STATE OF MICHIGAN
Journal of the Senate
100th Legislature
REGULAR SESSION OF 2019
Senate Chamber, Lansing, Thursday, June 6, 2019.
10:00 a.m.
The
Senate was called to order by the President, Lieutenant Governor Garlin D.
Gilchrist II.
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—excused
Bullock—present MacDonald—present Stamas—present
Bumstead—present MacGregor—present Theis—present
Chang—excused 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 Peter MacGregor of the 28th
District offered the following invocation:
Dear
heavenly Father, as we proceed with the business of today’s legislative
session, we pause to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of
Normandy. The magnitude of that day and the sacrifices made by the 150,000
Allied troops who stormed that beach cannot be overstated. Father, the fate of
the world depended on Your guidance—and their success—and we are forever
indebted to them for their service to this great nation.
Each of us in this chamber,
Father, has been called to service and we humbly ask for Your wisdom in the
decisions that we make today and throughout our term in office. Give us courage
to be righteous instead of popular; to be fair instead of biased; and to be
caring instead of calculating. Lord, we pray this blessing upon all our Senate
staff and their families.
In the name of Your Son, Jesus.
Amen.
The President, Lieutenant
Governor Gilchrist, led the members of the Senate in recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motions and Communications
Senators Hollier and Schmidt entered
the Senate Chamber.
Senator MacGregor moved that Senator
Shirkey be excused from today’s session.
The motion prevailed.
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
Resolutions
Senator MacGregor moved that
consideration of the following resolutions be postponed for today:
Senate
Resolution No. 30
Senate
Resolution No. 38
Senate
Resolution No. 49
The motion prevailed.
Senate
Resolution No. 55
The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
A resolution to recognize June
12, 2019, as Women Veterans Recognition Day.
The question being on the
adoption of the resolution,
Senate
Resolution No. 57.
A
resolution to commemorate June 6, 2019, as the inaugural Indian-American
Legislative Day in the state of Michigan.
Whereas,
The people of Michigan are honored to represent many cultures and are proud to
join with all residents of Indian heritage in acknowledging the contributions
of Indian-Americans to our state; and
Whereas,
In 1947, India proclaimed independence and officially became a self-governing
country, marking the beginning of its identity as a free and sovereign nation;
and
Whereas,
Like the United States, India is a diverse nation of many cultures and
religions, and Indian-Americans have brought to Michigan a true melting pot of
diverse Indian heritage; and
Whereas,
Americans identifying as Indian-Americans in Michigan are expected to approach
a population of over 100,000 by the coming census; and
Whereas,
India has proved to be a courageous nation with a growing democracy, seeking to
establish its basic, fundamental principles of freedom, opportunity, and
justice; and
Whereas,
Indian-Americans have brought to Michigan that same courage and commitment to
these shared ideals; and
Whereas, Michigan residents who hail from India, or who have ancestral
ties to India, continually demonstrate the greatness of the culture, arts,
traditions, and natural beauty of their homeland; and
Whereas, Michigan residents who immigrated from India have achieved high
levels of education with over 40% having attained a post graduate degree; and
Whereas, The contributions of these individuals are notable and reflect
success in many fields, including education, medicine, science, technology,
business, industry, and public policy; and
Whereas, Michigan welcomes the opportunity to promote a greater
understanding of the Indian-American culture, while also providing an
opportunity for Michiganders to recognize the contributions of Indian-Americans
to our state’s economy; now therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That the members of this legislative body
commemorate June 6, 2019, as the inaugural Indian-American Legislative Day in
the state of Michigan; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Asian
Pacific American Caucus to be distributed to Indian American communities and
associations.
Senator MacGregor moved that the
rule be suspended.
The motion prevailed, a majority
of the members serving voting therefor.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Runestad’s statement is as
follows:
Today I stand as a proud member
of the Asian Pacific Legislative Caucus to offer a resolution designating June
6 as the inauguration of the Indian-American Legislative Day here in the state
of Michigan.
As a member
of this caucus, I am honored to be joined by Senator Chang and Representative
Padma Kuppa in recognition of contributions of Indian-Americans to Michigan’s
economy and their notable accomplishments in many fields, including education,
medicine, science, technology, business, industry, and public policy.
