The Michigan Senate gaveled out for the year Thursday following a marathon 30-hour session that wrapped up the Legislature’s work for the year — as well as Democrats’ complete control of the state Capitol.
And not without a fight. Republicans complained that Democratic leaders added items to the agenda at the last minute and without the standard practice of holding committee hearings. The GOP lawmakers responded by forcing the Senate to a near-standstill using a rare procedure that required clerks to read bills out loud in their entirety.
Republican lawmakers also complained about a lack of urgency on some business priorities, including making changes to minimum wage and banked paid sick leave initiatives that take effect next year.
The Senate, often on party-line votes, sent dozens of bills to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk. The legislation includes toughening Michigan’s hate crime laws, expanding access to contraceptives, requiring the state to come up with best practices for storing firearms, and requiring police departments to destroy guns that were seized or turned in as part of buyback programs.
Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) said the Legislature under Democrats adopted a lot of progressive bills and ignored issues at the expense of businesses and taxpayers.
“So I think there’s a lot of failures that they’re trying to cover up with papier mache and happy talk after they lost the election in November after a bunch of failures over the last year and a half,” Nesbitt told reporters shortly after session ended.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said the dynamic at the Capitol will change next year when Republicans take control of the state House, but she thinks the stage is set for bipartisan cooperation.
“We saw the beginnings of some conversations about road funding, other things,” Brinks told reporters shortly after the session ended. “We should be able to find things where we can come together, and I am serious when I say I am willing to work with anyone who’s willing to work productively and honestly towards solutions for the big problems that we face.”
So, next year, the Legislature will be divided between a Senate controlled by Democrats and a Republican-led House. Whitmer, a Democrat, still has two more years in office in her second and final term as governor.
