STATE OF MICHIGAN
Journal of the Senate
100th Legislature
REGULAR SESSION OF 2020
Senate Chamber, Lansing, Thursday, February 27, 2020.
10:00
a.m.
The
Senate was called to order by the President pro tempore, Senator Aric Nesbitt.
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—excused Runestad—present
Bayer—present LaSata—present Santana—present
Bizon—present Lauwers—present Schmidt—present
Brinks—present Lucido—present Shirkey—present
Bullock—present MacDonald—present 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
Pastor Stacey Wilder of Calvary Bible
Church of Dowagiac offered the following invocation:
Dear Heavenly Father, Creator of
heaven and earth. Thank You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for sending
Your Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem this lost world from sin. Thank You for Your
abundant provisions for our great nation that was founded in freedom and
liberty. Thank You for the great state of Michigan which You have richly
blessed with natural resources and abundant beauty.
On this day we ask that You give
wisdom from above and withhold it not from those who ask for it. May the
servant leaders of this chamber strive to be statesmen and stateswomen who are
granted wisdom and understanding from God. May we be reminded that we are all
created in Your image, and it is wise to treat God’s image—His creation—with
respect and honor despite our differences.
Lord, may this chamber have
servant leaders who put that which is good, honorable, and just first and
foremost. Lord, we ask that You give these men and women the strength and
courage to make correct and sometimes difficult choices for the people of
Michigan.
May we remember that Your word
says that we are to serve one another. Lord, these men and women have chosen to
be servant leaders in Michigan for that we are thankful. I ask that You bless
them for their labors. I ask that You bless the sacrifices of their time,
talents, and even treasures. Lord, I ask that their families be blessed and
encouraged this day and in the days ahead.
Lord, we are grateful for these
servant leaders. Please bless them as they serve You, because ultimately You
raise up whom You will and put down whom You will. In Your word, You said, “He
hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
In the name of Jesus Christ, the
Creator of heaven and earth, the Redeemer of the world, the risen Savior, Amen.
The
President pro tempore, Senator Nesbitt, led the members of the Senate in
recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motions and Communications
Senator MacGregor moved that Senator
Johnson be excused from today’s session.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Chang moved that Senator Geiss
be temporarily excused from today’s session.
The motion prevailed.
The following communication was
received and read:
Office of the Auditor General
February 25, 2020
Enclosed is a copy of the following
report:
• Follow-up
report on the performance audit of Claimant Services, Unemployment Insurance
Agency, Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (641-0318-14F).
Sincerely,
Doug
Ringler
Auditor
General
The audit report was referred to the
Committee on Oversight.
Michigan
Natural Resources Commission
Mr. George K. Heartwell III, of 8928 S.
Parson Avenue, Newaygo, Michigan 49337, county of Newaygo, appointed for a term
commencing February 7, 2020 and expiring December 31, 2023.
(This appointment was reported by the
Committee on Advice and Consent on Wednesday, February 26. See p. 292.)
The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
Recess
Senator MacGregor moved that the Senate
recess subject to the call of the Chair.
The motion prevailed, the time
being 10:06 a.m.
The Senate was called to order by
the President pro tempore, Senator Nesbitt.
During the recess, Senator Geiss
entered the Senate Chamber.
Messages from the Governor
Michigan
Natural Resources Commission
Mr. George K. Heartwell III, of 8928 S.
Parson Avenue, Newaygo, Michigan 49337, county of Newaygo, appointed for a term
commencing February 7, 2020 and expiring December 31, 2023.
The question
being on the disapproval of the said appointment to office,
The Senate disapproved of the appointment to office, a majority of the
members serving voting therefor, as follows:
Roll Call No. 88 Yeas—20
Barrett Lauwers Nesbitt Stamas
Bizon Lucido Outman Theis
Daley MacDonald Runestad VanderWall
Horn MacGregor Schmidt Victory
LaSata McBroom Shirkey Zorn
Nays—17
Alexander Bumstead Hollier Moss
Ananich Chang Irwin Polehanki
Bayer Geiss McCann Santana
Brinks Hertel McMorrow Wojno
Bullock
Excused—1
Johnson
Not
Voting—0
In The Chair: Nesbitt
Protests
Senators Hertel, Hollier, Bayer,
Moss, Polehanki, Geiss, Alexander, Bullock, McMorrow, Wojno, Brinks and McCann,
under their constitutional right of protest (Art. 4, Sec. 18), protested
against the disapproval of the gubernatorial appointment.
Senator Hertel moved that the
statement he made during the discussion of the appointment be printed as his
reasons for voting “no.”
The motion prevailed.
Senator Hertel’s statement, in which
Senators Hollier, Bayer, Moss, Polehanki, Geiss, Alexander, Bullock, McMorrow,
Wojno, Brinks and McCann concurred, is as follows:
I rise to give my “no” vote explanation
on the rejection—or disapproval—of the appointment of George Heartwell.
Colleagues, I tried yesterday in
committee to describe the broken process that we’ve went through over the last
two weeks. When I’m speaking today, I’m going to ask for a little bit of
leniency from the Chair. I promise that I am trying to speak to this
appointment, but I think there are examples that are needed to compare the two
and I would ask for some leniency; I understand I may not get it, but I will be
asking for it.
This body has every right to reject
appointments. That is your right as a Senator. Historically, as I read from Ken
Sikkema yesterday and looking back at the history of the Senate, these
rejections have been based on qualifications—real discussions about whether a
person was qualified or not for the position that they were in—not policy, not
politics, strictly on the basis of qualifications. The rejection last week and
this rejection reflect a shift in that process, a process not based on an
individual’s qualifications but rather based on politics and, in some cases,
political deals. I have asked repeatedly on the floor, in committee, in private
conversations for an explanation of these rejections; for someone to get up and
explain what the other side is. I fully understand that the majority does not
like to have their intentions besmirched, and I get that. Nobody would want to
have people guess at why they take the positions they do. I would say, though,
that if you refuse to get up to explain your own positions, if you refuse to
get up and actually come up and defend yourselves,
it does lead to people asking different questions. My best advice—and I try to
give my best advice to my friends on the other side of the aisle all the
time—would be to come up and explain your reasoning. Again, I challenged every
member of the body to do that last week and unfortunately that didn’t happen.
I think the frustration with everyone
on our side of the aisle and with many out in the public is the moving
goalposts that I’ve seen with these two rejections. The first rejection didn’t
really have a whole lot of arguments to be made, but certainly in the press
there were discussions that the person wasn’t independent enough. Obviously I
feel like that’s a bunch of malarkey but that’s not the point. No one could
make the argument that George Heartwell is not independent. George is probably
one of the most independent people who has ever been appointed by any Governor.
He literally is an independent. He endorsed members of the Republican caucus
when they ran for the Senate and members of the Democratic caucus for the Senate.
I told the committee and I told George that nobody worked harder to
prevent certain people from being here in the Senate this last election cycle
than I did, and I don’t hold it against him. I actually think he picked a fine
person to support, and I think that will be reflected in this vote today as
well.
I think it’s unfortunate that outside
influences have had so much effect in this process. I think it’s unfortunate
that the long arm of the NRA comes all the way down into this body and gets to
choose who’s on the Natural Resources Commission. I think that’s inappropriate.
Again, that might be a reasoning, but someone has to get up and actually
explain it. At the end of the day, I think that what we’re looking for is an
independent voice. You’re looking for somebody who’s going to take issues, look
at them, and do what they think is right. George certainly fits into that. It’s
impossible to think that he isn’t. If an avid fisherman who’s been an
independent voice in this state and an avid outdoorsman isn’t qualified for the
NRC, then I don’t know where you’re going to find someone to actually approve
at the end of the day. Again, I’m just going to ask somebody to get up and
explain what’s the standard for rejecting.
At the end of the day, we have real problems
to solve in this state. We’ve got to work together in order to solve them, but
we’re not going to solve them by playing politics. We’re not going to solve
them by backroom political deals. We’re not going to solve them by insulting
the citizens who are willing to serve for free in this process. These are
people who are willing to give of their time just because they love the state
of Michigan. I hope we get to a better place and I hope we get to a better
place where the history of this body and the history of this process will be
respected. I think we’ve reached a place where that’s not the case today, and I
think that’s sad.
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
Third Reading of Bills
Senator MacGregor moved that the Senate
proceed to consideration of the following bill:
Senate
Bill No. 712
The motion prevailed.
The following bill was read a third
time:
Senate Bill No. 712, entitled
A bill to amend 1895 PA 3, entitled “The general law village act,” by
amending sections 10 and 13 of chapter II and section 5 of chapter V (MCL
62.10, 62.13, and 65.5), section 13 of chapter II as amended by 2003 PA 305 and
section 5 of chapter V as amended by 1998 PA 255.
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. 89 Yeas—28
Alexander Daley MacGregor Schmidt
Ananich Hertel McBroom Shirkey
Barrett Horn McCann Stamas
Bizon LaSata Moss Theis
Brinks Lauwers Nesbitt VanderWall
Bumstead Lucido Outman Victory
Chang MacDonald Runestad Zorn
Nays—9
Bayer Hollier McMorrow Santana
Bullock Irwin Polehanki Wojno
Geiss
Excused—1
Johnson
Not
Voting—0
In The Chair: Nesbitt
The Senate agreed to the title of the bill.
Protests
Senators Hollier, Bayer, Santana,
Polehanki, Bullock, Geiss, McMorrow and Wojno, under their constitutional right
of protest (Art. 4, Sec. 18), protested against the passage of Senate Bill No.
712.
Senator Hollier moved that the
statement he made during the discussion of the bill be printed as his reasons
for voting “no.”
The motion prevailed.
Senator Hollier’s statement, in which
Senators Bayer, Santana, Polehanki, Bullock, Geiss, McMorrow and Wojno
concurred, is as follows:
I think we spend a lot of time talking
about communities that cannot take care of themselves. When there are
communities represented by people that look like me, we talk about how they’re
incompetent. We talk about their inability to get things done; how they can’t
manage their finances. We talk about all the mistakes that they’ve made. But
when these communities are from other places in the state, we talk about all
the accommodations that are necessary to be made. We change rules. We make
recommendations based on the issues that they have.
I represent a number of communities
that have been taken over by the state—Highland Park, Hamtramck, and the
Detroit Public Schools twice. We have communities like Flint, Benton Harbor, Muskegon
Heights, and Buena Vista where they completely dissolved this community and
what they said first was that they couldn’t manage their money. And then they
said they couldn’t manage their community. And here we have a community where
they literally can’t keep enough there to represent them. Instead of saying, “hey,
we’re going to let them deal with it the same way every other community does,”
we’re going to change state law. We didn’t change state law to ensure that the
members of the 13th Congressional District had a Congressperson for the better
part of the year that they had a vacancy. We didn’t change state law for the
members of the 2nd Senate District who lost a State Senator. We didn’t change
state law for the countless number of vacancies that happened across the state.
But we have a small community that is pushing up against a deadline that they
could not negotiate, so we are going to move heaven and earth to make sure that
that small community is not affected negatively. We didn’t do that in Detroit.
We didn’t do that for Detroit Public Schools. We haven’t done that in
Hamtramck, Highland Park, or Flint. I don’t know why this community is any
different.
Today we’ve talked about how some
communities are treated differently than others. Here is another opportunity
for us to say that. Either we are going to treat communities the same or we
aren’t. Either we are going to seek to address the fundamental issues and
difficulties that local communities have, or we aren’t. This is another
opportunity for us to say that some communities matter more than others. That’s
really frustrating for me. It’s really frustrating when I know that we are
going to have a number of communities like the ones that I represent that had
these financial challenges that are of no situations of their own. They did not
control them, they did not make them, but they happened. We are going to have
more vacancies in these communities and we are not going to change state law
for them. What we are doing for this small community is so that they can make
their deadlines because we really care about what matters to them. I’m not
saying that we shouldn’t care about other communities, but we should care about
communities in a matter that’s equitable and reasonable so the next time I come
up or my colleagues come up and talk about the very specific situations going
on in some of these communities where a disproportionate number of residents in
this state live, I’d ask you to think about what it means to our residents,
because that’s not what we’ve done at this point. Because we have been talking
about consolidation; we have been talking about financial issues. But when it
comes to communities—particularly in urban communities—we talk about how the
people were bad; how they were managing their experiences poorly; how they didn’t
handle their business. When we look at a community that has lost a significant
number of their members—where they have a councilmember that literally refuses
to show up—we’re willing to change state law. That’s not what we did in Detroit
when we had a Congressperson lost, in my district when a Senator resigned, or
in a number of these other communities. We have a real problem in this state of
how we look at local governments and it’s patchwork and that’s unacceptable.
I would ask you to think about how our
decisions today speak volumes about how we care about the other communities
across the state and where people live and how we prioritize the work that they
are going to do.
The following bill was read a third
time:
Senate Bill No. 713, entitled
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled “Michigan election law,” by
amending section 381 (MCL 168.381), as amended by 2018 PA 120.
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. 90 Yeas—31
Alexander Hertel McBroom Shirkey
Ananich Horn McCann Stamas
Barrett Irwin Moss Theis
Bizon LaSata Nesbitt VanderWall
Brinks Lauwers Outman Victory
Bumstead Lucido Polehanki Wojno
Chang MacDonald Runestad Zorn
Daley MacGregor Schmidt
Nays—6
Bayer Geiss McMorrow Santana
Bullock Hollier
Excused—1
Johnson
Not
Voting—0
In The Chair: Nesbitt
The Senate agreed to the title of the
bill.
The following bill was read a third
time:
House Bill No. 4266, entitled
A bill to amend 1961 PA 236, entitled “Revised judicature act of 1961,”
(MCL 600.101 to 600.9947) by adding section 2979.
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. 91 Yeas—37
Alexander Geiss MacGregor Santana
Ananich Hertel McBroom Schmidt
Barrett Hollier McCann Shirkey
Bayer Horn McMorrow Stamas
Bizon Irwin Moss Theis
Brinks LaSata Nesbitt VanderWall
Bullock Lauwers Outman Victory
Bumstead Lucido Polehanki Wojno
Chang MacDonald Runestad Zorn
Daley
Nays—0
Excused—1
Johnson
Not
Voting—0
In The Chair: Nesbitt
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 revise and consolidate the statutes relating to the organization
and jurisdiction of the courts of this state; the powers and duties of the
courts, and of the judges and other officers of the courts; the forms and
attributes of civil claims and actions; the time within which civil actions and
proceedings may be brought in the courts; pleading, evidence, practice, and
procedure in civil and criminal actions and proceedings in the courts; to
provide for the powers and duties of certain state governmental officers and
entities; to provide remedies and penalties for the violation of certain
provisions of this act; to repeal all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with
or contravening any of the provisions of this act; and to repeal acts and parts
of acts,”.
The Senate agreed to the full title.
The following bill was read a third
time:
House Bill No. 5266, entitled
A bill to amend 2008 PA 167, entitled “Electric cooperative
member-regulation act,” (MCL 460.31 to 460.39) by adding sections 8a and 8b.
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. 92 Yeas—37
Alexander Geiss MacGregor Santana
Ananich Hertel McBroom Schmidt
Barrett Hollier McCann Shirkey
Bayer Horn McMorrow Stamas
Bizon Irwin Moss Theis
Brinks LaSata Nesbitt VanderWall
Bullock Lauwers Outman Victory
Bumstead Lucido Polehanki Wojno
Chang MacDonald Runestad Zorn
Daley
Nays—0
Excused—1
Johnson
Not
Voting—0
In The Chair: Nesbitt
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 provide for the member-regulation of electric cooperatives;
to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state agencies and officials; and
to provide for certain penalties and remedies,”.
The Senate agreed to the full title.
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
General Orders
The motion prevailed, and the
President pro tempore, Senator Nesbitt, designated Senator McBroom as
Chairperson.
After some time spent therein,
the Committee arose; and the President pro tempore, Senator Nesbitt, having
resumed the Chair, the Committee reported back to the Senate, favorably and
with a substitute therefor, the following bill:
Senate Bill No. 370, entitled
A bill to establish the pediatric
congenital heart association fund in the department of treasury; to provide for
the distribution of the money from the fund; to prescribe the powers and duties
of certain agencies and officials; and to provide for appropriations.
Substitute (S-1)
Senate Bill No. 371, entitled
A bill to amend 1967 PA 281,
entitled “Income tax act of 1967,” by amending section 435 (MCL 206.435), as
amended by 2018 PA 258.
