Capitol Building
Present: Senators Runestad (C),
Nesbitt, Daley, Bumstead, VanderWall, Chang and Alexander
The Committee on Agriculture
submitted the following:
Meeting held on Wednesday, May 27,
2020, at 8:30 a.m., Room S403, 4th Floor, Capitol Building
Present: Senators Daley (C), Victory,
Lauwers and Brinks
Excused: Senator Polehanki
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The Committee on Health Policy
and Human Services submitted the following:
Meeting held on Wednesday, May
27, 2020, at 12:30 p.m., Harry T. Gast Appropriations Room, 3rd Floor, Capitol
Building
Present: Senators VanderWall (C),
Bizon, Johnson, LaSata, Theis, Brinks, Hertel, Santana and Wojno
Excused: Senator MacDonald
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The Committee on Oversight
submitted the following:
Meeting held on Wednesday, May 27,
2020, at 2:30 p.m., Room S403, 4th Floor, Capitol Building
Present:
Senators McBroom (C), Lucido, Theis and Irwin
Excused:
Senator MacDonald
The Joint
Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic (HCR 20) submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at 3:00 p.m., Room 519, House Office Building
Present:
Senators Nesbitt, LaSata, Schmidt, Hertel and Hollier
Senator
MacGregor moved that the Senate adjourn.
The
motion prevailed, the time being 11:17 a.m.
The
President pro tempore, Senator Nesbitt, declared the Senate adjourned until
Tuesday, June 2, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.
MARGARET O’BRIEN
Secretary of the Senate