I appreciate the effort put into these amendments but I would like to request a “no” vote on both of them, or rather that I would recommend a “no” vote on both of them. While we want to make sure we are recruiting and retaining qualified members of our law enforcement community—and certainly they’ve been faced with tremendous challenges, historically and very acutely most recently—a lot of the particulars of these amendments don’t meet that objective. They only apply to certain so-called qualified demographic groups. They’re not accessible to every single person who could be the best or adequately prepared or best qualified for a particular position. I don’t think we should be in the business of providing grants or opportunities for only certain demographic groups in our state. I think any opportunity we provide should be available to anyone. We want the absolute best candidates and best-qualified people entering our law enforcement profession and careers. We want to support them as best as we can, and programs that selectively provide opportunities for one group over another are not the appropriate way to do that.
Senator Chang’s statement is as follows:
A recent study by Michigan State University found that in 2020, Black American drivers in Michigan were more likely than others to be stopped by police troopers. My amendment would simply allow the Michigan State Police to continue their analysis of this data from this critical traffic stop study in order to make sure we are making the improvements we need to make in our justice system.
Senator Barrett’s second statement is as follows:
I would recommend a “no” vote on this amendment. It was not able to be adopted in the target we had for funding for this particular budget, as well as the other competing priorities that we had did not allow this to be funded at this time.
Senator MacDonald’s statement is as follows:
I rise in support of Senate Bill No. 837. Part of this bill would provide funding for a jail mental health pilot program. Law enforcement officials have recognized for years that many inmates are suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse. By focusing on getting these offenders the treatment they need rather than just punishing them for their crimes, we can help reduce crime, improve outcomes for everyone involved, and save taxpayers money. After talking with many people from my district, I know these types of programs will offer a very positive impact. I would encourage your support.
The following bill was read a third time:
Senate Bill No. 841, entitled
A bill to make appropriations for the state transportation department for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023; and to provide for the expenditure of the appropriations.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: