STATE OF MICHIGAN
Journal of the Senate
102nd Legislature
REGULAR SESSION OF 2023
Senate Chamber, Lansing, Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
10:00 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.
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—present
Bumstead—present 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—excused Victory—present
Daley—present McCann—present Webber—present
Damoose—present McDonald Rivet—present Wojno—present
Geiss—present McMorrow—present
Senator Mary Cavanagh of the 6th District offered the following invocation:
God without borders, help us to take a step closer to our brothers and sisters wherever they originally are from. We are all headed toward You. Help us travel this one road together. Give us the ability to welcome and to serve as You would today. Even if our steps are local, let our hearts be filled with love of the global. Today we choose You, we choose life, we choose to be with others, and to be for others, thanking You for the chance to serve.
The President, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, led the members of the Senate in recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motions and Communications
Senator Singh moved that Senator Geiss be temporarily excused from today’s session.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Geiss entered the Senate Chamber.
Senator Lauwers moved that Senator McBroom be excused from today’s session.
The motion prevailed.
The following communication was received:
Office of Senator Jeff Irwin
January 19, 2023
Please add my name to the list of co-sponsors for Senator Chang’s Senate Bill 26.
Thank you,
Jeff Irwin
The communication was referred to the Secretary for record.
By unanimous consent the Senate proceeded to the order of
Introduction and Referral of Bills
A bill to amend 1927 PA 175, entitled “The code of criminal procedure,” by amending section 16a of chapter XVII (MCL 777.16a), as amended by 2010 PA 97.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Health Policy.
Senators Chang, Geiss, Bayer, Anthony, Santana, Cavanagh, McDonald Rivet, McMorrow, Camilleri, Hertel, Singh, Cherry, Shink, Wojno, Moss, McCann, Polehanki and Klinefelt introduced
A bill to amend 1953 PA 232, entitled “Corrections code of 1953,” by amending section 33b (MCL 791.233b), as amended by 2019 PA 16.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Health Policy.
Senators Anthony, Geiss, Bayer, Chang, Santana, Cavanagh, McDonald Rivet, Camilleri, McMorrow, Hertel, Singh, Cherry, Shink, Wojno, Moss, McCann, Polehanki and Klinefelt introduced
A bill to amend 1931 PA 328, entitled “The Michigan penal code,” by repealing section 14 (MCL 750.14).
The bill was read a first and second time by title and referred to the Committee on Health Policy.
Senators Wojno, McCann, Polehanki, Moss, McMorrow, Irwin, Geiss, Chang, Cherry, Bayer, Hertel, Santana, Shink, Cavanagh, McDonald Rivet and Klinefelt introduced
A bill to amend 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1, entitled “Michigan employment security act,” by amending section 27 (MCL 421.27), as amended by 2020 PA 258.
The bill was read a first and second time by title and
referred to the Committee on Labor.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Chang’s statement is as follows:
Earlier this month, my family went to my older daughter’s Chinese school Lunar New Year party. The students did their dances and puppet performances and everyone got red envelopes, and of course we ate a lot of food. Later that evening, I went to a Vietnamese American new year celebration that was full of beautiful music and dance. The kids were running around everywhere.
This past Saturday, we had my parents over for Lunar New Year lunch. And then on Sunday morning, I woke up to the news about the mass shooting in Monterey Park, where now 11 people have died and more were injured. As I was getting my girls ready for swim lesson, I did pause and think—should we still go to the Lunar New Year celebration in Detroit that afternoon? Would it be safe? Are we safe at Lunar New Year celebrations? Are Americans safe at our workplaces? Are we safe at our grocery stores? Are we safe on the streets in our neighborhoods, and at our schools? We did go to the celebration on Sunday, and I reminded the crowd that was there how important it is that we continue to gather and to celebrate, and to not live in fear.
So far in 2023, there have been 2,679 deaths related to gun violence. So far this year, there have been 36 mass shootings in the United States. It hasn’t even been one full month.
Lily Lee Chen, the first Chinese American mayor in the country and the former mayor of Monterey Park said in a statement yesterday, “My heart is with the entire community of Monterey Park. What should have been a celebration of the Lunar New Year has turned into a horrific tragedy. In the Chinese language, the characters that compose the word ‘crisis’ are danger and opportunity. It unfortunately sometimes takes a crisis like this to bring our communities together and enact meaningful change.”
It’s now the Year of the Rabbit for some, and the Year of the Cat for others. I am hopeful that this will be the year that we finally take action in Michigan to address this crisis of gun violence. We have common sense gun violence prevention bills that have been introduced at least four terms in a row. We have the data. We have the polls that show that the majority of Michiganders and Americans across age groups and political party support these solutions. And unfortunately we have what seems to be the daily reminder in the news of how urgent it is that we act.
Colleagues, I urge all of us to come together and take action on gun violence. Happy Lunar New Year, and thank you.
Announcements of Printing and Enrollment
Senate Bill Nos. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
House Bill Nos. 4033 4034 4035 4036 4037 4038
The Secretary announced that the following bills were printed and filed on Friday, January 20, and are available on the Michigan Legislature website:
Senate Bill Nos. 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection – Wednesday, January 25, 12:30 p.m., Room 1200, Binsfeld Office Building (517) 373-5314
Senator Singh moved that the Senate adjourn.
The motion prevailed, the time
being 10:08 a.m.
The President, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, declared the Senate adjourned until Wednesday, January 25, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.
DANIEL OBERLIN
Secretary of the Senate