LANSING — The Michigan Legislature completed its business for the year when the Senate adjourned Friday afternoon, ending a session that lasted just over 29 hours — a modern record.
Michigan Democrats’ first in four decades trifecta — control of the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature ended in embarrassing fashion Thursday when House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, adjourned abruptly because he lacked a quorum.
But Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks wrapped up that chamber’s session at 3 p.m. Friday by talking about Democratic accomplishments in areas such as school funding, reproductive rights and measures to prevent gun violence.
“We have made Michigan a national leader in pragmatic policymaking,” Brinks told the chamber.
The duration of the Michigan Senate’s Thursday-Friday session set a modern record.
She later told reporters: “There’s always something more that needs to be done,” and “we’ll be back next year.”
Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, said Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, “squandered” a $9 billion budget surplus, failed to negotiate a road funding deal and put thousands of restaurant jobs at risk by not addressing business concerns over a scheduled phase-out of the lower minimum wage for tipped workers.
“There’s a lot of failures that they’re trying to cover up with … happy talk,” Nesbitt told reporters.
Republicans dragged out the record session by requesting that many bills be read in their entirety, as a way of expressing their frustration at a lack of committee hearings and other debate. Tempers flared at times while senators also added levity at times to the exhausting exercise.
Control of the state House flips from Democrats to Republicans in January after the Nov. 5 election.
The abrupt House adjournment meant that many bills the Democrats planned to pass, from government transparency to environmental measures, did not get sent to the governor.
More: After House adjourns, Senate passes bills in marathon session as lame duck nears end
Senators adjourned until Dec. 30, at which time they don’t have plans to conduct business but are to adjourn “sine die,” or without date, to end the legislative session.
Gongwer News Service reported that the Thursday-Friday Senate session set a new modern record for its duration, surpassing the session of just over 26 hours in 1993 that produced Proposal A, to overhaul school financing.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan senators conclude record session as Legislature ends year