I’m really passionate about this issue but I don’t want to take up too much time with facts and figures; I want to elevate the stories of Michiganders. People like Samika Douglas of Grand Rapids who sought help from a predatory lending store for a minor car repair. Samika and her family assumed this would be a quick solution but became trapped in a cycle of debt that was nearly catastrophic. They could not afford to pay the initial loan and its associated fees, which resulted in the family having to repeatedly reborrow again and again and again. She and her husband and her two children almost lost their home in the process. We also heard from a single mother named Regina who needed a small-dollar loan to put food on the table for her children while she was pursuing her Ph.D. After taking out a $600 loan, Regina could not afford to pay it back immediately plus all the interest within 30 days, so she filed for an extension. Just a few short months later, what began as a $600 loan grew to over $1,400. Because of this, Regina experienced homelessness, wage garnishment, bankruptcy, and she was forced to end her Ph.D. program.
Michiganders like Samika and Regina deserve better. The 36 percent interest rate written into this bill is based on a national model and is a huge compromise. In fact, if you talk to most of our constituents they would tell you, Wow, 36 percent is still really high, but compared to 370 percent, it’s a huge step in the right direction. Twenty other states, including the District of Columbia, have capped interest rates at 36 percent. As a nation we’ve also made the decision to solidify interest rates at 36 percent for active duty military and their family members, so why would the hardworking men and women back home in our communities not deserve the same level of consumer protection we afford for our military personnel?
I know people still will have a need. There’s still going to be a need for short-term loans and as the Senate Appropriations Committee chairwoman I can tell you I am committed to making sure in this budget and budgets in the future, that we have resources available to help Michigan families. But today we can take a big step in the right direction. We have a chance to stand up for people who we serve which is what, quite honestly, we’re all here to do. I urge a “yes” vote.
The following bill was read a third time:
House Bill No. 4343, entitled
A bill to amend 2005 PA 244, entitled “Deferred presentment service transactions act,” by amending section 51 (MCL 487.2171).
The question being on the passage of the bill,
Senator Cavanagh offered the following substitute:
Substitute (S-2).
The substitute was adopted, a majority of the members serving voting therefor.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: