STATE OF MICHIGAN
Journal of the Senate
100th Legislature
REGULAR SESSION OF 2019
Senate Chamber, Lansing, Friday, May 24, 2019.
8:00
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—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
Senator Ed McBroom of the 38th District
offered the following invocation:
Dear Father, we thank You for another
new day and for the blessings that You’ve given us. We pray that You would
watch over us this morning with the work that we have before us, that You would
keep us mindful of the people we’ve come here to serve, and most of all, that
you would help us to remember that we work for You. In all things, we serve
You. We thank You for the honor that you’ve given us to represent the people of
this state. And we pray that You would guide our thoughts and our decisions.
And we pray that You would help us to bring honor to them and to our families
at home.
We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The President,
Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, led the members of the Senate in recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motions
and Communications
The
motion prevailed.
The
motion prevailed.
By unanimous consent the Senate
proceeded to the order of
Introduction
and Referral of Bills
Senators
VanderWall, Lucido and MacGregor introduced
A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled “Public
health code,” by amending section 2705 (MCL 333.2705), as amended by 2016 PA
499.
The bill was read a first and second time by
title and referred to the Committee on Health Policy and Human Services.
Senators Barrett, Geiss, Wojno and Bullock introduced
A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled “Michigan
vehicle code,” by amending sections 216, 217i, 802, and 803a (MCL 257.216,
257.217i, 257.802, and 257.803a), section 216 as amended by 2009 PA 32, section 217i
as added by 2018 PA 680, section 802 as amended by 2016 PA 425, and section
803a as amended by 1996 PA 404, and by adding section 803s.
The bill was read a first and second time by
title and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Senators Geiss, Barrett, Wojno and Bullock introduced
A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled “Michigan
vehicle code,” by amending section 20a (MCL 257.20a), as amended by 2012 PA
239, and by adding sections 20b and 30d.
The bill was read a first and second time by
title and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Senators Barrett, Geiss, Wojno and Bullock introduced
A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled “Natural
resources and environmental protection act,” by amending sections 6311 and 6512
(MCL 324.6311 and 324.6512), as added by 1995 PA 60.
The bill was read a first and second time by
title and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Senator Alexander introduced
A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled “Michigan
vehicle code,” by amending section 625 (MCL 257.625), as amended by 2017 PA
153.
The bill was read a
first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary and
Public Safety.
Senators MacGregor, Barrett, Lucido, Bullock, Wojno, Bizon, Stamas,
Hertel, VanderWall and Hollier introduced
A bill to amend 1939 PA 280, entitled “The
social welfare act,” (MCL 400.1 to 400.119b) by adding section 111n.
The bill was read a first and second time by
title and referred to the Committee on Health Policy and Human Services.
Senators VanderWall, Victory, Hertel, Stamas, Wojno, MacDonald,
Bumstead, Bizon, Horn and Zorn introduced
A bill to amend 1998 PA 58, entitled “Michigan
liquor control code of 1998,” by amending section 233 (MCL 436.1233).
The bill was read a first and second time by
title and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.
A bill to amend 2007 PA 36, entitled “Michigan
business tax act,” by amending sections 117 and 500 (MCL 208.1117 and
208.1500), section 117 as amended by 2011 PA 292 and section 500 as amended by
2016 PA 426; 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 Finance.
A bill to amend 1995 PA 24, entitled “Michigan
economic growth authority act,” by amending section 8 (MCL 207.808), as amended
by 2009 PA 123.
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 Finance.
A bill to amend 1967 PA 281, entitled “Income
tax act of 1967,” by amending section 680 (MCL 206.680), as amended by 2012 PA
70.
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 Finance.
Senator
MacGregor moved that the Senate recess subject to the call of the Chair.
The
motion prevailed, the time being 8:06 a.m.
The
Senate was called to order by the President, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist.
By unanimous consent the Senate
returned to the order of
Messages from the House
A bill
to amend 1956 PA 218, entitled “The insurance code of 1956,” by amending
sections 150, 2105, 2108, 2118, 2120, 3101, 3101a, 3104, 3107, 3111, 3112, 3113,
3114, 3115, 3135, 3142, 3148, 3157, 3163, 3172, 3173a, 3174, 3175, and 3177
(MCL 500.150, 500.2105, 500.2108, 500.2118, 500.2120, 500.3101, 500.3101a,
500.3104, 500.3107, 500.3111, 500.3112, 500.3113, 500.3114, 500.3115, 500.3135,
500.3142, 500.3148, 500.3157, 500.3163, 500.3172, 500.3173a, 500.3174,
500.3175, and 500.3177), section 150 as amended by 1992 PA 182, section 2108 as
amended by 2015 PA 141, sections 2118 and 2120 as amended by 2007 PA 35,
section 3101 as amended by 2017 PA 140, section 3101a as amended by 2018 PA
510, section 3104 as amended by 2002 PA 662, section 3107 as amended by 2012 PA
542, section 3113 as amended by 2016 PA 346, section 3114 as amended by 2016 PA
347, section 3135 as amended by 2012 PA 158, section 3163 as amended by 2002
PA 697, sections 3172, 3173a, 3174, and 3175 as amended by 2012 PA 204, and
section 3177 as amended by 1984 PA 426, and by adding sections 261, 1245,
2116b, 3107c, 3107d, 3107e, 3157a, and 3157b and chapter 63.
The
House of Representatives has substituted (H-3) the bill.
The
House of Representatives has passed the bill as substituted (H-3), ordered that it be given
immediate effect and amended the title to read as follows:
A bill to amend 1956 PA 218, entitled “An act to revise,
consolidate, and classify the laws relating to the insurance and surety
business; to regulate the incorporation or formation of domestic insurance and
surety companies and associations and the admission of foreign and alien
companies and associations; to provide their rights, powers, and immunities and
to prescribe the conditions on which companies and associations organized,
existing, or authorized under this act may exercise their powers; to provide
the rights, powers, and immunities and to prescribe the conditions on which
other persons, firms, corporations, associations, risk retention groups, and
purchasing groups engaged in an insurance or surety business may exercise their
powers; to provide for the imposition of a privilege fee on domestic insurance
companies and associations and the state accident fund; to provide for the
imposition of a tax on the business of foreign and alien companies and
associations; to provide for the imposition of a tax on risk retention groups
and purchasing groups; to provide for the imposition of a tax on the business
of surplus line agents; to provide for the imposition of regulatory fees on
certain insurers; to provide for assessment fees on certain health maintenance
organizations; to modify tort liability arising out of certain accidents; to
provide for limited actions with respect to that modified tort liability and to
prescribe certain procedures for maintaining those actions; to require security
for losses arising out of certain accidents; to provide for the continued
availability and affordability of automobile insurance and homeowners insurance
in this state and to facilitate the purchase of that insurance by all residents
of this state at fair and reasonable rates; to provide for certain reporting
with respect to insurance and with respect to certain claims against uninsured
or self-insured persons; to prescribe duties for certain state departments and
officers with respect to that reporting; to provide for certain assessments; to
establish and continue certain state insurance funds; to modify and clarify the
status, rights, powers, duties, and operations of the nonprofit malpractice
insurance fund; to provide for the departmental supervision and regulation of
the insurance and surety business within this state; to provide for regulation
over worker’s compensation self-insurers; to provide for the conservation,
rehabilitation, or liquidation of unsound or insolvent insurers; to provide for
the protection of policyholders, claimants, and creditors of unsound or
insolvent insurers; to provide for associations of insurers to protect
policyholders and claimants in the event of insurer insolvencies; to prescribe
educational requirements for insurance agents and solicitors; to provide for
the regulation of multiple employer welfare arrangements; to create an
automobile theft prevention authority to reduce the number of automobile thefts
in this state; to prescribe the powers and duties of the automobile theft
prevention authority; to provide certain powers and duties upon certain
officials, departments, and authorities of this state; to provide for an
appropriation; to repeal acts and parts of acts; and to provide penalties for
the violation of this act,” by amending sections 150, 224, 1244, 2038, 2040,
2069, 2105, 2106, 2108, 2111, 2118, 2120, 2151, 3009, 3101, 3101a, 3104, 3107,
3109a, 3111, 3112, 3113, 3114, 3115, 3135, 3142, 3145, 3148, 3151, 3157, 3163,
3172, 3173a, 3174, 3175, and 3177 (MCL 500.150, 500.224, 500.1244, 500.2038,
500.2040, 500.2069, 500.2105, 500.2106, 500.2108, 500.2111, 500.2118, 500.2120,
500.2151, 500.3009, 500.3101, 500.3101a, 500.3104, 500.3107, 500.3109a,
500.3111, 500.3112, 500.3113, 500.3114, 500.3115, 500.3135, 500.3142, 500.3145,
500.3148, 500.3151, 500.3157, 500.3163, 500.3172, 500.3173a, 500.3174,
500.3175, and 500.3177), section 150 as amended by 1992 PA 182, section 224 as
amended by 2007 PA 187, section 1244 as amended by 2001 PA 228, section 2069
as amended by 1989 PA 306, section 2108 as amended by 2015 PA 141, section 2111
as amended by 2012 PA 441, sections 2118 and 2120 as amended by 2007 PA 35,
section 2151 as added by 2012 PA 165, sections 3009 and 3113 as amended by 2016
PA 346, section 3101 as amended by 2017 PA 140, section 3101a as amended
by 2018 PA 510, section 3104 as amended by 2002 PA 662, section 3107 as amended
by 2012 PA 542, section 3109a as amended by 2012 PA 454, section 3114 as
amended by 2016 PA 347, section 3135 as amended by 2012 PA 158, section 3163 as
amended by 2002 PA 697, sections 3172, 3173a, 3174, and 3175 as amended by
2012 PA 204, and section 3177 as amended by 1984 PA 426, and by adding sections
261, 271, 2013a, 2111f, 2116b, 2162, 3107c, 3107d, 3107e, 3157a, and 3157b and chapters 31A and 63.
Pending the order that, under rule
3.202, the bill be laid over one day,
Senator MacGregor moved that the rule
be suspended.
The motion prevailed, a majority of the
members serving voting therefor.
The question being on concurring in the
substitute made to the bill by the House,
Senator
Irwin offered the following amendments:
1. Amend page 24, line 11, after “(5)” by
striking out “Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter,” and inserting “AN INSURER SHALL NOT ESTABLISH OR MAINTAIN
RATES OR RATING CLASSIFICATIONS FOR”.
2. Amend page 24, line 12, after “insurance” by
striking out “risks may be grouped by” and inserting “BASED ON THE”.
3. Amend page 24, line 12, after “territory” by
striking out “IN WHICH THE INSURED
RESIDES OR WORKS.”
The amendments were not adopted, a
majority of the members serving not voting therefor.
Senator Irwin requested the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered, 1/5 of the
members present voting therefor.
The
amendments were not adopted, a majority of the members serving not voting
therefor, as follows:
Roll Call No. 121 Yeas—16
Alexander Bullock Hollier Moss
Ananich Chang Irwin Polehanki
Bayer Geiss McCann Santana
Brinks Hertel McMorrow Wojno
Nays—22
Barrett LaSata Nesbitt Stamas
Bizon Lauwers Outman Theis
Bumstead Lucido Runestad VanderWall
Daley MacDonald Schmidt Victory
Horn MacGregor Shirkey Zorn
Johnson McBroom
Excused—0
Not
Voting—0
In The
Chair: President
The question being on concurring in the
substitute made to the bill by the House,
The
substitute was concurred in, a majority of the members serving voting therefor,
as follows:
Roll Call No. 122 Yeas—34
Alexander Geiss MacGregor Schmidt
Ananich Hertel McBroom Shirkey
Barrett Hollier McCann Stamas
Bayer Horn Nesbitt Theis
Bizon Johnson Outman VanderWall
Bullock LaSata Polehanki Victory
Bumstead Lauwers Runestad Wojno
Chang Lucido Santana Zorn
Daley MacDonald
Nays—4
Brinks Irwin McMorrow Moss
Excused—0
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.
The Senate agreed to the title as
amended.
The bill was referred to the Secretary for
enrollment printing and presentation to the Governor.
The motion prevailed.
Senator
Irwin’s statement is as follows:
I rise
in support of this amendment. It will institute real anti-discrimination
language into this bill. As many of you know, here in Michigan one of the main
drivers of high auto insurance rates is that we have a million-plus drivers who
are driving our roads every day, but not paying in because their rates are so
excessive. Their rates are so excessive because of redlining and
discrimination.
At the
beginning of this process, you heard from many of us, including myself, who
said we need real protection against redlining in this bill. Unfortunately,
what is in the bill now is a prohibition on using ZIP codes, but as you know
there are many different ways that one can redline. We don’t need to use ZIP
codes – you can use census tracts, you can use political boundaries—so
what this amendment would do is prohibit redlining and discrimination and rate
setting in Michigan in a bona fide way and correct that failure in Senate Bill
No. 1.
Senator
Theis’ statement is as follows:
Written within the details of this bill are the efforts
of many people over many, many hours. It contains ideas that have literally
taken years to come to fruition. This has involved hours and hours of
negotiation, checking politics and egos at the door, and those willing to speak
being given an opportunity to be heard. Even so, it is not a perfect bill; and
no legislation is. Importantly, however, Michiganders will soon be able to give
up one “we’re number one” title they never wanted—that of the most expensive
car insurance in the country.
Over
the years that I’ve been traveling across the state to try to change this
terribly broken system, I’ve heard so many stories that had largely gone
untold. I stand here today to ask for a “yes” vote for one senior who had to
sell the last car he would own in his lifetime, not because he couldn’t afford
the car—he owned it—but because he couldn’t afford the insurance, and with his
fixed income, we—that’s us, the lawmakers—made him choose between his medicine
that he truly needed to live, or his freedom—that car. Freedom lost. While I
have no expectation he’ll buy another car even when we fix this, perhaps we can
keep this story from repeating itself.
There was the story of the kids from the alternative
education high school that just wanted the same opportunity their peers had to
join the robotics team—but their school didn’t offer one. A nearby school
offered one that they could have been a part of, however, but they would have
had to drive to get there. They could scrape together enough money to get the
vehicle to drive there, but not to buy the insurance, and they didn’t dare
drive without it. At a time when kids are getting college scholarships based on
their robotics activity, this represents a terrible missed opportunity for
them. A “yes” vote on this bill may yet give them that opportunity.
There
was the foster parent recruiter who explained to me that there were many
parents whose children had become a part of the foster system, who though they
were making every effort to correct the behavior that created the problem in
the first place, were in danger of losing their children due to not making the
mandatory parent visit meetings due to a lack of transportation. If they miss
enough of those meetings, parental rights termination proceedings begin. Making
a base rate affordable insurance for them begins to make it affordable and they
can start to make those meetings.
I have
story after story of Michiganders like these who are harmed by the system we
currently have, some who were auto-injured and many who were everyday drivers
trying to follow the law. We now have a chance to make this system more
affordable while still helping those that need it, and this bill does just that.
We can offer people a choice, like they have in every other type of insurance
they purchase. We can stop taking away the last years of freedom for our
seniors, and stop taking away the prospects for our kids. We can work to make
it possible for all Michigan’s citizens to have reasonable auto insurance that
provides the coverage levels they need at a price they can afford.
I want
to thank all of you who have worked so hard to make this possible, and I ask
you to join me today in supporting Senate Bill No. 1 for the citizens of
Michigan on this monumental day.
Senator
Santana’s statement is as follows:
Thank
you Mr. President for the opportunity to speak to this body on this important
subject that has captivated the attention of our citizens, and rightfully so.
Auto insurance has been and continues to be the single biggest issue that we
have been faced with addressing on behalf of the citizens of Michigan.
In the 3rd District, the high cost of auto insurance has
impacted many. I can tell you that in the two years I spent in the House and
now here in the Senate, I have heard countless e-mails, phone calls, text
messages, social media contacts, and heard in community meetings and coffee
hours and talked to voters in their homes, and held numerous town halls on this
issue. And I also conducted polling and every time I encountered constituents
in my travels they have asked the question—What are we going to do about it?
That is the question that I was asked repeatedly, over and over again at more
than 15,000 doors that I knocked on during my campaign.
What
are you going to do about it? I had a 27-year old, single mother of two boys in
my district who lives on Prest Street who makes about $35,000 a year ask me.
She’s paying $8,000 in auto insurance for a 10-year old car that she has. What
are we going to do about it? That’s the question I was asked also by a senior
citizen in my district in Dearborn who now has to depend on her family, depend
on Uber, and also taxis to get around because she decided to give up her vehicle
because she did a cost-benefit and figured it out that it was cheaper for her
to either catch a ride or take a taxi.
Now
that you understand the realities for many of our constituents in the 3rd
District, 48227, the highest zip code in the nation, people are paying premiums
of $15,000 a year. So let’s put that all into perspective: some of my
constituents are the poorest and have the lowest income generators in the state
who pay the highest amount for their auto insurance. The high cost of auto
insurance continues to be the driving factor that keeps citizens in the weight
of poverty.
Now I
will not sit here and pretend to be an expert on auto insurance, but I will
tell you this—as a concerned citizen I decided to run for office to make sure
that the constituency not only in my district, but throughout the state of
Michigan would have some real rate relief. I spent hours and days, as I said
before, knocking on doors for eight months in three different cities, in the
rain, snow, sleet, in the oppressive heat of summer, and people repeatedly said
to me “Sylvia, my auto insurance rates are killing me. I can’t afford it. I
want to vote for you but can you promise me that you’re going to do something
about it?” Well today, we are doing something about it, and I’m proudly taking
a stance in support of this bill to make sure not only that the people of the
3rd District, but also all Michiganders have true rate relief for all of our
constituents. I thank you so much for your support of this bill.
Senator
Bullock’s statement is as follows:
Colleagues,
I rise in support.
Perfection
is an elusive concept. In a perfect world, this package would be, well,
perfect. However, it’s not. Yet, it’s been constructed using the critical
values that I have personally worked for over five years, and the countless
doors I’ve knocked on all last year. Many have worked on this issue of
insurance disparity beyond my extremely short time here in this chamber. The
Honorable Martha G. Scott was dedicated daily to fight this issue. The Honorable
Virgil Smith’s deep dive into the irrational verbiage of statute and policy. My
former colleagues in the city of Detroit under the Duggan administration
dedicated themselves to keeping the issue of affordable insurance on the
frontal lobe of everybody. Not just in Detroit, but the entire state, and the
country. If anyone has ever heard me stump on this issue, I’ve used the age-old
adage, “How do you eat the elephant?” Well, we all know the answer is “One bite
at a time.”
But we haven’t taken a bite. The elephant has continued
to grow and squeeze us. The multitude of years of voting “no”, or doing
nothing, or complaining, or the all-or-nothing attitude has left us with
nothing. It has left us with no relief. This package significantly addresses my
concerns. The quality of life concerns. It’s taken a massive bite out of the
elephant. This package brings to culmination of years and years of relentless
work by many legislators, and the promise I made to make this a priority when I
got here. We can always find things wrong or imperfect. We can complain, talk
about the process. Let’s move forward and find better ways to do that.
But
today, I say, let’s find what’s right in this package. It offers the people a
choice. It offers a fee schedule. It offers a rollback by the industry. It
offers seniors relief by opting into Medicare. It removes many of the
non-driving factors that make no sense in calculating rates. Once implemented,
my people will start to see a favorable rate reduction. It will be affordable.
For the first time in decades, we have something actionable, and bicameral,
with the executive chamber’s blessing. To not vote “yes” would be even more
rhetoric, and delay, and possibly a more inhumane outcome. So I thank the
Governor for her leadership, and our Democratic caucus in bringing something
universally fair to fruition.
