(Source: MIRS.news, Published 01/09/2023) When asked if the time has come for the 54-54 split House to look into a shared power situation, which has been suggested by House Republican Leader Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was confident in her "No."
"Here's why," she added, during a press scrum Tuesday following a Lansing event with AARP to highlight legislation exempting pension and other retirement income from the state's income tax.
Whitmer said because legislative majorities were elected in both chambers, the loss of two House members doesn't yet qualify for shared power.
"This is not shared power," Whitmer said. "I've worked in the Legislature during shared power. This is a situation where the people of Michigan elected Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate. Two legislators ran, and now they are serving as mayors of their hometowns."
In 1993, the last time the House saw a shared power scenario, Whitmer was working as a staffer for then-co-Speaker and Democrat Curtis Hertel, the father of the current congressional candidate.
The co-speaker arrangement was decided after an election resulting in a 55-55 House split.
Whitmer said the 54-54 split the House faces currently "doesn't change anything about the House Rules, that the whole Legislature voted to enact."
She referenced specifically House Rule 77, which sets up policy in the case of an "equally divided House."
"If at any time during the One Hundred Second Legislature, there are 55 Members duly elected and serving as Democrats as evidenced by the party he or she represented on the general or special election ballot … and 55 Members duly elected and serving as Republicans as evidenced by the party he or she represented on the general or special election ballot … then the House of Representatives shall proceed with the election of a Speaker and other officers provided for in Rule 1 by at least 56 votes."
Whitmer said the rule, "as people who are in leadership should be very well aware of, has been in place since 1997.
"It has not changed anything functionally in the House … in this moment, where we've got two specials playing out."
In response, Hall said it sounds like Whitmer "is in denial."
"I know what it feels like to come back to Lansing after losing the House majority, so I can relate to where the Democrats are at right now," he said. "I would just say from the comments, it sounds like Gov. Whitmer is in denial … Here's the fact. When it's 54-54, it's tied, which means that whether it's formal or informal, there has to be an agreement to move forward."
The precedent for when the body is tied is co-speakers, Hall said, adding that Republicans aren't asking for that, but simply want to set themselves up for success by coming up with a set of rules to benefit both parties and provide clarity.
He mentioned making committees more evenly split and reworking how the agenda is set as possible shared power solutions.
Hall said his shared power resolution, which was introduced in November 2023 and requires the House to approve a power-sharing agreement that would remain valid until a majority votes to remove it, will be read in tomorrow.
Hall didn't say whether he believes the resolution will be adopted, but "whether that gets adopted or not, there has to be agreement. There has to be rules. There has to be understanding."
Instead of fixating on shared power, Whitmer said it's important for both parties to "focus on finding some common ground."
"We've had a lot of success doing that, but I think this just reiterates why that continues to be so important," she said.
When asked how much bipartisan policy is likely to be possible in the first four months of 2024, Whitmer said she's had regular conversations with folks on both sides of the aisle and touched base with a handful of House Republicans last week.
"This temporary time where we've got a couple of special elections … I think is an opportunity to double down on places where we can find some common ground," Whitmer said, "and that's always been the North Star."
She referenced the budget and economic development specifically as areas where there could be consensus.
"Everyone knows that we are competing against other states and other countries, and Michigan's got to be able to put our best foot forward, whether it's having a great workforce, a great business climate, synergies around energy and electricity and good paying jobs," she said. "So I think that there's going to be some common ground in those spaces."
But Hall said spending time "sitting around and posturing" takes away from conversations about consensus, and "if they just sit around and talk about who has the gavel, and how strong they are, what are they going to say to the people in Michigan when they don't have anything to show for the seven months since they adjourned."
He didn't say that bipartisanship wouldn't be possible without some sort of shared power, but he did say that setting up an agreement on how agendas are set and committees are structured "is going to determine whether we have legislation that we can do."
Whitmer said her top priorities, and the first bills she wants to see passed this year, include prescription drug affordability.
"I think that you'll see we're going to hit the ground running," she said. "I recognize this will be a big election year, and we want to get our work done before everyone gets out and starts campaigning for reelection."
