No. 5
STATE OF MICHIGAN
Journal of the Senate
103rd Legislature
REGULAR SESSION OF 2025
Senate Chamber, Lansing, Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
10:00 a.m.
The Senate was called to order by the President pro tempore, Senator Jeremy Moss.
The roll was called by the Secretary of the Senate, who announced that a quorum was present.
Albert—present Hauck—present Moss—present
Anthony—present Hertel—present Nesbitt—present
Bayer—present Hoitenga—present Outman—present
Bellino—present Huizenga—present Polehanki—present
Brinks—present Irwin—present Runestad—excused
Bumstead—present Johnson—excused Santana—present
Camilleri—present Klinefelt—present Shink—present
Cavanagh—present Lauwers—present Singh—present
Chang—present Lindsey—present Theis—present
Cherry—present McBroom—excused Victory—excused
Daley—excused McCann—present Webber—present
Damoose—excused McMorrow—present Wojno—present
Geiss—present
Senator Stephanie Chang of the 3rd District offered the following invocation:
Spirit of life and love, in this time of uncertainty, of fear and angst, our nation holds its collective breath. In this time, when rhetoric blusters about and words are used as weapons, our nation clenches its fists, tightens its shoulders, eyes squeezed shut, some are preparing for a fight.
May we remember we are a people of resilience; we have faced uncertainty before. We have weathered storms; we have been consumed by flames. We have risen like the phoenix from the ashes, and we will again—we the people.
May we remember our shared humanity, our universal kinship, our interdependence. As we unclench our fists and breathe together—breathing in love and breathing out peace—may we recognize the spark of the divine inside all of us.
In this time of uncertainty, we remember the good will go on. As we work to move forward together—we the people—seeking that which unites us, with our arms reaching out wide, for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May love prevail.
In the name of all that is holy we pray. Amen.
The President pro tempore, Senator Moss, led the members of the Senate in recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motions and Communications
The following communication was received and read:
Office of the Senate Majority Leader
January 22, 2025
Pursuant to Senate Rule l.105, I hereby announce the appointments of Senators to standing committees for this the 103rd Legislature.
Senate Committee on Education: Senator Jeff Irwin
Senate Committee on Veterans and Emergency Services: Senator Jonathan Lindsey
I would also like to appoint Senator Sam Singh as Majority Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Winnie Brinks
Senate Majority Leader
The appointments were approved, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
The communication was referred to the Secretary for record.
The following communication was received:
Department of State Police
January 21, 2025
Pursuant to Part 2, Sec. 216 of PA 119’23 as it relates to the MSP Budget, please find the attached boilerplate reports:
Sec. 216 – FTEs
On a quarterly basis, the department shall report the following information to the recipients required under section 205:
(a) The number of FTE positions in pay status by type of staff and civil service classification.
(b) A comparison by line item of the number of FTE positions authorized from funds appropriated in part 1 to the actual number of FTE positions employed by the department at the end of the reporting period
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Thank you,
Sgt. Travis R. Fletcher
Government Relations Section
Office of the Director
The communication was referred to the Secretary for record.
Senator Lauwers moved that Senators Daley, Damoose, Victory, Runestad, McBroom and Johnson be excused from today’s session.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Irwin asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Irwin’s statement is as follows:
Colleagues, I rise today for a very special announcement. As some of you who are fans of American football may know, there was recently a really big football game. I’m here to talk about how on November 30, 2024, we all got to experience another iteration of the most important football game of the year. The Game. The University of Michigan vs. Ohio State University.
Many of you may have noticed that, before that game, our great Governor, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the governor of that state below us, that Ohio state below us, Governor DeWine, made a wager. They made a wager on the outcome of the most important football game of the year, and on November 30, of course, for the fourth time in a year, our Michigan Wolverines thoroughly bested those Ohio Buckeyes. Finally, it was a little late, but finally, Governor DeWine made good on his wager to our fabulous Governor, Governor Whitmer. Today, I have with me on the floor, a box of delicious chocolate and peanut butter treats, otherwise as known as buckeyes. So today, we can all relive and enjoy the University of Michigan’s win in the most important game of the year, and we can enjoy these buckeyes from that state to the south of us.
Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to highlight and commemorate this important football win for the University of Michigan.
By unanimous consent the Senate proceeded to the order of
Introduction and Referral of Bills
Senator Daley introduced
Senate Bill No. 16, entitled
A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled “Natural resources and environmental protection act,” by amending sections 36103, 36110, and 36111 (MCL 324.36103, 324.36110, and 324.36111), section 36103 as amended by 2003 PA 36 and sections 36110 and 36111 as amended by 2016 PA 265.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture.
Senator Webber introduced
Senate Bill No. 17, entitled
A bill to designate Diwali, Deepavali, or the Festival of Lights as a holiday in this state.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Affairs.
Senator Irwin introduced
Senate Bill No. 18, entitled
A bill to amend 1994 PA 203, entitled “Foster care and adoption services act,” (MCL 722.951 to 722.960) by adding section 8f.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Housing and Human Services.
Senator Anthony introduced
Senate Bill No. 19, entitled
A bill to amend 1846 RS 66, entitled “Of estates in dower, by the curtesy, and general provisions concerning real estate,” by amending section 39 (MCL 554.139).
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Housing and Human Services.
Senator Anthony introduced
Senate Bill No. 20, entitled
A bill to amend 1978 PA 454, entitled “Truth in renting act,” by amending section 6 (MCL 554.636).
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Housing and Human Services.
