No. 75

STATE OF MICHIGAN

Journal of the Senate

103rd Legislature

REGULAR SESSION OF 2025

Senate Chamber, Lansing, Wednesday, September 10, 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—excused 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—present

Bumstead—excused Johnson—present Santana—present

Camilleri—present Klinefelt—present Shink—present

Cavanagh—present Lauwers—present Singh—present

Chang—present Lindsey—present Theis—present

Cherry—present McBroom—present Victory—excused

Daley—present McCann—present Webber—present

Damoose—present McMorrow—present Wojno—present

Geiss—present

Senator Paul Wojno of the 10th District offered the following invocation:

Dear Father, You are the source of all that is good. You alone are the source of all of our blessings. We thank You for every gift that we’ve been given. We thank You for the opportunity this morning to come together in our State Capitol. We ask for Your hand of blessing on our legislative session today. We ask that You would guide and direct the Senate so that it is full of wisdom, productivity, and respect for another in helping us accomplish our work and our goals this day. Amen.

The President pro tempore, Senator Moss, led the members of the Senate in recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motions and Communications

Senator Irwin moved that Senators Anthony, Cherry, McMorrow, Santana and Singh be temporarily excused from today’s session.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Lauwers moved that Senators Runestad and Theis be temporarily excused from today’s session.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Lauwers moved that Senators Bumstead, Hauck and Victory be excused from today’s session.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Damoose asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Damoose’s statement is as follows:

I’ve heard many of you talk about these bittersweet moments, and that’s how these things sort of always seem to go, and I never quite got it, but boy are you right because we’re going through a very bittersweet moment, probably a bit more bitter in our office but sweet for a young man who works for us today. Many of you have gotten to know Dakota Baker over the past few months, or past few years, and I can tell you, people throughout our district have come to know Dakota Baker. I can tell you without question that the No. 1 comment I get in my district is, Wow, Dakota Baker does such a good job for you. That is a fact.

Well, about a month ago, we all heard about a great opportunity coming up with the Northern Chamber Alliance, who many of us have seen coming through the halls of the Capitol doing such a great job for northern Michigan’s residents. They had an opening for their executive director. I talked to Dakota—we talked—and said, This is too good an opportunity, you’ve got to go interview for it. We were excited for him, until we found out he got the job.

It is definitely bittersweet, because while this is great for northern Michigan and great for the residents of the state of Michigan, we’re sure going to miss you, Dakota. I wanted to present Dakota Baker a tribute today—and to know you won’t be far, but you definitely will not be forgotten.

Recess

Senator Irwin moved that the Senate recess subject to the call of the Chair.

The motion prevailed, the time being 10:07 a.m.

10:17 a.m.

The Senate was called to order by the President pro tempore, Senator Moss.

During the recess, Senators Cherry, McMorrow, Anthony, Singh, Runestad, Santana and Theis entered the Senate Chamber.

By unanimous consent the Senate proceeded to the order of

Introduction and Referral of Bills

Senator Webber introduced

Senate Bill No. 534, entitled

A bill to amend 2001 PA 142, entitled “Michigan memorial highway act,” (MCL 250.1001 to 250.2092) by adding section 5b.

The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Local Government.

Senator Singh introduced

Senate Bill No. 535, entitled

A bill to amend 1976 PA 331, entitled “Michigan consumer protection act,” (MCL 445.901 to 445.922) by adding section 3j.

The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection.

Senator Singh introduced

Senate Bill No. 536, entitled

A bill to amend 1976 PA 331, entitled “Michigan consumer protection act,” by amending section 3 (MCL 445.903), as amended by 2022 PA 152.

The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection.

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 resolutions:

Senate Resolution No. 66

Senate Resolution No. 67

The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.

Senators Bayer and Cavanagh offered the following resolution:

Senate Resolution No. 66.

A resolution to designate September 2025 as Suicide Prevention Month.

