The third day of session in 2024 marked yet another day with no action, after a bipartisan bill package making technical changes to Michigan-based trusts was not taken up.
代表. Jim Haadsma (D-Battle Creek)’s HB 4863 and 代表. 道格拉斯C. Wozniak (R-Shelby Township)’s HB 4864 were placed on Thursday’s agenda but ultimately not brought up for a vote, and the House adjourned after taking up another memorial resolution.
When asked why the bills were not taken up, House Democratic Press Secretary Jess Travers 说有个成员必须离开, 可能是紧急情况, and Democrats wanted to make sure they had the votes to pass the bills.
但只有54个成员国, and 55 votes required to pass a bill in a 108-member House, Democrats need bipartisan support regardless.
代表ublicans did not indicate that they were prepared to oppose the bill if it was brought forward.
But Democrats don’t appear to be taking any chances regardless.
After complaints from across the aisle about the lack of heads up on legislation, which was one reason 代表ublicans cited when shooting down a concurrence vote on SB 227 Wednesday, Thursday’s agenda came out Wednesday afternoon at around 4:30, with an updated agenda sent out closer to 5:30. The bipartisan package was the only legislation up for a vote.
T在这里 was also some back and forth earlier last week about whether Democrats needed 代表ublicans to check in on the board before conducting any business.
民主党通过了. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids)’s SCR 12, a memorial for former 代表. 和森. Doug Cruce, while House 代表ublicans were caucusing and had not yet checked in on the attendance and voting board.
就目前而言, 众议院需要达到法定人数, or a majority of the members elected and serving, 做生意. With a 108-person House, that means 55 members must be present before voting can begin.
House 代表ublican spokesperson Jeremiah Ward 指出了众议院规则3, dealing with the “bar of the House” as a sign that 代表ublican members shouldn’t have been considered present.
众议院规则3规定, “任何成员, having answered attendance roll call at the opening of any session, or who enters after attendance roll call, shall be considered present until leave of absence is obtained from the House. Any Member having entered upon the floor of the House after the House has been called to order, shall be considered present if within the bar of the House.”
Ward said 代表ublican members didn’t check in at their desks, and didn’t enter between the time the attendance board had closed and the resolution was brought up.
When asked if 代表ublican members had walked through the chamber after the House was called to order, 他不敢肯定.
House Democratic Spokesperson Amber McCann 不同意.
She said when members are present in the caucus room, they qualify as being in attendance, similar to how they would be marked present during a call of the House, or a period of mandatory attendance.
根据众议院规则3的定义, the “bar of the House” means “the space occupied and used by the House or any legislative room or office under the jurisdiction of the Clerk.”
But regardless of the technicalities, House Democrats Thursday were seen in conversation with 代表ublican Floor Leader Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford), coordinating session action around the 代表ublicans’ caucus. T在这里 did appear to be some urgency around getting Democratic members in and out of session.
尽管有这些微妙的变化, House 代表ublican Leader Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) Thursday made another call for a shared power agreement.
“House Democrats are in disarray as they disregard shared power and dismiss bipartisan discussions about how to find common ground and solve the biggest problems facing the people of Michigan,霍尔说. “今天, they held no votes and abruptly ended session while House 代表ublicans were in caucus discussing the day’s agenda. We found out they were leaving for the day on the House TV livestream.”
Article courtesy MIRS 新闻 for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter