After Speaker Hall Blows Court Deadline, Senate Majority Leader Brinks Says “Enough is Enough”
LANSING, Mich. (March 20, 2025) — After Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall blew the deadline to present nine bills that have passed both chambers to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, this morning, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and the...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks, Appropriations Chair Anthony Respond to House Republicans’ Botched Budget
LANSING, Mich. (March 6, 2025) — Today, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) issued the following statements in reaction to House Republicans’ surprise faux budget...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Comments on Gov. Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State Address
LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 26, 2025) — Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) has issued the following statement in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State address this evening: “Governor Whitmer made herself loud and...
Senate Passes Bipartisan Best-in-Nation Earned Sick Leave Policy
Bill expands access to earned sick leave for over a million more workers across state LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 20, 2025) — Today, the Senate passed House Bill 4002 to establish a statewide earned sick leave policy. Thanks to strong cooperation between...
Senate Passes Hertel Bill to Increase Wages, Support Michigan Service Workers and Small Businesses
Bipartisan bill protects tipped credit, accelerates raise to minimum and tipped wage, and ties automatic increases to economic conditions LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 13, 2024) — Today, the Michigan Senate voted in bipartisan fashion to pass Senate Bill...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Files Lawsuit Against Republican Speaker Hall for Violating Constitution, Failing to Send Passed Legislation to Governor
NOTE: Legal documents related to today's lawsuit filing are attached. LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 3, 2025) — Today, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) hosted a press conference where she announced that the Michigan Senate has filed a...
Michigan Senate Votes for More Transparent State Government with FOIA Expansion to Governor, Legislature
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 29, 2025) — Today, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to expand Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and subject the Legislature and governor’s office to records requests from the public. Senate Bills 1 and 2,...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Prepares Legal Action Against Republican House of Representatives for Violating Constitution, Blocking Passed Legislation
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 22, 2025) — Today, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) introduced Senate Resolution 3 to prepare legal action that compels the House of Representatives to fulfill its constitutional duty to present the nine...
Senate Democrats Champion Legislation to Protect Reproductive Rights, Give Michiganders the Freedom to Plan
After protecting abortion access, assisted reproduction procedures, surrogacy, and reproductive health data, Senate Democrats advance equitable access to contraceptive care LANSING, Mich. (Dec. 11, 2024) — Building on their commitment to empowering...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Congratulates New House Leadership
LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 7, 2024) — Today, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) issued the following statement congratulating Rep. Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) and Rep. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) on being named Speaker of the House and...
After Speaker Hall Blows Court Deadline, Senate Majority Leader Brinks Says “Enough is Enough”
LANSING, Mich. (March 20, 2025) — After Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall blew the deadline to present nine bills that have passed both chambers to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, this morning, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and the...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks, Appropriations Chair Anthony Respond to House Republicans’ Botched Budget
LANSING, Mich. (March 6, 2025) — Today, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) issued the following statements in reaction to House Republicans’ surprise faux budget...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Comments on Gov. Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State Address
LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 26, 2025) — Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) has issued the following statement in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State address this evening: “Governor Whitmer made herself loud and...
Senate Passes Bipartisan Best-in-Nation Earned Sick Leave Policy
Bill expands access to earned sick leave for over a million more workers across state LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 20, 2025) — Today, the Senate passed House Bill 4002 to establish a statewide earned sick leave policy. Thanks to strong cooperation between...
Senate Passes Hertel Bill to Increase Wages, Support Michigan Service Workers and Small Businesses
Bipartisan bill protects tipped credit, accelerates raise to minimum and tipped wage, and ties automatic increases to economic conditions LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 13, 2024) — Today, the Michigan Senate voted in bipartisan fashion to pass Senate Bill...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Files Lawsuit Against Republican Speaker Hall for Violating Constitution, Failing to Send Passed Legislation to Governor
NOTE: Legal documents related to today's lawsuit filing are attached. LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 3, 2025) — Today, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) hosted a press conference where she announced that the Michigan Senate has filed a...
Michigan Senate Votes for More Transparent State Government with FOIA Expansion to Governor, Legislature
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 29, 2025) — Today, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to expand Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and subject the Legislature and governor’s office to records requests from the public. Senate Bills 1 and 2,...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Prepares Legal Action Against Republican House of Representatives for Violating Constitution, Blocking Passed Legislation
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 22, 2025) — Today, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) introduced Senate Resolution 3 to prepare legal action that compels the House of Representatives to fulfill its constitutional duty to present the nine...
Senate Democrats Champion Legislation to Protect Reproductive Rights, Give Michiganders the Freedom to Plan
After protecting abortion access, assisted reproduction procedures, surrogacy, and reproductive health data, Senate Democrats advance equitable access to contraceptive care LANSING, Mich. (Dec. 11, 2024) — Building on their commitment to empowering...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Reacts to “Adopt and Amend” Ruling
LANSING, Mich. (July 31, 2024) – Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) has issued the following statement regarding today’s Supreme Court decision regarding “adopt-and-amend” legislative strategies used by the then-Republican...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Congratulates New House Leadership
LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 7, 2024) — Today, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) issued the following statement congratulating Rep. Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) and Rep. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) on being named Speaker of the House and...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks on the Passing of Former Rep. Tim Sneller
LANSING, Mich. (July 12, 2024) — Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) has issued the following statement in response to the death of former state Representative Tim Sneller: “On behalf of the entire Michigan Senate, I want to...
Senate Democrats Finalize Lowering MI Costs Plan, Send $1B in Historic Tax Relief to Governor’s Desk
McDonald Rivet’s Working Families Tax Credit, Hertel repeal of retirement tax to benefit 1.2M Michiganders LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 28, 2023) — Today, Senate Democrats finalized the biggest tax relief initiative Michigan has seen in decades, sending...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks and President Pro Tem Moss Issue Joint Statement on Passage of Legislation to Move Up Michigan’s Presidential Primary
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 31, 2023) — Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), sponsor of Senate Bill 13, issued the following statement after the House and Senate approved legislation to move up...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Responds to Footage of Brutal Police Attack on Tyre Nichols
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Jan. 28, 2023) — Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) issued the following statement in reaction to recently released video footage showing Tyre Nichols being brutally beaten by Memphis police officers earlier...
Senate Majority Leader Brinks Applauds Gov. Whitmer’s People-Focused State of the State Address
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 25, 2023) — Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) issued the following statement in reaction to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s 2023 State of the State address: “The people of Michigan were the true spotlight of...
Brinks Announces Senate Democrats’ Caucus Leadership Positions
Smart, energetic leaders will direct Dems’ legislative efforts LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 16, 2022) – Today, incoming Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) announced the 2023-2027 Senate Democratic Caucus leadership slate,...
Brinks Makes Michigan History as First Female Senate Majority Leader
LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 10, 2022) — Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) today issued the following statement after being selected by her Senate Democratic Caucus colleagues as the first female Senate Majority Leader in Michigan history for...
Sen. Brinks Applauds State Supreme Court Decision on Legal Protections for LGBTQ+ Community
LANSING, Mich. (July 29, 2022) — Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) has issued the following statement regarding the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision in Rouch World, LLC v. Department of Civil Rights, in which they affirmed...
Sen. Brinks Secures Kent County Funds in Budget
LANSING, Mich. (July 1, 2022) — Today, Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) voted to support a $76.7 billion state budget agreement for Fiscal Year 2023 which includes funding for job training, teacher recruitment and retention, health...
Legislators to Announce Bill Creating Prescription Drug Affordability Board
LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 23, 2022) – Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) will host a press conference tomorrow morning about their legislation to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board...
Sen. Brinks invites residents to virtual town hall on COVID-19 vaccine
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Feb. 24, 2021) — Sen. Winnie Brinks invites members of the community to join her for a virtual town hall Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. with Dr. Adam London of the Kent County Health Department and Dr. Hyung T. Kim of...