Whereas, There is no single cause or solution to the issue of suicide, and we know that access to support and treatment can and does save lives; and

Whereas, Mental health can be a common factor for those contemplating suicide, and other contributing factors play a large role; and

Whereas, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.) as well as the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34 years; and

Whereas, In the U.S., an individual dies by suicide every 11 minutes, resulting in nearly 48,000 deaths each year; and

Whereas, The stigma associated with mental health conditions and suicidality hinders suicide prevention by discouraging at-risk individuals from seeking lifesaving help and can further traumatize survivors of suicide loss and individuals with lived experience of suicide; and

Whereas, Despite mental health playing a factor in suicide prevention, many Americans continue to struggle to find treatment as a result of expense or inaccessibility; and

Whereas, We strongly support the efforts of national, state, and local partners, and every citizen to actively engage in public and private efforts to spread awareness about the importance of mental health to the wellbeing of our communities; and

Whereas, We recognize that suicide and suicide attempts affect the friends and loved ones of those around us; and

Whereas, Those experiencing suicidal thoughts or mental distress can call or text 988 to speak with someone free and confidentially; and

Whereas, We must continue to invest in mental health resources and address the stigma of ideation of suicide in order to ensure that no one feels they do not have someone to speak to when they need it; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, That the members of this legislative body designate September 2025 as Suicide Prevention Month.

The question being on the adoption of the resolution,

The resolution was adopted.

Senators Brinks, Chang, Geiss, McMorrow, Moss and Polehanki were named co-sponsors of the resolution.

Senators Bayer and Runestad asked and were granted unanimous consent to make statements and moved that the statements be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Bayer’s statement is as follows:

Today, I’m offering a resolution to recognize September as National Suicide Prevention Month. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Suicide is among the top-ten causes of death in the United States and the second-leading cause of death of individuals between 10 and 34 years old, according to the CDC, and that rate continues to rise and has increased over 52 percent since 2007. Someone in the United States dies by suicide every 19 minutes. Twenty-seven thousand three hundred people died of firearm suicide in the United States in 2023, the highest number ever reported. We know that good mental health can be a critical factor in suicide prevention.

We must continue to invest in mental health resources and address the stigma of ideation of suicide to ensure that no one is left without someone to speak to in a moment of crisis. If you know a person who might be at risk for suicide, you can suggest or help them call 9-8-8, the lifeline, and get help right away. This is why it’s critically important that we continue to fund 9-8-8 so that everyone has someone to talk to. It can make a difference between life and death.

Other common suicide prevention methods include delay tactics such as making it harder for people to attempt suicide by not having easily-accessible tools. Mental health providers and suicide counselors suggest to patients that they remove potentially effective suicide tools from their home and their workplace. Any delay, even just having to spend a few extra minutes finding a method to attempt suicide, can save a life. Six out of ten firearm deaths in total are suicide. Most firearm deaths in total are suicide. If we are motivated to reduce firearm deaths in Michigan, we should focus on suicide prevention with firearms. Nine out of ten people who attempt suicide with a firearm are successful—90 percent of people who attempt suicide with a firearm are successful. Only 5 percent of people attempting suicide by other means succeed. If we are motivated to reduce suicide, a preventable death, we should focus on firearm access for suicide. Safe storage are proven to reduce suicide because of the delay in accessing a deadly tool. It’s urgent that we help Michiganders understand how important our law is, how important it is that they safely store their firearms for their kids’ safety and for the lifesaving opportunity for everyone.

Also, in honor of Suicide Prevention Month, today we are reintroducing Donna’s Law, a bill that would bring us another tool to prevent suicide. The blueback is on my desk for co-sponsorship; I urge you to stop by and take a look. If we enact that bill, individuals would have the opportunity to help themselves avoid the temptation of buying a firearm to use it on themselves by requesting they be added to the national or state do-not-sell list for firearms. This 100-percent voluntary tool—they can remove it later themselves, remove themselves later from the list if they so choose—it’s a proven tool in other states, reducing suicide by allowing people to help themselves by simply making it a little more difficult to purchase a firearm. Just postponing movement by not having firearms within reach can be the difference between living and dying.

I hope you will support my resolution to recognize September as Suicide Prevention Month and World Prevention Day, and to support another lifesaving opportunity for vulnerable Michiganders.

Senator Runestad’s statement is as follows:

It was my hope that this resolution would be taken very, very seriously. Suicide is a huge issue. Michigan is actually one of the worst in the nation and I’ve put forward a bill that actually got signed into law, a suicide prevention commission, that I hoped was going to be studying why do people commit suicide. I’ve never seen that looked at and when I asked two professionals who were flown in by one of the hospitals, I asked them, Do you know why these different demographics are committing suicide? Ph.Ds., two of them, this is their rule of business, they had the wrong answer. I had to educate them because they didn’t like the answer. They knew the answer but they didn’t like the answer, and this is what I was afraid of was going to happen with that commission, that it was going to devolve into, Oh, well, if we just take guns away from people, we won’t have any suicides.

The reality is, yes, people who commit suicide with a firearm are successful the vast majority of the time because they fully intend to commit suicide. It is not a call for help. A lot of suicide attempts, a large percentage, by far the largest percentage, are a call for help. There is not the intent to actually commit suicide, so, yes, you’re going to have a higher percentage because these people intend to do it. Now, could they commit suicide if they have the intent and they didn’t have a firearm? Of course they can. The largest percentage of people committing suicide in Michigan are males between the ages of 45 and 65 in rural areas. It’s about 70 percent of the entire population of suicide is that demographic. If they were disarmed, could they still go ahead and commit suicide? They absolutely could and they probably would.

What we need to do is get to the bottom of why, not the method—because they’re going to find the method—but why is this demographic, males between 45 and 65 in rural areas, is about 70 percent of all suicides in maybe 6 percent of the population. I never did get that answer from that study. I couldn’t get the people on there who I’d asked to be put on there. My concern was their recommendation would be to take guns away and that’ll solve the problem. Unfortunately that was a lot of what came out of that study and that’s what we’re hearing today. That is not going to be the solution. The solution is that we need to get to the bottom, the systemic issue, of why are these people, this small demographic, so depressed that tomorrow will not be any better than today. Why? Why is this? We never got the answers. That’s what it’s going to take to really fix this problem.

Senators Geiss, Santana, Bayer, Irwin, Wojno, McMorrow, Polehanki, Shink and Cherry offered the following resolution:

Senate Resolution No. 67.

A resolution to designate September 2025 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Whereas, According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, an estimated 15,780 children between the ages of birth through 19 are diagnosed with cancer each year; and 

Whereas, In 2025 alone, an estimated 9,550 new cases have been diagnosed; and 

Whereas, Our goal is to spread and increase awareness about childhood cancer, which is the leading cause of death by disease for children under the age of 14; and 

Whereas, We honor the extraordinary resilience, courage, and strength of those who this harmful and devastating disease has affected; and 

Whereas, Children’s cancer affects all ethnic, gender, and socio-economic groups; and 

Whereas, Since the mid-1970s, significant advancements have been made in the fight against childhood cancer. Due to major treatment strides in recent decades, more than 85 percent of children with cancer now survive five years or more; and 

Whereas, Increased awareness, support, and research will help to continue to improve these outcomes and protect children from these serious diseases; and

Whereas, We must renew our commitment to curing cancer and offer our support to the brave, young children who are fighting these diseases every day; and 

Whereas, To honor the memory of every young person lost to cancer, we must unite behind improved treatment, enhanced research and data, and brighter futures for young people; and

Whereas, We commend the incredible strength, perseverance, and optimism of the families and friends of children who suffer from these devastating diseases; and 

Whereas, We acknowledge and praise the medical professionals, researchers, and other helping hands who dedicate their time to search for newer and safer treatments and cures; and 

Whereas, All children deserve the chance to be healthy and find joy and fulfillment in their childhoods, as they deserve the chance to realize their full potential and grow into adults; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, That the members of this legislative body designate September 2025 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The question being on the adoption of the resolution,

The resolution was adopted.

Senators Brinks, Chang and Moss were named co-sponsors of the resolution.

Senator Geiss asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Geiss’ statement is as follows:

I rise today to offer Senate Resolution No. 67 to recognize September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Cancer at any age is horrific and traumatizing for the patient and their families. From chemotherapy drugs—of which there are over 100 different kinds (intravenous and oral), to radiation—both photon and proton, to surgeries that can range from one to multiple, to frequent, sometimes weekly or biweekly, blood draws and transfusions to gauge the counts of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, neutrophils and more—words that most people in here don’t even have to ever worry about—to frequent CT scans, MRIs, echocardiograms, PET scans, over the course of months to years, to port or PICC line care, many hospitalizations, not to mention the wide range and compounded side effects of cancer care, and additional medications to minimize those side effects and mitigate the harm chemotherapy has on healthy organs, harm that renders decreased lung function, decreased kidney function, cardiac effects, and others. Childhood cancer is a waking nightmare, especially for the youngest members of our communities who miss out on school, playing with friends, and just getting to be a regular kid—they miss out on school, playing with friends especially when one is super immunocompromised more often than not.

According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, in the U.S., an estimated 15,780 children between the ages of birth to 19 are diagnosed with cancer each year; in Michigan, it’s nearly 500 diagnoses annually. This year in 2025—of which we’re only three-quarters of the way through—an estimated 9,550 kids have been diagnosed across the nation. Over the last few years, since this chamber has been recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the numbers of new pediatric oncology diagnoses have decreased slightly, but that does not negate the fact that we still lose nearly 14 percent of children to the range of pediatric cancers. These numbers also don’t account for the number of children who live with the illnesses each year.

Childhood cancer affects all ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups, and can be environmental, hereditary, or from a rare chromosomal shift as in my daughter’s case of synovial sarcoma. Childhood cancer awareness is also why I wear gold and yellow today, as gold is the commemorative color for childhood cancer awareness and yellow is for synovial sarcoma.

We are lucky to live in a time with heightened research and attention on childhood cancer, and to be able to benefit from the advancements that have been made since the mid-’70s in the fight against it, including new immunotherapies. Because of major treatment strides in recent decades, more than 80 percent of children with cancer now survive five years or more, but every day is fraught with worry that it may recur, that remission, once granted, might be temporary. We must renew our commitment to curing childhood cancer and offer our support to the brave young people who are fighting these diseases. We must honor the remarkable superheroes on pediatric cancer units across the state—the nurses, the doctors, the social workers, the child life teams, the physical therapists—and so many others too many to enumerate who provide the best care while taking care of families at our lowest points. We must especially honor the memory of every kid lost to cancer and the gaping chasm left in the lives of their families. We must unite behind improved treatment, advanced cancer research and data and funding it, and brighter futures for young people.

With increased awareness, support, and research, we will improve outcomes further and protect children from these serious diseases, and maybe one day cure childhood cancer completely and affordably so that they have the chance to be healthy, find joy and fulfillment in their childhoods, and have the chance to realize their full potential and grow into adults who will have long lives ahead of them.

By unanimous consent the Senate returned to the order of

Third Reading of Bills

Senator Singh moved that the Senate proceed to consideration of the following bill:

Senate Bill No. 204

The motion prevailed.

The following bill was read a third time:

Senate Bill No. 204, entitled

A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled “The revised school code,” (MCL 380.1 to 380.1852) by adding section 1258.

The question being on the passage of the bill,

Senator Chang offered the following substitute:

Substitute (S-5).

The substitute was adopted, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.

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. 226 Yeas—19

Anthony Chang Klinefelt Santana

Bayer Cherry McCann Shink

Brinks Geiss McMorrow Singh

Camilleri Hertel Moss Wojno

Cavanagh Irwin Polehanki

Nays—15

Albert Hoitenga Lindsey Runestad

Bellino Huizenga McBroom Theis

Daley Johnson Nesbitt Webber

Damoose Lauwers Outman

Excused—3

Bumstead Hauck Victory

Not Voting—0

In The Chair: Moss

The Senate agreed to the title of the bill.

Protest

Senator Lindsey, under his constitutional right of protest (Art. 4, Sec. 18), protested against the passage of Senate Bill No. 204 and moved that the statement he made during the discussion of the bill be printed as his reasons for voting “no.”

The motion prevailed.

Senator Lindsey’s statement is as follows:

I want to make two brief remarks about why I think it’s a bad idea for us to pass Senate Bill No. 204 today. This seems like a benign piece of legislation that’s about schools and school districts creating policies and procedures in case there’s a building closure. It certainly could be a good idea, could offer reassurance to those families that are impacted, but the first reason we should be against this is that the bill as written requires a planning process and a formal document of these procedures to be done by every school district in the state of Michigan, whether they’re potentially facing a closure or never do. I can’t say how many time I’ve sat with folks at the local level who are involved in education who say, Could Lansing please stop giving us another thing we need to go have our lawyers review, a new policy or procedure that has nothing to do with educating the students themselves. I would be far more likely to support this if it were more narrowly applied to cases where we had reason to believe there was going to be a closure.

The second reason I oppose it is even more specific and I think it’s something this chamber should really think about. If we look at subsection (f), it says, “That if a decision to close a school building is based on financial projections made during the normal budget development process for the school fiscal year beginning on the next July 1, the closure decision must be made and the notification procedures under subdivision (d) must be started not later than that next July 1.” I just—I think it’s wild that we’re here passing this type of guidance and restriction and regulation of the schools telling them what they have to do in the budget process by July 1 when it is now September 10 and we have not passed a budget that they can plan their school year on. I would support something in this that says, you know, at least if there were a contingency that allowed them a different sort of process if the Legislature fails to do its job, but I don’t think we should be saying to them, especially in an environment where we can’t get a budget done, that we should put more restrictions on them and more bureaucratic red tape. I’d love it if we even pulled the legislation and came up with a better model, but for now I will vote “no” and I urge everyone to do the same.

Senator Chang asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Chang’s statement is as follows:

I just want to share with my colleagues the impetus behind this legislation. I first started working on this bill, I think, ten years ago and over the course of time I’ve seen a couple of schools within and around my district close—often in the fall. The start of the school year happens and then a couple weeks later or a month later, the school decides to close and then it sends the students, the parents, the employees into a chaotic spiral of having to figure out where they’re going to send their children or where they’re going to find their next job—oftentimes without a clear process for where records are going to go, where should the student think about going to school next. Oftentimes, we’re talking about hundreds of students in the very first couple months of a school year. That’s not what our students need. I recognize there are times when a school maybe needs to close, but if we’re going to be in a position where a school needs to close, we need to do things responsibly and for governing boards this should be a process that is laid out in a policy adopted by the board, which is really all this bill is asking for.

As far as the July 1, I think it’s really important that, as school districts or public school academies are adopting their budgets, that they have accurate projections of what their enrollment is going to look like and then will be able to make the best decisions about whether or not that school should stay open, rather than getting to the point of a school year starting and then the students, parents, and employees not having the certainty they need. I think this is a commonsense bill; there’s no opposition to this bill currently as it stands in terms of stakeholder groups, and I’m looking forward to seeing it move forward.

By unanimous consent the Senate proceeded to the order of

Statements

Senators Webber, Runestad and Camilleri asked and were granted unanimous consent to make statements and moved that the statements be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Webber’s statement is as follows:

Lately, I’ve heard troubling comments from leaders across the aisle, saying they’d rather be part of the problem than part of the solution. That’s not the type of leadership Michigan deserves. We can debate the differences between our two parties—small government vs. big government, spending less and reducing taxes vs. raising taxes and spending more, finding solutions vs. creating problems, and so on. But at the end of the day, our constituents didn’t send us here to create and be problems. That’s why I’ve worked to solve the problems, like addressing the crisis at the Hawthorn Center and failures in our state’s psychiatric care facilities. Families with vulnerable children expect us to find bipartisan solutions. Unfortunately, instead of hearings and oversight, this majority has ignored calls for accountability.

We saw the same thing when the Michigan Supreme Court nearly decimated our state’s restaurant and hospitality industry, threatening 50,000 jobs. I urged us to act, and only at the last minute—forced by the Court’s ruling—did Democratic leaders come to the table to reach a compromise.

Two years ago, Democrats had an opportunity to lead our state, and what did we get? With full control of this Legislature and a $9 billion surplus, they grew government with unsustainable spending. Now, it seems they don’t want to deal with the consequences of the problems they helped to create. The people of Michigan have no shortage of problems. Our students are falling further behind in reading and math. Our roads and bridges are crumbling. The people of Michigan need solutions, and they are counting on us to deliver.

House Republicans put forward plans to fix our roads without raising taxes, and a new school funding model that increases per-pupil support with accountability. Yet Senate Democrats dismiss them without offering meaningful alternatives. Senate Democrats keep telling us they don’t like that plan. Then create your own road funding plan and pass it because the people of Michigan need more than just complaints. They need solutions. Michigan families are counting on us to do our jobs, work together to build up stronger communities across our state, and pass a state budget that works for them. They deserve nothing less, and they certainly don’t need any more problems.

