Senate Passes $465M COVID-19 Relief Bill In Long Friday Session

By Laina G. Stebbins, Michigan Advance

In a session nearing twelve and a half hours in length Friday, the Michigan Senate wrapped up its last Lame Duck session of substance by tying up loose ends and eventually passing a $465.07 million supplemental funding bill for statewide COVID-19 relief.

The House will return Monday to concur in the bill. Both chambers will meet for the last time at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Senate Concurrent Resolution 38, before adjourning sine die.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had been asking for more than a month that lawmakers quickly pass a relief bill for Michiganders hit hard by the state’s ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

The surprise supplemental that followed had been announced Thursday via news release, but details were vague and Republicans had not disclosed how much money it would appropriate. The release also took jabs at Whitmer and blamed her for “businesses facing financial ruin” due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Whitmer wants $300M more for COVID-19, including vaccine distribution

State Sen. Jim Stamas (R-Midland), the Senate Appropriations chair, finally announced Senate Bill 748 around 8:30 p.m. Friday. The bill’s S-1 substitute comes out to a total of $465.07 million, which includes $443.3 million in General Fund money and $21.7 million in federal funding.

The legislation was passed by a 35-2 vote, with two Democrats voting in opposition.

Whitmer’s office is reportedly still reviewing the bill.

Appropriations in SB 748 include:

• $220M for extending unemployment benefits through April 1
• $55 million for small businesses impacted by COVID-19 restrictions
• $51.3 million for health systems to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations
• $22.5 million for COVID-19 testing in vulnerable populations
• $15 million for COVID-19 supplies and equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPE)
• $3.5 million for independent venues that have been closed due to COVID-19
• $3.3 million for hospitals providing care for COVID-positive nursing home residents

In a statement, GOP leaders took full credit for the legislation while taking more shots at Whitmer.

“The governor’s continued shuttering of certain sectors of our economy puts many of our local businesses in danger of permanent closure and forces people out of their jobs during the holidays. Senate Republicans have delivered much-needed relief to Michigan families,” Stamas said. “This important funding bill will send available state and federal dollars where they are needed most, to our workers and business owners struggling to stay afloat.”

“The Senate passed this bill with bipartisan support, but we cannot do this alone. We look forward to the governor’s support and signature before the end of the year,” Stamas added, hinting that Whitmer was not included in the process.

The two “no” votes for the legislation were state Sens. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) and Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit). Santana argued that the bill was not representative enough of the communities she represents, lacking in enough support for both elderly people and children.

Chang appeared emotional while speaking out against the bill’s inclusion of boilerplate language that would apparently allow hazardous materials to be transported across the Ambassador Bridge that links Detroit and Windsor, Canada. She said the allowance likely violates federal law.

State allows high schools, colleges, entertainment venues to reopen

State Sens. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) and Curtis Hertel (D-East Lansing) both spoke in support of the bill.

Hertel acknowledged that the “bill is not perfect,” but will bring important relief and reflects a compromise between the priorities of Whitmer, the Democratic caucus and the GOP caucus.

“Politics is often the art of the imperfect. I wish there were different things in here. I wish some things were out of the bill. I wish that negotiations had gone a little further sometimes, I will admit that. At the end of the day, there are things in here that the Governor, myself, and the other side of the aisle can all celebrate,” Hertel said.

Alex Rossman, external affairs director at the Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP), said the legislation supports “an extensive list of important priorities that needed to be addressed now” — including vaccine administration, unemployment benefits, small business grants, child care funding and more.

“In the eleventh hour, after more than eleven hours, cooler heads prevailed to reach a compromise on a desperately needed budget supplemental to address the various impacts of COVID-19 on our families, our workers, our businesses, our public health and our economy,” Rossman said.

“There are still other COVID-related struggles kids and residents are facing right now that were not addressed tonight, and we hope they are a top priority in the next supplemental that is expected as early as January,” Rossman added, noting that housing needs and food assistance to school children still need to be prioritized.

This story was originally published by the Michigan Advance. For more stories from the Michigan Advance, visit MichiganAdvance.com.