Like the United States, the
nation of India is a diverse nation with many different cultures and religions.
The Indian-Americans have brought to Michigan a true melting pot of Indian heritage
and have demonstrated a solid commitment to our shared values such as freedom,
opportunity, and justice.
I encourage all members of this
body to join with me in supporting Senate Resolution No. 57 to designate June 6
as the inauguration of Indian-American Legislative Day in the state of
Michigan.
Senator McMorrow offered the following
resolution:
Senate
Resolution No. 58.
A resolution to recognize June 7, 2019, as National Gun Violence
Awareness Day.
Whereas, We honor and remember all victims and survivors of gun
violence. Our country must do more to reduce gun violence; and
Whereas, Every day, 100 Americans are killed by gun violence and
countless others are wounded; and
Whereas, Americans are 25 times more likely to be
killed with guns than people in other high-income countries; and
Whereas, Protecting public safety in the communities they serve is among
a governor’s highest responsibilities; and
Whereas, Support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens
goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from people that shouldn’t have them;
and
Whereas, June 2019 would have marked the 22nd birthday of Hadiya
Pendleton, a teenager who marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade
and was tragically shot and killed just weeks later; and
Whereas, To honor Hadiya, and the 100 Americans whose lives are cut
short as well as the countless others who are wounded by gun violence every
day, June 7, 2019, has been designated as the fifth National Gun Violence
Awareness Day; and
Whereas, The idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya’s friends who asked
their classmates to commemorate her life by wearing orange; they chose this
color because hunters wear orange to protect themselves and others. Orange is a
color that has been embraced by the gun safety movement because it symbolizes
the value of human life; and
Whereas, By wearing orange and commemorating National Gun Violence
Awareness Day on June 7, Americans will raise awareness about gun violence and
honor the lives and lost human potential of Americans stolen by gun violence;
and
Whereas, We renew our commitment to reduce gun violence, pledge to do
all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, and encourage responsible
gun ownership to help keep our children safe; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That members of this legislative body recognize
June 7, 2019, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage all citizens to support their communities’
efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor and value
human lives.
Pursuant
to rule 3.204, the resolution was referred to the Committee on Government
Operations.
The
motion prevailed.
Senator McMorrow’s statement is as
follows:
On April 16, 2007,
I was sitting in a theology class at the University of Notre Dame. I received a
text message—this was before we had iPhones—from a friend from Virginia Tech
who said there was a shooter on campus. He said he was OK and I breathed a sigh
of relief, but later that day as names came out, there was another name that I
knew. It was the older brother of one of my best friends—somebody who I went to
high school with, somebody who I knew and saw at sleepovers, somebody who I
grew up with. For the days that followed, cable news channels replayed this
incident over and over again. They had animations of how the shooter entered
the building, how he executed this incredibly violent attack, and how he
murdered somebody that I grew up with in cold blood. I couldn’t look away. It
was replayed for days upon days and my friend’s dad’s picture was on the front
page of The Washington Post as our
national face of grief, sobbing uncontrollably.
Gun violence takes
many forms and while school shootings and mass shootings often get a lot of the
headlines, this isn’t the only form that it takes. Suicide is something that
affects many Americans, many Michiganders, and many very quietly. One hundred
Americans are killed every day by guns. When we talk about suicide, those who
attempt suicide by firearm have a 90 percent chance of succeeding—of killing
themselves—versus attempting suicide via any other method where there’s only a
10 percent success rate, which means there’s a 90 percent chance that you get
another chance. Right now, white males account for 70 percent of suicides and
kill themselves at twice the national rate. Suicide is also the No. 2 cause of
death for young people ages 10 to 24 in my county of Oakland.
We know that freedom isn’t free. We
hear this all the time, but I think we have to grapple with the fact that
sometimes many of our freedoms are much more complicated than we might realize.
We have to grapple with these realities. We have to live in this tension. We
have to acknowledge the push-and-pull. We can never forget the people that we
lose, the people who are close to us. In the more than a decade since Virginia
Tech as I have talked to more and more people about my experience and my friend’s
experience, what is shocking to me is how many people tell me, “I lost somebody
too.” It’s not an experience that we should share. What do we do when our own
kill our own? What do we do when our own kill themselves?