Senator Runestad’s statement is as follows:

Yesterday brought a long, pitiful end to Attorney General Dana Nessel’s long-running, 5-year-long lawfare catastrophe against 15 people. The 15 alternate electors who basically did the same thing the Democrats did in 1960—same rules, same law—and the Attorney General went after them with everything she had, but a district court judge, appointed by Governor Whitmer, threw out all the charges. The judge ruled that Dana Nessel failed even to meet the low bar of probable cause and found insufficient evidence that these electors ever intended to defraud or deceive anyone—and the Attorney General even indicated that about a year ago. That should have been the end of the case right there, but it wasn’t.

It’s just another catastrophic defeat for Nessel’s partisan campaigns to weaponize the laws against Republicans. Her attempt was simply to destroy these Republicans—any Republicans who attempt to root out election fraud. This was a warning: don’t even engage with the public process—we will come after you with all of the might, the fury, and the money of the prosecutor’s office. The contrast is glaring compared to other election malfeasance the Attorney General has issued. I remember the case that involved the Governor, and then comparative cases Republicans were charged with where the Attorney General slapped on the wrist the case with the Governor, and threw the book at the Republicans.

So what we’ve seen here is years of political prosecution against Republicans, and yesterday’s verdict—thank God—is a total vindication for these innocent 15 people who she tried to destroy with the process of the charges, and it is a clear warning, I think, going forward, that the state and the legal system is getting tired of the weaponization and the lawfare done by the Attorney General, which has no place in our republic.

Senator Camilleri’s statement is as follows:

We are just weeks away from a potential government shutdown. Surprising to some, but for those of us who have been watching this year’s budget process unfold, it feels like we’ve been barreling towards this moment from the very beginning.

I rise today to share a few stories that I’ve already received from constituents in my district who are scared of what a government shutdown might mean for them. The first was from a mom who works as a special educator in our schools. She told me that her daughters asked this week if they can start packing extra lunches in October for their friends who need the free lunches at school. Kids are worried about this program. They’re worried about it ending, because they don’t want their friends to be hungry at school. Our budget negotiations are literally being talked about at the kids’ lunch table—you can’t make this stuff up.

Another note was from a father who detailed how important his son’s CTE program—his career technical education program—is at school, and is worried about the Republican dismantling of that funding in the House. He said that his son has finally found purpose and drive in a welding program, and he would hate to see that program shut down. It would devastate his son.

These are only two stories of the hundreds that we’ve been fielding since July 1. Our residents are worried; they’re scared, and they don’t want to see these vital programs shut down over one man’s unwillingness to work together. The predicament we find ourselves in is not because of divided government or ideological differences, it’s because we have a Speaker more interested in political theater than getting something done. As an example of that, just yesterday, instead of working on a budget, he welcomed a group of people who tried to subvert our democracy into the Capitol. The same group of people who tried to sneak into this building and steal the election for Donald Trump in 2020, and celebrated their attempts to overturn the will of the people.

I want to be clear, it wasn’t always this way. When we served under split government in the House, we still managed to pass bipartisan budgets on time—we argued, we compromised, and we got it done because we believed Michigan families came first. We prided ourselves on being a backstop when Washington descended into chaos. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. That era of politics is seemingly gone. Right now, the line between Lansing and Washington, D.C., is almost nonexistent. In this new reality, you rise the ranks in the Republican party not by being the best embodiment of conservatism or proving yourself to be an effective legislator, but by being the closest copycat of Jeffrey Epstein’s best friend, Donald Trump. That’s who Speaker Hall is. He’s not a steward of conservative values, not a fiscal watchdog, but a performer like Donald Trump—and his budget is proof.

This is not a serious proposal. Let’s be clear about what this budget does: it defunds our schools, it defunds health care, it defunds the State Police—yes, the Republican budget defunds the State Police. And when pressed to defend it, they call every cut “waste, fraud, and abuse.” Tell that to the police officers, health care workers, and students that that is how you view the work that we do for them. As chair of our PreK-12 budget committee, I would be remiss not to speak to the consequences that it directly has on our students and our educators—of what a government shutdown would do to them. Kids will lose their free breakfast and free lunch. Teachers will face layoffs. After-school programs across the state will be shuttered. And rather than send them the resources they need, maybe Speaker Hall can send them a picture of him and the secretary of education posing outside of a Detroit high school. That’s how much he really cares. He’s doing that work, showboating and performing for the media, but not getting down to business and cutting a deal on a budget. That’s not leadership.