Senator
Nesbitt’s statement is as follows:
I
appreciate the opportunity to rise today. As we all know, Michigan families,
seniors, and drivers are fed up with paying the highest-in-the-nation auto
insurance rates. So, I’m pleased that we are joining together in a bipartisan
fashion to take concrete steps to lower the rates for Michigan’s drivers. The
legislation before us ends this expensive, one-size-fits-all government
mandate. It will provide drivers with more affordable choices like in every
other state. Seniors on Medicare will no longer be forced to buy expensive
health insurance within their auto insurance policy, which will provide real
savings for millions of seniors in the state. Additionally, the legislation
stops the massive overcharging of health care involving auto accidents and
cracks down on fraud and abuse.
By
working together to empower families and implement common sense reforms, we are
moving forward on this important issue for the people of Michigan. Lower rates
will help our families, particularly those with low incomes and people just
starting their careers. Lower rates will help our seniors who are on a fixed
income and face other expenses in their daily lives. Lower rates will help
Michigan’s small businesses and job providers to attract talent to our great
state.
On a
personal note, lower rates will probably help my new daughter Catherine to be
able to drive when she’s 16; or at least help me to be able to afford for her
to drive when she’s 16. But she’s still not going to date until she’s 30.
I’d
like to thank everyone involved in taking this important step for the people of
Michigan, and I urge a “yes” vote on Senate Bill No. 1.
Senator
Hollier’s statement is as follows:
Colleagues,
I just want to say thank you. All day I have been feeling like a kid who knows
he’s been good all year, and it’s Christmas morning, knowing that the present
that you wanted, is literally under the tree. And, that’s the feedback I’ve
been getting from my residents, right.
Two
weeks ago, I stood here, and stood up on faith. I talked about the Civil Rights
Act of 1957, and how just godawful it was. And how it didn’t go nearly as far
as we hoped it to be. With the expectation that the bill that we passed out of
the Senate was going to get better, and it did. Because we have a Democratic
Governor who said it wasn’t good enough. And because we have members in the
House, because we have members in the Senate who were committed to making the bill
that we got out of here real reform, which is what we saw today. Which is what
we have the opportunity to really support.
And so,
they had a marathon session in the House and then they had another one today,
but all of that was possible because the people in this chamber decided that we
were actually going to make rate reform a priority. I just want to say thank
you for that. I think over this time, we have spent an incredible amount of
time talking about the potential for individuals who are catastrophically
injured and that’s really important. For 40 years, we have had the best system
for those, but we have had the absolute worst system for people who come from
my district; people who just can’t afford auto insurance. I’d like to just tell
you a little bit about one of those people. A neighbor of mine who lives two
blocks away from me pays $6,000 per year for no-fault coverage, Medicaid
eligible, would go to that lowest option, would immediately see real savings
because she never had collision. She never had real opportunities and if she
makes real savings like that, if she could save half of that, if she saved a
third of that, we’re talking about more than $3,000 per year. That’s much more
than her car is worth; that’s a new roof on her home.
For
people who live in my district, people who are grappling with trying to make
sure their community and homes are safe, that could mean all the difference.
Many of you have heard me talk about my daughter and you remember her grabbing
the mic and all of those kinds of things. With $3,000, with $3,600, or the
$5,400 that I would save—yes, that number has increased because, like every
year, my auto insurance rates went up again—I could do some of the incredibly
needed fixes at my home to ensure that there are less opportunities for my
daughter to be poisoned by lead. I could make sure that we could cover four
months of day care. When we talk about what savings look like for people in my
district, when we talk about what this is, I can’t say thank you enough to the
people in this chamber because very few of you have a constituency or have
neighbors who are paying auto insurance rates like I am, like those who sent me
up here.