I welcome your co‑sponsorship on
this resolution and invite you all to participate because gun violence is the
issue here. It’s not guns versus no guns. It’s how do we address this horrible
issue of our own dying. This day was actually started by a group of 15-year-old
girls in the wake of losing one of their own, and in the wake of her death a
15-year-old girl was wearing orange, so that is why we wear orange in honor of
this day. It’s also widely known as a safety color in hunting. We wear it to
recognize and fight for gun safety.
I invite you to join me. I invite you
to put aside some of the partisan thoughts on this issue and let’s talk to each
other about how we solve gun violence.
Senate Resolution No. 59.
A resolution to commemorate June 10, 2019, as
the 100th anniversary of Michigan’s ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Whereas, Michigan was the one of the first
three states to ratify the 19th Amendment, to provide suffrage to women; and
Whereas, The introduction, passage, and
ultimate ratification of the 19th Amendment were the culmination of decades of
work and struggle by advocates; and
Whereas, This tireless advocacy began in
Michigan in 1846 when a woman named Ernestine Rose spoke to the Michigan Legislature
about the need for women’s suffrage; and
Whereas, Organized efforts
to advocate for a vote on women’s suffrage began with a petition drive in 1855;
and
Whereas, By 1866, the Michigan Legislature
considered its first bill to extend suffrage to women, but the measure was
defeated by a single vote; and
Whereas, Over the next fifty years, proposals
to grant women the right to vote were considered numerous times by the Legislature
and Michigan voters, but each time the measures came up short; and
Whereas, Leading these campaigns were
organizations, including the Michigan State Suffrage Association and the
Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, who held rallies and worked to educate
others; and
Whereas, Women from across Michigan with
diverse backgrounds and political views persisted in their quest, persevering
in the face of resistance; and
Whereas, These Michigan women played an
instrumental role in achieving women’s suffrage both in Michigan and across the
country; and
Whereas, It took male allies to support women
in their endeavor to vote, for it was sons, husbands, and fathers who
ultimately heard the calls of women and took this historic vote on June 10,
1919; and
Whereas, In August of the following year, the
19th Amendment was ratified by three-fourths of the states and officially
became part of the Constitution of the United States; and
Whereas, We thank the decades-long effort by
women’s rights activists, the daughters, granddaughters, and
great-granddaughters of the women who fought so hard to vote, and made their
voices heard at the polls for nearly 100 years; and
Whereas, Most of the women who began asking
for the right to vote never lived to see the enfranchisement of women; and
Whereas, Women are now running for elected
office in unprecedented numbers, following in the footsteps of these great
suffragists; and
Whereas, We honor those who have championed
the movement to achieve economic, social, and political equality for women in
the state of Michigan; now, therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate, That the members of
this legislative body commemorate June 10, 2019, as the 100th anniversary of
Michigan’s ratification of the 19th Amendment; and be it further
Resolved, That the Senate reaffirms Michigan’s
commitment to empowering and uplifting the voices of women across our great
state.
Senator
MacGregor moved that the rule be suspended.
The
motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
The motion prevailed, a majority of the
members serving voting therefor.
The
motion prevailed.
Senator
Brinks’ statement is as follows:
Colleagues, today I rise to offer this resolution to
commemorate June 10, 2019 the 100th anniversary of Michigan’s ratification of
the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which extended national suffrage
to women. The women of Michigan were among the earliest leaders in the fight
for national women’s suffrage. Because of their tireless work, Michigan ratified
the 19th Amendment on June 10, 1919, less than 10 days after it passed the U.S.
Congress. As we celebrate their success a century later, it is important to
honor those who championed the movement and to reflect on their unyielding
persistence during the decades-long struggle.
The fight for women’s suffrage began in Michigan in 1846,
two years before the women’s rights convention of Seneca Falls, New York. A
woman named Ernestine Rose traveled to our state capitol, which was at the time
located in Detroit to discuss extending suffrage to women with members of the
Legislature. Just three years later a Michigan Senate committee proposed a
universal suffrage amendment to the Michigan Constitution which would have
extended suffrage to both women and African Americans. No action was taken on
the proposal. In committee, in fact, its opponents commented on its uselessness
and its needlessness. Extending voting rights would not be considered again
until nearly 20 years later when in 1866, the Michigan Legislature considered
its first bill to extend suffrage to women. That bill was defeated by just one
vote. Undeterred, the women of our state used this shortcoming as motivation to
fight harder than ever. They organized and formed the Michigan State Suffrage Association,
and later, the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association. Members of those groups
lobbied state lawmakers and actively campaigned to spread their message to the
public.