We always ask, Where is the tipping point? When do we know we’ve gone too far? I believe that we’ve already crossed it. We have 20 days to figure this out. Twenty days. It’s going to take courage and collaboration. I for one am ready to extend my hand in particular to get this school budget done. Let’s get it done. Let’s get it done together. Let’s do this for our families. But it’s going to take a lot of work for us to get there in these next 20 days.

Announcements of Printing and Enrollment

The Secretary announced that the following House bills were received in the Senate and filed on Tuesday, September 9:

House Bill Nos. 4012 4549 4598 4599 4602 4755

The Secretary announced that the following bills were printed and filed on Thursday, September 4, and are available on the Michigan Legislature website:

House Bill Nos. 4834 4835 4836 4837 4838 4839 4840 4841 4842 4843 4844 4845 4846 4847 4848

The Secretary announced that the following bills were printed and filed on Tuesday, September 9, and are available on the Michigan Legislature website:

House Bill Nos. 4849 4850 4851 4852 4853 4854 4855 4856 4857 4858 4859 4860

The Secretary announced that the following bills and joint resolution were printed and filed on Wednesday, September 10, and are available on the Michigan Legislature website:

Senate Bill Nos. 532 533

Senate Joint Resolution E

Committee Reports

The Committee on Housing and Human Services reported

Senate Bill No. 372, 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 the title and section 1 (MCL 554.601), the title and section 1 as amended by 2024 PA 179, and by adding sections 1e, 1f, 1g, and 1h.

With the recommendation that the bill pass.

Jeff Irwin

Chairperson

To Report Out:

Yeas: Senators Irwin, Santana, Cavanagh, Bayer, Shink, Chang and Geiss

Nays: Senators Hoitenga and Damoose

The bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole.

The Committee on Housing and Human Services reported

Senate Bill No. 373, entitled

A bill to amend 1978 PA 454, entitled “Truth in renting act,” by amending section 3 (MCL 554.633), as amended by 1998 PA 72.

With the recommendation that the bill pass.

Jeff Irwin

Chairperson

To Report Out:

Yeas: Senators Irwin, Santana, Cavanagh, Bayer, Shink, Chang and Geiss

Nays: Senators Hoitenga and Damoose

The bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole.

The Committee on Housing and Human Services reported

Senate Bill No. 374, entitled

A bill to amend 1961 PA 236, entitled “Revised judicature act of 1961,” (MCL 600.101 to 600.9947) by adding section 5755.

With the recommendation that the bill pass.

Jeff Irwin

Chairperson

To Report Out:

Yeas: Senators Irwin, Santana, Cavanagh, Bayer, Shink, Chang and Geiss

Nays: Senators Hoitenga and Damoose

The bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole.

The Committee on Housing and Human Services reported

Senate Bill No. 375, entitled

A bill to amend 1978 PA 454, entitled “Truth in renting act,” by amending sections 2 and 3 (MCL 554.632 and 554.633), section 3 as amended by 1998 PA 72.

With the recommendation that the bill pass.

Jeff Irwin

Chairperson

To Report Out:

Yeas: Senators Irwin, Santana, Cavanagh, Bayer, Shink, Chang and Geiss

Nays: Senators Hoitenga and Damoose

The bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole.

COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE REPORT

The Committee on Housing and Human Services submitted the following:

Meeting held on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 12:00 noon, Room 403, 4th Floor, Capitol Building

Present: Senators Irwin (C), Santana, Cavanagh, Bayer, Shink, Chang, Geiss, Hoitenga and Damoose

Excused: Senators Cherry and Lindsey

COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE REPORT

The Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture submitted the following:

Meeting held on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 3:00 p.m., Room 1300, Binsfeld Office Building

Present: Senators Shink (C), Cherry, Singh, Polehanki, Daley and Hoitenga

Excused: Senator Victory

Scheduled Meetings

Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety – Thursday, September 11, 12:00 noon, Room 1200, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373‑5312

Senate Fiscal Agency Governing Board – Wednesday, September 17, 1:00 p.m., Harry T. Gast Appropriations Room, 3rd Floor, Capitol Building (517) 373-2768

Senator Singh moved that the Senate adjourn.

The motion prevailed, the time being 10:55 a.m.

The President pro tempore, Senator Moss, declared the Senate adjourned until Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.

DANIEL OBERLIN

Secretary of the Senate