Senator Anthony introduced
Senate Bill No. 21, entitled
A bill to amend 1978 PA 454, entitled “Truth in renting act,” by amending sections 3 and 4 (MCL 554.633 and 554.634), section 3 as amended by 1998 PA 72.
The
bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on
Housing and Human Services.
Senator Anthony introduced
Senate Bill No. 22, entitled
A bill to amend 1972 PA 348, entitled “An act to regulate relationships between landlords and tenants relative to rental agreements for rental units; to regulate the payment, repayment, use and investment of security deposits; to provide for commencement and termination inventories of rental units; to provide for termination arrangements relative to rental units; to provide for legal remedies; and to provide penalties,” by amending section 9 (MCL 554.609).
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Housing and Human Services.
Senator Hertel introduced
Senate Bill No. 23, entitled
A bill to amend 1967 PA 288, entitled “Land division act,” by amending section 108 (MCL 560.108), as added by 1996 PA 591.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Local Government.
Recess
Senator Singh moved that the Senate recess subject to the call of the Chair.
The motion prevailed, the time being 10:09 a.m.
10:21 a.m.
The Senate was called to order by the President pro tempore, Senator Moss.
By unanimous consent the Senate returned to the order of
Resolutions
Senator Singh moved that rule 3.204 be suspended to permit immediate consideration of the following resolution:
Senate Resolution No. 3
The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
Senators Brinks, Polehanki, Shink, Irwin, McMorrow, Camilleri, Singh, Cherry, Klinefelt, Moss, Chang, Santana, McCann, Hertel, Cavanagh, Geiss, Bayer, Wojno and Anthony offered the following resolution:
Senate Resolution No. 3.
A resolution to authorize the Senate Majority Leader to commence legal action, on behalf of the Senate, to compel the House of Representatives to fulfill its constitutional duty to present to the Governor the nine remaining bills passed by both houses during the One Hundred Second Legislature.
Whereas, Article IV, Section 33 of the Michigan Constitution requires that every bill passed by the Legislature be presented to the Governor; and
Whereas, On December 20, 2024, the Senate passed House Bills 4177 and 4665-4667 of 2023, and House Bills 4900-4901, 5817-5818, and 6058 of 2024, then returned them to the House for presentation to the Governor; and
Whereas, Despite its constitutional duty, the House of Representatives has failed to present those bills to the Governor and has advised, through the Speaker of the House, that it will continue holding the bills; and
Whereas, The Constitution does not permit the House’s unilateral decision to delay presenting those bills to the Governor; and
Whereas, The Senate must act to ensure that the House fulfills its constitutional duty to present to the Governor all bills that passed both houses during the One Hundred Second Legislature; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That the Senate Majority Leader, in her official capacity, is authorized to commence legal action, on behalf of the Senate, to compel the House of Representatives to immediately present to the Governor House Bills 4177 and 4665-4667 of 2023, and House Bills 4900-4901, 5817-5818, and 6058 of 2024, and to take all necessary steps incidental thereto, including, but not limited to, pursuing or defending any appeals.
The question being on the adoption of the resolution,
The resolution was adopted.
Senator Brinks asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Brinks’ statement is as follows:
I hope that most of us in this chamber can agree that at the bare minimum, Michigan residents deserve elected officials who are committed to fulfilling their constitutional duties. Unfortunately, our Republican counterparts in the House of Representatives don’t seem to agree. They’ve decided to start off this new legislative session with a blatant violation of our State Constitution by blocking nine bills passed by both chambers from being presented to the Governor.
Today, I’m offering Senate Resolution No. 3 to authorize legal action to compel the House to fulfill its constitutional obligation to immediately present these nine bills to the Governor. And by doing so, I hope to make it abundantly clear that we will not tolerate illegal, partisan games that evade our State Constitution.
While the Speaker has indicated that the House will continue to undermine our Constitution and unilaterally delay the presentation of this passed legislation to the Governor, I am preparing to take legal action if necessary to ensure that the Constitution is followed. I want to stress that this can be avoided completely if the Speaker does his job and sends these bills to the Governor. I hope he makes the right choice.
Statements
Senator Polehanki asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Polehanki’s statement is as follows:
Mr. President, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, during President Trump’s inauguration ceremony, the richest, most powerful man on earth, Elon Musk, threw a fervent and unmistakable “sieg heil” Nazi salute in the context of assuring the future of civilization by electing Trump. The celebration from neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups around the world was instant and unanimous. Many residents in my Senate district are shook, as are residents in my hometown of Flushing, some of whom have had antisemitic flyers placed on their porches.
Predictably, supporters of Musk, a close advisor to the President, are gaslighting Americans with every excuse in the book for him, mostly using Musk’s own social media platform to do it, telling us we didn’t see what we saw and it didn’t mean what we think. Mr. President, our eyes and ears and brains are working just fine. We don’t yet live inside an Orwell novel, though sometimes it feels like it. We saw what we saw and it meant what it meant.
My Grandpa Sominski, in a cold muddy bunker in France during World War II prayed to his favorite Catholic saint that if he made it out alive and had a daughter, he would name her Mary. He did; Mary was my mom. Many of us have similar stories about our family members who fought in combat overseas so that we wouldn’t have to live under fascism in America. Musk dishonored my grandfather and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who died fighting that fascist salute, and he belongs nowhere near the White House.
Senator Singh moved that the Senate adjourn.
The motion prevailed, the time being 10:30 a.m.
The President pro tempore, Senator Moss declared the Senate adjourned until Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
DANIEL OBERLIN
Secretary of the Senate