Over
the next 50 years, their hard work caused decision-makers to consider extending
voting rights to women again on several occasions, resulting in four additional
rejected amendments to the state Constitution, two additional rejected bills,
and one short-lived victory; a law granting women’s suffrage in municipal
elections that was held unconstitutional by the Michigan Supreme Court shortly
after it passed. Nevertheless, the women of our state persisted and continued
to exert unparalleled determination to achieve suffrage. Their efforts did not
go unnoticed. Instead, their efforts ignited conversations among citizens
across Michigan and garnered support from men and women alike.
Finally,
in 1918, 72 years after Ernestine Rose traveled to Detroit, those citizen
allies passed a ballot initiative granting women the right to vote in Michigan.
One year later, in 1919, Michigan became one of the first states to ratify the
19th Amendment. Thanks to the over seven-decade-long effort of these women,
their daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters can proudly cast
their ballots. And Michigan women were immediately presented with new
opportunities, politically, socially, and economically. In 1919 alone, the
first all-woman jury was seated in Detroit, Ella Eggleston of Hastings became
the first woman to be appointed as a probate judge, Phoebe Patterson of
Plymouth became the first woman justice of the peace, and Anna Shaw of Big
Rapids became the first woman in the nation to receive the Distinguished
Service Medal. One year later, in 1920, Eva McCall Hamilton of Grand Rapids,
whose portrait graces the west wall of this chamber, was the first woman
elected to the Michigan Legislature, serving as a State Senator.
Michigan’s
ratification of the 19th Amendment was a tremendous milestone in making
Michigan citizens of our state and nation more free. But there was still, and
there still is, more work to be done. For many years after 1919, African
Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and others were still unable to
freely participate fully in their government. Today while a vote cannot be
denied on the basis of race, sex, or ethnicity, we still face unique challenges
just as new generations of Michiganders will well into the future. But no
matter the challenge, the determination of Michigan’s suffragists serves as an
inspiration to any person standing strong in their convictions and fighting for
change. Because while these strong women faced rejection after rejection, they
were never defeated. Their persistence paved the way to their victory, and
their victory will continue to inspire generations of Michiganders to be bold,
to be an unstoppable force in the face of a seemingly unmovable object.
Statements
Senator
Barrett asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved
that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The
motion prevailed.
Senator
Barrett’s statement is as follows:
Today I
just wanted to memorialize a friend of mine who passed away either Sunday or
Monday. I served in the Army with a young man named David Bankston. He was a
chief warrant officer two in the Army, served 12 years, and deployed at least
once in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; he was a medevac helicopter pilot
over there. Sadly, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor after he returned home
and suffered from that for the last several years and was in remission, and
then fell victim to his illness.
I know
today is a day when we remember the sacrifices made by our Greatest Generation
in the heroic service of our military and I just wanted to mention Dave’s
sacrifice too because he was just a really kind man who was a good person. I
can recall a specific incident when I was going through training. We had to go
through underwater survival school, which is not all that fun to do. I had been
kind of struggling through that phase of our training and happened to bump into
Dave at lunch on one of my times repeating that training because I hadn’t quite
made it the first time. He gave me a lot of encouragement which was just a real
kind act that I thought was particularly appreciated. We went on to serve together
through flight school for almost two years and he made a significant sacrifice
for our country—he served 12 years, he’s got a family that he leaves behind. I
just wanted to recognize his service to our country today.
Just as
a little bit of humor, I was going through his Facebook page recalling some of
our memories together and the first thing that popped up was a picture from
Veterans Day that said, “If you want to thank a veteran, punch a politician in
the face.” I just wanted to offer that as some parting words from Dave and let
him know that we’re thinking of him today in the state of Michigan.
