House of Representatives 96Th Legislature REGULAR SESSION of 2012
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No. 61 STATE OF MICHIGAN JOURNAL OF THE House of Representatives 96th Legislature REGULAR SESSION OF 2012 House Chamber, Lansing, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. 10:00 a.m. The House was called to order by the Speaker. The roll was called by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who announced that a quorum was present. Agema—present Gilbert—present LeBlanc—present Price—present Ananich—present Glardon—present Lindberg—present Pscholka—present Barnett—present Goike—present Lipton—present Rendon—present Bauer—present Graves—present Liss—present Rogers—present Bledsoe—present Greimel—present Lori—present Rutledge—present Bolger—present Haines—present Lund—present Santana—present Brown—present Hammel—present Lyons—present Schmidt, R.—present Brunner—present Haugh—present MacGregor—present Schmidt, W.—present Bumstead—present Haveman—present MacMaster—present Segal—present Byrum—present Heise—present McBroom—present Shaughnessy—present Callton—present Hobbs—present McCann—present Shirkey—present Cavanagh—present Hooker—present McMillin—present Slavens—present Clemente—present Horn—present Meadows—present Smiley—present Constan—present Hovey-Wright—present Moss—present Somerville—present Cotter—present Howze—present Muxlow—present Stallworth—present Crawford—present Hughes—present Nathan—present Stamas—present Daley—present Huuki—present Nesbitt—present Stanley—present Damrow—present Irwin—present O’Brien—present Stapleton—present Darany—present Jackson—present Oakes—present Switalski—present Denby—present Jacobsen—present Olson—present Talabi—present Dillon—present Jenkins—present Olumba—present Tlaib—present Durhal—present Johnson—present Opsommer—present Townsend—present Farrington—present Kandrevas—present Ouimet—present Tyler—present Forlini—present Knollenberg—present Outman—present Walsh—present Foster—present Kowall—present Pettalia—present Womack—present Franz—present Kurtz—present Poleski—present Yonker—present Geiss—present LaFontaine—present Potvin—present Zorn—present Genetski—present Lane—present e/d/s = entered during session 1810 JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE [June 13, 2012] [No. 61 Chaplain Rev. Major Lawrence L. Vollink, Chaplain of Michigan Wing Chaplain Civil Air Patrol, offered the following invocation: “For all of our honorable Representatives and staff, we pray, Eternal God, we thank You for all of Your blessings You have bestowed upon us, especially for this great state of Michigan that we are privileged to serve. Be with all of our leaders who are making the decisions that affect us. Endow them with courage and conviction, adding wisdom to their knowledge, flavoring it with a dose of humility. May our motivations be out of our love for all people, and to help them to live peacefully. We ask not for tasks suited to our strength, but we ask for Your strength for any task that You have given to each of us to accomplish. Help us to live in knowledge that You have matched us to this hour in history, and that the place and time of our service to You and to our country is not random, but by Your wisdom and direction. Walk close to our Representatives, so that they may not fail. Keep them pure in heart, clean in mind, and strong in purpose. Remind us, Lord, that Your Wisdom is not found in an hour, a day, or a year, but in a process that lasts a lifetime with You by our side. We ask for patience and understanding as our Representatives serve our great state of Michigan. Watch over our Armed Forces this day and always. You, O Lord are our strength and shield. Bless us with Your abiding presence now and forever. AMEN.” ______ The Speaker called the Speaker Pro Tempore to the Chair. ______ Rep. Stamas moved that House Committees be given leave to meet during the balance of today’s session. The motion prevailed. Motions and Resolutions Reps. Barnett, Smiley, Brunner, Irwin, Kandrevas, McCann, Haugh, Darany, Dillon, Geiss, Damrow, Daley, Rendon, O’Brien, Hobbs, Liss, Howze, Stallworth, Rutledge, Santana, Wayne Schmidt, Bauer, Cavanagh, Constan, Glardon, Haines, Heise, Johnson, Knollenberg, Kurtz, LeBlanc, Lipton, Roy Schmidt, Segal, Slavens, Switalski, Talabi and Tyler offered the following resolution: House Resolution No. 292. A resolution to declare June 25-29, 2012, as Service Disabled Veterans Business Awareness Week in the state of Michigan. Whereas, The state of Michigan honors the extraordinary service rendered to the United States by veterans with disabilities incurred or aggravated in the line of duty during active service with the armed forces; and Whereas, The people of the state of Michigan recognize the unique challenges faced by military veterans, specifically those injured in the line of duty, and their families upon returning from active service to life as a civilian; and Whereas, The people of the state of Michigan are committed to ensuring that the men and women of the United States armed forces have access to quality employment opportunities upon completing their service to our nation; and Whereas, The US Census Bureau reports that Michigan is home to at least 110,000 service disabled veterans; and Whereas, In 2011, the unemployment rate of 14.4% among Michigan veterans was far greater than the statewide unemploy- ment rate; and Whereas, The unemployment rate among service disabled veterans is estimated to be significantly higher; and Whereas, In the United States there 3,670,318 veteran-owned businesses and a significant number of these businesses are owned by disabled service veterans; and Whereas, Veteran-owned businesses are largely committed to hiring service disabled veterans; and Whereas, In 2005, Governor Granholm signed PA 91 into law which establishes a goal of awarding 3% of all state contracts to service disabled veteran-owned businesses; and Whereas, In 2008, PA 133 raised that goal to 5% of all state contracts; and Whereas, To date, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget has awarded less than 1% of contracts to service disabled veteran owned businesses; and No. 61] [June 13, 2012] JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE 1811 Whereas, It is incumbent upon this legislature to see that the state recommits itself to achieving the goals set forth in PA 91 of 2005 and PA 133 of 2008; and Whereas, On June 26-June 29, 2012, the National Veterans Small Business Conference will be hosted in Detroit. This conference presents an excellent opportunity for representatives of the state to connect with service disabled business owners; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare June 25-29, 2012, as Service Disabled Veterans Business Awareness Week in the state of Michigan. The question being on the adoption of the resolution, The resolution was adopted. Reps. Darany, Tlaib, Constan, Meadows, Cavanagh, Lindberg, Barnett, Heise, Knollenberg, Liss, Roy Schmidt, Slavens, Switalski and Talabi offered the following resolution: House Resolution No. 293. A resolution to offer best wishes to Muslims in Michigan and worldwide on the joyous and meaningful observance of Ramadan, a month of reflection and prayer. Whereas, There are approximately 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, which is more than 23 percent of the world’s popula- tion. One of the largest and most productive populations resides in southeast Michigan and observes the holy month of Ramadan; and Whereas, This month is observed in dedication to the Islamic principles and in commemoration of the month in which the holy Quran was revealed to prophet Muhammad; and Whereas, Muslims around the world will observe Ramadan by fasting, emphasizing self-discipline, worship, and reading the holy Quran to improve patience, humility, and spirituality; and Whereas, Muslims spend this time in reflection and prayer, while strengthening the bonds of family and friendship; and Whereas, This month of sacrifice and contemplation begins on or about the evening of Thursday, July 19, 2012, and continues until on or about the evening of Saturday, August 18, 2012, with Eid al-Fitr, the celebration of prophet Abraham’s sacrifice; now, therefore, be it Resolved by House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body offer best wishes to Muslims in Michigan and worldwide on the joyous and meaningful observance of Ramadan, a month of reflection and prayer. The question being on the adoption of the resolution, The resolution was adopted. Reps. Huuki, Foster, McBroom, Lindberg, Bumstead, Barnett, Cavanagh, Constan, Crawford, Darany, Haines, Heise, Johnson, LeBlanc, Liss, Roy Schmidt, Slavens, Switalski, Talabi and Tyler offered the following resolution: House Resolution No. 294. A resolution to urge the President of the United States to declare a major disaster or emergency for areas in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula impacted by the Duck Lake wildfire. Whereas, The Duck Lake fire in Luce County, Michigan, began May 24th following a lightning strike. As of June 6th, the wildfire has covered 21,112 acres and destroyed 49 cabins and homes, including a motel and store; 23 garages; 38 sheds; and 26 campers; and Whereas, The Duck Lake fire is now the third largest forest fire to ever burn in the history of the great state of Michigan; and Whereas, Governor Snyder declared a state of disaster in Luce and Schoolcraft counties on May 25, 2012, to make all state resources available to fight the fire. In addition, Governor Snyder activated the National Guard to provide assistance; and Whereas, The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with state and local partners, has fought in dangerous conditions against the wildfire to protect people, property, and Michigan’s natural resources. One hundred fifty-six people, 16 engines, 5 bulldozers, 4 hand crews, and 1 fixed-wing aircraft have been employed to stop the fire. The tireless and selfless efforts of the professional personnel, countless volunteers, and laypersons helped avert even further property damage and prevented the loss of life; and Whereas, Federal assistance is necessary to supplement state efforts and resources. Michigan’s third largest wildfire has caused extensive damage and irreparably changed people’s lives.