I’ll be
honest, the bill we got passed—the bill that passed out of the House, the bill
that is before us today, the things that I never thought we would get done. It
says that zip codes can’t be used. It says we’re going to get rid of gender. It
says we’re going to get rid of credit scoring. It has guaranteed rate relief,
but most importantly, it said that a Republican-controlled Senate, a
Republican-controlled House, and a Democratic Governor could fix the largest
issue in our state in two weeks. Right now, it’s saying—I know, some are saying
it took longer than two weeks—but in two weeks, that changed.
We’ve
got a little less than four years to make this 100th Legislature not just the
one that fixed auto insurance, not just the one that fixed the roads, but the
one that fixed Michigan—the one that set us aside and set us up to be the state
that we all want to raise our families in. we’re going to get auto insurance
done today. I know that. We all know that. This summer, we’ve got to get a
budget passed, we’ve got to fix our roads, but most importantly, we’ve got to
stay committed to learning the lessons that we learned about process this
time—to working better across the aisle and to making sure that we are all
engaged at the table and invested as we do the real work of making sure that
Michigan residents’ lives are better. Make no mistake—auto insurance is going
to make a big difference. It’s going to save our people big time money, but we’ve
also got to spend money to fix our roads.
Senator
Shirkey’s statement is as follows:
Thank
you, Mr. President, and I am very glad that you are here today.
To my
colleagues in the Senate, to our friends in the Gallery, I am proud to stand
here today and thank you for joining together to deliver real savings to
Michigan’s families. Reducing the cost of car insurance was identified by the
Senate Republican Caucus as our No. 1 legislative priority when we began this
session, January of this year.
So
important, in fact, that we made car insurance reform Senate Bill No. 1, and
today, we are delivering on our promise to Michigan families to provide cheaper
car insurance options. We are proud to join our colleagues in this chamber, and
our colleagues in the House, to send this bill to my Governor, our Governor,
for her signature.
Car insurance reform was always going
to end up on the Governor’s desk. But it was very important that it be sent
with the promise of a signature. And through patience, commitment, will, and
the ability to build trust, we are accomplishing this today. Michigan families
expect results, and in contrast to the dysfunction in national politics, today
we are delivering results. We look forward to our citizens having the
opportunity to choose the car insurance option that best fits their budget. Our
action today means that Michigan families will soon have the opportunity to
realize real, measurable and significant savings on their car insurance bills.
To my colleagues here in the
chamber, to our partners in the House, to the deft and skillful leadership
skills of my friend, Speaker Chatfield, and
to my Governor, my most sincere appreciation, thanks, and congratulations.
Well done.
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The
Committee on Advice and Consent submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at 12:00 noon, Room 1300, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators Lucido (C), LaSata, McBroom and Hertel
Excused:
Senator Nesbitt
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The
Committee on Economic and Small Business Development submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at 12:00 noon, Room 1200, Binsfeld Office Building
Present:
Senators Horn (C), VanderWall, MacGregor, Theis, Lauwers, Schmidt, McMorrow,
Geiss and Moss.
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The
Committee on Health Policy and Human Services submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at 1:00 p.m., Room 1100, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators VanderWall (C), Bizon, Johnson, LaSata, MacDonald, Theis, Brinks,
Hertel, Santana and Wojno
COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The
Committee on Local Government submitted the following:
Meeting
held on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at 1:30 p.m., Room 1200, Binsfeld Office
Building
Present:
Senators Zorn (C), Johnson, Daley, Alexander and Moss
Criminal Justice Policy Commission - Wednesday, June 5, 9:00 a.m.,
Room 5900, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373-0212
Environmental Quality - Tuesday, May 28, 1:00 p.m., Room
1200, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373‑5323 (CANCELED)
Judiciary and Public Safety - Tuesday, May 28, 8:00 a.m., Room
1100, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373-5312 (CANCELED)
Regulatory Reform - Tuesday, May 28, 3:00 p.m., Room
1200, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373-5314 (CANCELED)
Senator
MacGregor moved that the Senate adjourn.
The
motion prevailed, the time being 5:14 p.m.
The
President, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, declared the Senate adjourned until
Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.
MARGARET O’BRIEN
Secretary of the Senate