Hall To Puri: 'I Don't Need You,' Fiery Quadrant Panel Takes Place On Mackinac Island

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 05/29/2025) (MACKINAC ISLAND) – "I don't need you" is what House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said to his chamber's minority leader, Rep. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton), during a panel of the Legislature's top Democratic and Republican leaders.

"You only bring to the table negative ideas. I mean, we had this school safety report, and you showed up for the pictures, and you signed the report, and then you voted against the bill," Hall said. "You have no credibility, and we're working with Democrats that want to get stuff done."

Hall was referencing legislation passed in the House earlier this month, with proposals originating from school safety recommendations made after the November 2021 Oxford High School shooting.

However, the topics discussed by Thursday’s panel expanded beyond school safety, with moderator Zoe Clark, Michigan Radio's political director, asking questions about why state government seems to be amid political "uncertainty" and "unpredictability."

The panel was hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber as part of its Mackinac Policy Conference, the annual gathering of political, business and nonprofit leaders.

Hall referenced several times how 60 percent of participants in the MIRS Insider Survey, conducted by the Lansing-based EPIC-MRA, had a positive view of his job performance.

Meanwhile, 41 percent had a positive view of Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids)' job performance, 48 percent for Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) and Puri's was 32 percent.

Brinks criticized Hall for not meeting the need for bills to be bicameral in order to be passed. She additionally zoomed in on the July 1 deadline lawmakers have created for finalizing budgets ahead of the new fiscal year.

Senate Democrats have already approved their $85.95 billion budget proposal for the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, highlighting some of their top spending priorities. Although estimates show that the spending plan comes $313.4 million short based on estimated state revenues, Brinks explained it can be adjusted with updated revenue forecasts when House Republicans pass their own budget plan.

Currently, the Republican-led House has passed no FY ‘26 department-based budgets out of subcommittee. Its only offering was a $20 billion emergency budget plan to keep the government functioning if deals aren't made ahead of the new fiscal year starting.

"I'm not sure why you think that now is a good time, in the face of all the chaos and uncertainty that we are seeing from D.C., to change that up and to just take your time and drag your feet," Brinks said. "We're ready to work with you on a budget, and right now, just with the timeline that you have set by not acting before now, is putting us in a position where it's almost impossible to get it done by the statutory deadline."

Hall explained when the House Republicans' budget does come out, it will drop the income tax rate from 4.25 percent to 4.05 percent during the 2023 tax year. Also, he said it will invest in repairing local roads with his chamber's $3.1 billion road funding plan, which cuts corporate grants and incentive programs and ensures state taxes paid at the gas pumps go toward bridges and roads.

He also pointed to the House's proposed public safety trust fund, directing 1.5 percent of Michigan's 4 percent sales tax to local law enforcement for violent crime prevention, based on their crime rates.

"We're not just taking on 4 percent on top of…last year and running a deficit budget," Hall said. "And we're not just going to fill it up with everything the lobbyists ask for and run a big deficit."

When Clark asked about what single pet project they wanted to see accomplished, Puri pointed to maintaining free breakfast and lunch for school children. Meanwhile, Nesbitt wants the Senate to put the House's $3.1 billion road funding plan on the board for a vote right now.

"I think if we put it up on the board, we could pass it in the Senate. Let's get it to the Governor's desk," Nesbitt said. "I think it's good that we do big things."

Brinks said big things require negotiation, sitting down and ironing out differences.

"Establishing a civil environment where people are not constantly insulting each other, to set a stage so that we can have a productive conversation," she said.

Hall pointed to wanting legislation passed requiring all lawmakers to put their names behind special spending earmarks online in order for budgets to get signed. On the other hand, Brinks wants the House to approve subjecting legislators and the Governor's office to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Clark also asked about the ballot question that will automatically be put in front of voters on the 2026 November ballot, asking if they support holding a constitutional convention to put forward amendments and changes to the Michigan Constitution.

Brinks said she is open to hearing the pros and cons of voting "yes" on the 2026 question. Hall said he actually thinks it's time for a constitutional convention. Nesbitt said he'll probably vote "yes" and Puri said he's not inclined to think he would support it.