LANSING, Mich., Dec. 2, 2021 – House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski (D-Scio Township) introduced a supplemental budget amendment today to allocate $330 million in federal COVID relief funding made available last December.
House Rule 30 and Article 4, Section 18 of the Michigan Constitution require that an amendment receive a record roll call vote if one-fifth of Representatives express support. House Democrats called for a record roll call vote and all offered support, totaling nearly half of the chamber, but Republicans ignored this longstanding rule and refused, dismissing the amendment without a vote.
“We are quickly approaching the one-year anniversary of the passage of federal COVID relief funding, but Michigan Republicans continue to refuse this support and let it gather dust in D.C. instead of being brought home to Michigan where it can be put to good use,” Lasinski said. “These dollars are crucial at a time when cases are surging, a new variant is emerging and hospitals are once again overwhelmed. If we don’t use this money, it will end up in some other community, in some other state. We cannot afford to let that happen at a time when Michiganders are counting on lawmakers to use every tool available to keep our students learning in schools and help businesses keep employees safely on the job and customers in shops. Republicans are willing to break House rules and pay a price measured in human lives to play a political game. But in this game, we all lose.”
COVID hospitalizations in Michigan are currently at an all-time high, with over 4,000 adults currently hospitalized.
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