House Republicans illegally block legislation to strengthen recruitment and retention for corrections and other law enforcement officers
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 30, 2025) — Yesterday, Senate Democrats held a special meeting of the Senate Labor Committee to hear personal perspectives on the consequences of Republican Speaker of the House Matt Hall illegally holding nine bills passed by both chambers last session — including legislation to improve retirement options and strengthen recruitment and retention for corrections and other law enforcement officers.
Representing a large number of corrections officers who are impacted by the held legislation, Sen. Sue Shink (D-Northfield) joined as a guest committee member to hear testimony.
“House Republicans are putting the safety of our corrections officers and prisoners at risk. Each day Matt Hall refuses to fulfill his constitutional duty is another day corrections officers face unnecessary dangerous short staffing levels that lead to exhaustion and dangerous conditions in the prison, conditions that could be corrected if these bills were sent to the governor for her signature,” said Sen. Shink. “Senate Democrats will not stand by while Hall plays political games. We were elected to serve the people, not cater to partisan obstruction. Michigan deserves action, and we’re committed to delivering it no matter what.”
Included in the nine pieces of legislation are House Bills 4665–4667 of 2023. Together, these bipartisan bills, which are nearly identical to a legislative package Sen. Shink helped spearhead in the Senate, would allow new corrections and other state law enforcement officers to become members of the Michigan State Police hybrid retirement system and allow current officers to choose to move retirement systems.
“Despite an extraordinary staffing shortage, Michigan corrections officers have gone above and beyond to keep our communities safe,” said Ray Sholtz, Executive Director of the Michigan Corrections Organization. “Too many short-term fixes and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in overtime have done nothing to stem the tide of an ever-growing staffing crisis. We know the solution: We need pensions that keep officers in the profession and allow them to retire with dignity.
“We appreciate Sen. Shink and the Labor Committee for hearing our testimony yesterday, though we regret that we must advocate once again for what should already be settled law. Our officers have done their part to get this legislation to the governor’s desk. It is past time for politicians to stop playing games and do theirs.”
Over 6,000 members of the Michigan Corrections Organization are currently impacted by the House Republicans’ unconstitutional decision to block the bills from being sent to the governor’s desk for signature.
Cary Johnson, a corrections officer at the Cotton Correctional Facility and one of Sen. Shink’s constituents, also provided testimony during the hearing.
“I’m considered a long-term officer, and I’ve seen a lot in my time working for the Michigan Dept. of Corrections,” said Johnson. “I have seen the days when we were fully staffed, and officers were able to go home to their families and have a good work-life balance… those days are long and gone. For the last seven years, with the staffing crisis, prisons are now both dangerous and exhausting.”
Yesterday’s committee hearing was held one week after the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 3, which empowers the Senate Majority Leader to prepare legal action compelling the House of Representatives to fulfill its constitutional duty and present the nine remaining bills to the governor.
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