Journal of the Senate 100Th Legislature REGULAR SESSION of 2020
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No. 84 STATE OF MICHIGAN Journal of the Senate 100th Legislature REGULAR SESSION OF 2020 Senate Chamber, Lansing, Thursday, November 5, 2020. 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. Alexander—present Horn—present Outman—present Ananich—excused Irwin—present Polehanki—present Barrett—present Johnson—present Runestad—present Bayer—present LaSata—present Santana—present Bizon—present Lauwers—present Schmidt—present Brinks—present Lucido—present Shirkey—present Bullock—present MacDonald—present Stamas—excused Bumstead—present MacGregor—present Theis—present Chang—excused McBroom—present VanderWall—present Daley—present McCann—present Victory—present Geiss—present McMorrow—present Wojno—present Hertel—present Moss—present Zorn—present Hollier—excused Nesbitt—present 2180 JOURNAL OF THE SENATE [November 5, 2020] [No. 84 Senator Tom Barrett of the 24th District offered the following invocation: O God our Creator, from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of Your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. Grant, we pray, O Heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all of Your sons and daughters gathered in Your church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation so that with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us—that this land will always be “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. The President, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, led the members of the Senate in recital of the Pledge of Allegiance. Motions and Communications Senator Nesbitt entered the Senate Chamber. Senator MacGregor moved that Senators Johnson, Shirkey and Schmidt be temporarily excused from today’s session. The motion prevailed. Senator MacGregor moved that Senator Stamas be excused from today’s session. The motion prevailed. Senator McMorrow moved that Senator Bullock be temporarily excused from today’s session. The motion prevailed. Senator McMorrow moved that Senators Chang, Ananich and Hollier be excused from today’s session. The motion prevailed. Senator MacGregor moved that rule 3.901 be suspended to allow filming and photographs to be taken from the Senate Gallery. The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor. Senator MacGregor moved that rule 3.902 be suspended to allow the guests of Senator Ananich admittance to the Senate floor, including the center aisle. The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor. By unanimous consent the Senate proceeded to the order of Resolutions Senators Bullock, Shirkey and Schmidt entered the Senate Chamber. Senator Shirkey offered the following concurrent resolution: Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 33. A concurrent resolution of tribute offered as a memorial for Morris Hood III, former member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Whereas, The members of the Michigan Legislature were saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and former colleague, Morris Hood III. A dedicated mentor and advocate for the communities of Detroit, Dearborn, Melvindale, and our state, he was known to care deeply for others; and Whereas, Morris Hood III, a lifelong Detroiter, grew up in a family committed to public service. Before getting elected to public office, he worked as a manufacturing technician at Ford Motor Company. As a legislator, Morris Hood III valued creating relationships on both sides of the aisle and was well-respected by his colleagues; and No. 84] [November 5, 2020] JOURNAL OF THE SENATE 2181 Whereas, Morris Hood III followed his father, Morris Hood Jr., into public service. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 where he served until 2008. He was a valued member of the Legislative Black Caucus. During his time in the House, he served in numerous leadership capacities, including Assistant Associate Floor Leader, chair of the House Appropriations Committee’s Fiscal Oversight and Joint Capital Outlay subcommittees, and minority vice-chair of the Insurance Committee. He was also a valued member of the Appropriation Committee’s subcommittee on Community Health, and the committees on Transportation; Employment Relations, Training, and Safety; Higher Education; Criminal Justice; Television and Oversight, and Oversight and Investigations; and Whereas, After serving three terms in the House, Morris Hood III was elected to the Senate in 2010 where he served until 2018. He served as Minority Floor Leader, minority vice-chair of the Appropriations Committee’s Capital Outlay, Higher Education, and Retirement subcommittees, and vice-chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure Modernization, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, and Elections and Government Reform committees. He was also a valuable member of the committees on Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes and Government Operations, as well as the Legislative Council and Senate Fiscal Agency Board of Governors. During his last Senate term, he underwent a kidney transplant. While still at the hospital, his colleagues celebrated the successful surgery and one colleague requested a moment of silence for the departed kidney. This experience led him to become a tireless advocate for organ donation and transplant service; and Whereas, Throughout his fourteen years in the Legislature, he fought tirelessly and passionately for workers and students, but his ability to remain calm during the most heated debates was legendary. Morris Hood III was known for his personal connections with his colleagues. He used the loss of his wife, Angela, in 2013 to encourage others to be intentional in their expressions of love with family and friends. Often, he would give a speech before a break reminding everyone to cherish and “hug the ones you love.” His compassion and humanity were tremendous assets to the members of the Legislature and the people of this state; and Whereas, Morris Hood III was a true public servant and community advocate who was invested in improving the lives of people. Upon his passing, we offer our condolences to his family and friends. We hope that they may find comfort in the knowledge that the community as a whole shares in their bereavement and that the legacy of Morris Hood’s contributions will long continue to enrich our state; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That we offer this expression of our highest tribute to honor the memory of Morris Hood III, a member of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008 and the Senate from 2011 to 2018; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Hood family as evidence of our lasting esteem for his memory. Pending the order that, under rule 3.204, the concurrent resolution be referred to the Committee on Government Operations, Senator MacGregor moved that the rule be suspended. The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor. The concurrent resolution was adopted by a unanimous standing vote of the Senate. Senator MacGregor moved that rule 3.204 be suspended to name the entire membership of the Senate and the Lieutenant Governor as co-sponsors of the concurrent resolution. The motion prevailed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor. A moment of silence was observed in memory of Morris W. Hood III, former member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Senators Shirkey and Hertel asked and were granted unanimous consent to make statements and moved that the statements be printed in the Journal. The motion prevailed. Senator Shirkey’s statement is as follows: For those of us who are privileged to know Morris Hood, know just how much of a loss his passing was and is to his friends and his family. And for those of us who did not know Morris, you missed out on a terrific pleasure of knowing one of the best human beings and most admirable public servants that ever could grace this institution. Now when I personally think of Morris, I think of a man who truly knew the value of his life and everybody else’s life. He was a vocal advocate for all of us doing a better job of communicating with each other, to love people we cherish in our lives, and he just did it in a way in which it made everybody comfortable. 2182 JOURNAL OF THE SENATE [November 5, 2020] [No. 84 Morris was often the conscience of this body. He was a steady and calm voice in times of, often, heightened emotions. And he was always willing to listen and to hear his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. My very first meeting in a colleague’s office in the Senate was a meeting with Senator Hood after being elected to this body. He had his entire staff plus policy advisors in his room around the conference table and they were deeply engaged—his front desker was kind enough to allow me in—and I’m telling you he gave me, without need, complete and total attention for at least 15 minutes, engaged in the conversation. And what I found out later, was that was and remains his signature—he was a fantastic listener. Morris relied upon life’s experiences to inform his advocacy and he was the epitome of turning adversity into triumph. It is our privilege to take a moment today to recognize and honor the life and legacy of Morris Hood.