Substitute (S-1)
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
Introduction and Referral of Bills
Senators
Stamas, Hollier and VanderWall introduced
A bill to designate an official amphibian of the state of Michigan.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the
Committee on Government Operations.
Senators Geiss, Hertel, Bullock, Santana, Ananich,
Wojno, McBroom, Polehanki, Chang and Schmidt introduced
A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled “The revised
school code,” (MCL 380.1 to 380.1852) by adding section 1160.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Education and Career Readiness.
Senators Irwin, McBroom, Bullock, Wojno, Chang, Bayer
and Polehanki introduced
A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled “The revised
school code,” by amending section 1532 (MCL 380.1532), as amended by 2006 PA
619, and by adding section 1531l.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Education and Career Readiness.
Senators Theis, Irwin, McBroom, Bullock, Wojno, Chang,
Bayer and Polehanki introduced
A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled “The revised
school code,” by amending section 1233 (MCL 380.1233), as amended by 2018 PA
418.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Education and Career Readiness.
A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled “Public health
code,” by amending sections 16170a, 16222, 16231, 16238, and 17201 (MCL
333.16170a, 333.16222, 333.16231, 333.16238, and 333.17201), section 16170a as
amended by 2013 PA 268, section 16222 as amended by 2014 PA 97, section 16231
as amended by 2017 PA 249, section 16238 as added by 1993 PA 79, and section
17201 as amended by 2016 PA 499, and by adding sections 16190, 17225, and
17225a.
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 Health Policy and Human Services.
A bill to amend 1951 PA 51, entitled “An act to provide
for the classification of all public roads, streets, and highways in this
state, and for the revision of that classification and for additions to and
deletions from each classification; to set up and establish the Michigan
transportation fund; to provide for the deposits in the Michigan transportation
fund of specific taxes on motor vehicles and motor vehicle fuels; to provide
for the allocation of funds from the Michigan transportation fund and the use
and administration of the fund for transportation purposes; to promote safe and
efficient travel for motor vehicle drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and other
legal users of roads, streets, and highways; to set up and establish the truck
safety fund; to provide for the allocation of funds from the truck safety fund
and administration of the fund for truck safety purposes; to set up and
establish the Michigan truck safety commission; to establish certain standards for
road contracts for certain businesses; to provide for the continuing review of
transportation needs within the state; to authorize the state transportation
commission, counties, cities, and villages to borrow money, issue bonds, and
make pledges of funds for transportation purposes; to authorize counties to
advance funds for the payment of deficiencies necessary for the payment of
bonds issued under this act; to provide for the limitations, payment,
retirement, and security of the bonds and pledges; to provide for
appropriations and tax levies by counties and townships for county roads; to
authorize contributions by townships for county roads; to provide for the
establishment and administration of the state trunk line fund, local bridge
fund, comprehensive transportation fund, and certain other funds; to provide
for the deposits in the state trunk line fund, critical bridge fund,
comprehensive transportation fund, and certain other funds of money raised by
specific taxes and fees; to provide for definitions of public transportation
functions and criteria; to define the purposes for which Michigan
transportation funds may be allocated; to provide for Michigan transportation
fund grants; to provide for review and approval of transportation programs; to
provide for submission of annual legislative requests and reports; to provide
for the establishment and functions of certain advisory entities; to provide
for conditions for grants; to provide for the issuance of bonds and notes for
transportation purposes; to provide for the powers and duties of certain state
and local agencies and officials; to provide for the making of loans for
transportation purposes by the state transportation department and for the
receipt and repayment by local units and agencies of those loans from certain
specified sources; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,” by amending section
11c (MCL 247.661c), as amended by 2015 PA 182.
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.
A bill to amend 1992 PA 116, entitled “Records
reproduction act,” (MCL 24.401 to 24.406) by adding section 2a.
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 Local Government.
A bill to amend 1931 PA 328, entitled “The Michigan
penal code,” by amending section 491 (MCL 750.491), as amended by 2017 PA 182.
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 Local Government.
