Senator Brinks asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Brinks’ statement is as follows:
Colleagues, like many of you, I’ve picked up a couple of nicknames along the way in this job, for better or for worse, but one I wear with honor is the “tampon tax lady”. I’m proud to have a part in eliminating the sales and use tax on these medically necessary products, a move that will put $7 million back in the pockets of Michigan families.
This is a commonsense move that will reduce an unfair tax burden that is placed on only half of Michigan’s population, for a significant portion of our lives. Establishing parity between these products and things such as medical devices just makes sense. A growing number of states and countries have already eliminated these taxes, and the U.S. federal government, under the last administration, recognized feminine hygiene products as a qualified medical expense for health savings accounts.
With your support, these bills will move Michigan toward a fairer tax structure, which is a goal I think we all share, regardless of which side of the aisle we sit on. Finally, I want to note that eliminating the “tampon tax” is an issue that I’ve been working towards since I was a member of the House of Representatives. Like many good policies, it can take years to finally get these bills over the finish line. For much of the past decade, Senators and Representatives have introduced this legislation and continued the conversation about its importance. Of the currently serving legislators who have committed their time and attention to this effort, I find myself in the position of being the one who has carried the torch the longest. With this issue, like so many others, I stand on the shoulders of those who come before me, and I also want to express my gratitude to them, and to those who walked alongside me to get this legislation to this point today.
Thank you Mr. President; and colleagues, I welcome your support.
The following bill was read a third time:
Senate Bill No. 153, entitled
A bill to amend 1937 PA 94, entitled “Use tax act,” by amending sections 4 and 21 (MCL 205.94 and 205.111), section 4 as amended by 2018 PA 679 and section 21 as amended by 2020 PA 30.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: