LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Michigan House of Representatives is wrapping up the first of three weeks of session this month. Lawmakers in Lansing are rapidly approaching the end of their lame-duck session. Starting in January, the newly elected House of Representatives will take over, and all of the bills currently waiting in the legislature will be thrown out.
Today in the House, the representatives voted on 5 different bills. The first is a memorial bill that passed unanimously, though eight representatives were absent. The bill would rename a stretch of highway in Dearborn after Officer Mohamed Said, a police officer who was killed on duty in a shooting this past July.
Representative Alabas Farhat (D – Dearborn) introduced that bill, and just today announced two more bills to address road funding. The bills are part of a larger package that Democrats are pushing as their solution to local road funding.
Last week, House Republicans rolled out a similar plan, Farhat says this will allow the parties to negotiate and come up with a solution now that multiple options have been laid out.
“The whole intent of what we’re doing now is making sure that the legislature is in a position to negotiate with everything on the table,” Farhat said. “We have the time to address a good number of needs that our state has suffered. of course, we would have liked to start sooner, but at the same time, the position we’re in now: there’s strong enthusiasm on the other side and if it’s genuine and if it’s authentic, there is no doubt in my mind that we can come to a deal before the end of the year.”
Also on roads, Representative Wiliam Bruck (R-Erie) had a bill pass 85-17. The legislation would require vehicles over 10,000 lbs to stay out of the leftmost lane. Bruck said currently, there is signage to indicate large truck traffic stay to the right, but no mechanism within our state law that allows police to enforce it.”
The last three bills passed unanimously and would change Michigan tuition payment laws to match federal standards.
As the end of the year approaches, the parties are carefully selecting what bills are addressed. Taking time to bargain with colleagues to make sure legislation has enough votes to pass before actually sending it to the floor.
The lawmakers now have just one more week of scheduled session, but Democratic leaders have hinted schedules could be extended if needed. Whether all the scheduled issues are addressed or not, the 103rd Michigan Legislature will take over on January 1 to start a new legislative agenda from scratch with a Republican-led House.