Announcements
of Printing and Enrollment
The Secretary announced that the
following House bills were received in the Senate and filed on Wednesday,
February 26:
House
Bill Nos. 4042 4476 5197 5198
The Secretary announced that the
following bills and resolutions were printed and filed on Wednesday, February
26, and are available on the Michigan Legislature website:
Senate
Bill Nos. 801 802
Senate
Resolution Nos. 104 105
House
Bill Nos. 5553 5554 5555 5556 5557
The Committee on Natural Resources
reported
House Bill No. 5002, entitled
A bill
to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled “Natural resources and environmental protection
act,” by amending section 43532a (MCL 324.43532a), as amended by 2013 PA 246.
With the recommendation that the bill
pass.
The committee further recommends that
the bill be given immediate effect.
Ed
McBroom
Chairperson
To
Report Out:
Yeas: Senators McBroom, Bumstead,
Outman, Schmidt and McCann
Nays: None
The bill was referred to the Committee
of the Whole.
The
Committee on Natural Resources reported
House Bill No. 5003, entitled
A bill
to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled “Natural resources and environmental protection
act,” by amending section 43532 (MCL 324.43532), as amended by 2016 PA 463.
With
the recommendation that the bill pass.
The
committee further recommends that the bill be given immediate effect.
Ed
McBroom
Chairperson
To
Report Out:
Yeas: Senators McBroom, Bumstead,
Outman, Schmidt and McCann
Nays: None
The bill was referred to the Committee
of the Whole.
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The
Committee on Natural Resources submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 8:30 a.m., Room 1300, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators McBroom (C), Bumstead, Outman, Schmidt and McCann
The Committee on Appropriations
reported
Senate Bill No. 716, entitled
A bill
to amend 1951 PA 51, entitled “An act to provide for the classification of all
public roads, streets, and highways in this state, and for the revision of that
classification and for additions to and deletions from each classification; to
set up and establish the Michigan transportation fund; to provide for the
deposits in the Michigan transportation fund of specific taxes on motor
vehicles and motor vehicle fuels; to provide for the allocation of funds from
the Michigan transportation fund and the use and administration of the fund for
transportation purposes; to promote safe and efficient travel for motor vehicle
drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and other legal users of roads, streets, and
highways; to set up and establish the truck safety fund; to provide for the
allocation of funds from the truck safety fund and administration of the fund
for truck safety purposes; to set up and establish the Michigan truck safety
commission; to establish certain standards for road contracts for certain
businesses; to provide for the continuing review of transportation needs within
the state; to authorize the state transportation commission, counties, cities,
and villages to borrow money, issue bonds, and make pledges of funds for
transportation purposes; to authorize counties to advance funds for the payment
of deficiencies necessary for the payment of bonds issued under this act; to
provide for the limitations, payment, retirement, and security of the bonds and
pledges; to provide for appropriations and tax levies by counties and townships
for county roads; to authorize contributions by townships for county roads; to
provide for the establishment and administration of the state trunk line fund,
local bridge fund, comprehensive transportation fund, and certain other funds;
to provide for the deposits in the state trunk line fund, critical bridge fund,
comprehensive transportation fund, and certain other funds of money raised by
specific taxes and fees; to provide for definitions of public transportation
functions and criteria; to define the purposes for which Michigan
transportation funds may be allocated; to provide for Michigan transportation
fund grants; to provide for review and approval of transportation programs; to
provide for submission of annual legislative requests and reports; to provide
for the establishment and functions of certain advisory entities; to provide
for conditions for grants; to provide for the issuance of bonds and notes for
transportation purposes; to provide for the powers and duties of certain state
and local agencies and officials; to provide for the making of loans for
transportation purposes by the state transportation department and for the
receipt and repayment by local units and agencies of those loans from certain
specified sources; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,” by amending sections
18a and 18b (MCL 247.668a and 247.668b), section 18b as amended by 2002 PA 498.
With
the recommendation that the bill pass.
The committee further recommends that
the bill be given immediate effect.
Jim
Stamas
Chairperson
To Report Out:
Yeas:
Senators Stamas, Bumstead, Barrett, Bizon, LaSata, MacDonald, MacGregor,
Nesbitt, Outman, Runestad, Schmidt and Victory
Nays:
Senators Hertel, Bayer, Hollier, Irwin, McCann and Santana
The bill was referred to the Committee
of the Whole.
The Committee
on Appropriations reported
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 22.
A
concurrent resolution calling for the responsible use of the state’s
transportation bonding authority and to state the Legislature’s intent
regarding future debt service payments.
(For
text of resolution, see Senate Journal No. 19, p. 236.)
With
the recommendation that the concurrent resolution be adopted.
Jim
Stamas
Chairperson
To Report Out:
Yeas:
Senators Stamas, Bumstead, Barrett, Bizon, LaSata, MacDonald, MacGregor,
Nesbitt, Outman, Runestad, Schmidt and Victory
Nays:
Senators Hertel, Bayer, Hollier, Irwin, McCann and Santana
The concurrent resolution was placed on
the order of Resolutions.
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The
Committee on Appropriations submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 2:00 p.m., Harry T. Gast
Appropriations Room, 3rd Floor, Capitol Building
Present:
Senators Stamas (C), Bumstead, Barrett, Bizon, LaSata, MacDonald, MacGregor,
Nesbitt, Outman, Runestad, Schmidt, Victory, Hertel, Bayer, Hollier, Irwin,
McCann and Santana
The Committee on Advice and
Consent reported the following appointment to office:
Michigan Natural Resources Commission
Mr.
George K. Heartwell III, 8928 S. Parson Avenue, Newaygo, Michigan, 49337,
county of Newaygo, for a term commencing on February 7, 2020, and expiring
December 31, 2023.
With
the recommendation that the Senate disapprove the said appointment.
Peter
J. Lucido
Chairperson
To
Report Out:
Yeas:
Senators Lucido, LaSata, Nesbitt and McBroom
Nays:
Senator Hertel
The
appointment was placed on the order of Messages from the Governor.
COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE REPORT
The
Committee on Advice and Consent submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 3:00 p.m., Room 1300, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators Lucido (C), LaSata, Nesbitt, McBroom and Hertel
The
Committee on Insurance and Banking submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 8:30 a.m., Room 1100, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators Theis (C), Lauwers, LaSata, Nesbitt, Daley, Barrett, Horn, Bullock and
McMorrow
Excused:
Senator Geiss
COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE REPORT
The Appropriations
Subcommittee on General Government submitted the following:
Meeting held on Wednesday,
February 26, 2020, at 3:00 p.m., Harry T. Gast Appropriations Room, 3rd Floor,
Capitol Building
Present: Senators Stamas (C),
Victory, Bumstead and Irwin
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The Appropriations Joint Subcommittee on Capital
Outlay submitted the following:
Joint
meeting held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 3:30 p.m., Room 352, House
Appropriations Room, Capitol Building
Present:
Senators Horn (C), Outman, Runestad, Bizon, Schmidt, Santana and McCann
Excused:
Senators Zorn and Hertel
Scheduled
Meetings
Appropriations -
Subcommittees
-
Agriculture
and Rural Development - Thursday, March 5, 3:00 p.m., Room
1300, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373-2768
General
Government - Wednesdays, March 4, March 11 and
March 18, 3:00 p.m., Harry T. Gast Appropriations Room, 3rd Floor, Capitol
Building (517) 373-2768
Justice
and Public Safety - Thursday, March 5, 1:00 p.m., Room
1300, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373-2768
Labor
and Economic Opportunity/MEDC - Tuesday, March 3, 3:00 p.m.,
Harry T. Gast Appropriations Room, 3rd Floor, Capitol Building (517) 373-2768
Universities
and Community Colleges - Thursdays, March 5 and March 12,
3:00 p.m., Harry T. Gast Appropriations Room, 3rd Floor, Capitol Building (517)
373-2768
Energy and Technology - Tuesday, March 3, 2:00
p.m., Room 1100, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373‑1721
Oversight -Tuesday,
March 3, 2:00 p.m., Room 1300, Binsfeld Office Building; Secondary Location:
Escanaba Location, Michigan Works!, 2950 College Avenue, Escanaba (517)
373-5312
Senator
MacGregor moved that the Senate adjourn.
The
motion prevailed, the time being 11:05 a.m.
The
President pro tempore, Senator Nesbitt, declared the Senate adjourned until Tuesday,
March 3, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.
MARGARET O’BRIEN
Secretary of the Senate