Announcements of Printing and
Enrollment
The Secretary announced that the following bills and
resolution were printed and filed on Wednesday, June 5 and are available
on the Michigan Legislature website:
Senate Bill Nos. 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364
Senate Resolution No. 56
House Bill Nos. 4689 4690 4691 4692 4693
Committee Reports
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reported
Senate
Bill No. 278, entitled
A
bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled “Michigan vehicle code,” by amending
sections 221 and 310 (MCL 257.221 and 257.310), section 221 as amended by 1998
PA 64 and section 310 as amended by 2018 PA 177.
With
the recommendation that the substitute (S-2) be adopted and that the bill then
pass.
The
committee further recommends that the bill be given immediate effect.
Tom
Barrett
Chairperson
To
Report Out:
Yeas:
Senators Barrett, LaSata, McBroom, Victory, Outman, Lauwers, Geiss, Bullock and
Hollier
Nays:
None
The
bill and the substitute recommended by the committee were referred to the
Committee of the Whole.]
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reported
Senate
Bill No. 279, entitled
A
bill to amend 2008 PA 23, entitled “Enhanced driver license and enhanced
official state personal identification card act,” by amending section 5 (MCL
28.305), as amended by 2018 PA 606.
With
the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then
pass.
The
committee further recommends that the bill be given immediate effect.
Tom
Barrett
Chairperson
To
Report Out:
Yeas:
Senators Barrett, LaSata, McBroom, Victory, Outman, Lauwers, Geiss, Bullock and
Hollier
Nays:
None
The
bill and the substitute recommended by the committee were referred to the
Committee of the Whole.
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reported
Senate
Bill No. 280, entitled
A
bill to amend 2001 PA 142, entitled “Michigan memorial highway act,” (MCL
250.1001 to 250.2080) by adding section 1081.
With
the recommendation that the bill pass.
The
committee further recommends that the bill be given immediate effect.
Tom
Barrett
Chairperson
To
Report Out:
Yeas:
Senators Barrett, LaSata, McBroom, Victory, Outman, Lauwers, Geiss, Bullock and
Hollier
Nays:
None
The
bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole.
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reported
House
Bill No. 4118, entitled
A
bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled “Michigan vehicle code,” by amending
section 627 (MCL 257.627), as amended by 2016 PA 445.
With
the recommendation that the bill pass.
The
committee further recommends that the bill be given immediate effect.
Tom
Barrett
Chairperson
To
Report Out:
Yeas:
Senators Barrett, LaSata, McBroom, Victory, Outman, Lauwers, Geiss and Bullock
Nays:
Senator Hollier
The
bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole.
COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE REPORT
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure submitted
the following:
Meeting
held on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at 12:30 p.m., Room 1100, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators Barrett (C), LaSata, McBroom, Victory, Outman, Lauwers, Geiss, Bullock
and Hollier
The Committee on Families, Seniors, and Veterans reported
Senate
Resolution No. 55.
A
resolution to recognize June 12, 2019, as Women Veterans Recognition Day.
(For
text of resolution, see Senate Journal No. 56, p. 607.)
With
the recommendation that the resolution be adopted.
John
Bizon, M.D.
Chairperson
To
Report Out:
Yeas:
Senators Bizon, Barrett, Runestad, Johnson, Zorn, Bullock and Alexander
Nays:
None
The
resolution was placed on the order of Resolutions.
COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE REPORT
The Committee on Families, Seniors, and Veterans submitted
the following:
Meeting
held on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at 3:00 p.m., Room 1200, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators Bizon (C), Barrett, Runestad, Johnson, Zorn, Bullock and Alexander
COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE REPORT
The Committee on Agriculture submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Thursday, June 6, 2019, at 8:30 a.m., Room 1200, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators Daley (C), Victory, Lauwers, Ananich and Polehanki
Advice and Consent
- Wednesday, June 12, 3:00 p.m., Room 1100, Binsfeld
Office Building (517) 373-5312
Economic and Small Business Development
-
Thursday, June 13, 2:30 p.m., Room 1100, Binsfeld Office Building (517)
373-5314
Regulatory Reform - Tuesday, June 25, 3:00 p.m.,
Room 1200, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373-5314
Senator
MacGregor moved that the Senate adjourn.
The
motion prevailed, the time being 10:23 a.m.
The
President, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, declared the Senate adjourned until
Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.
MARGARET O’BRIEN
Secretary of the Senate