MLA Update

Last Friday, MLA was feeling like the holidays came a bit early, and as the Grinch would say “It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags.” MLA leadership felt a small spark of hope, a tiny flicker of optimism, despite the things we have no control over. And that optimism was rewarded on Friday, December 13 around 7:30 PM when the democratic House Members voted unanimously to move the Freedom to Read bills to the Senate.

But, Lame Duck is turning out to be, somewhat predictably, unpredictable. The Freedom to Read legislation could be impacted by factors beyond our control. Protest absences by members in both the House and Senate have stalled progress on several pieces of legislation and could potentially derail our efforts to see these bills pass before the end of the legislative session. Due to the absence of two Democrats (one in the House and one in the Senate) and all House Republicans, there was no voting in the Michigan House or Senate on Wednesday, December 18. Today, Thursday, December 19, there was again no voting in the House due to the absence of Rep. Whitsett and all House Republicans. The House has adjourned.

All hope is not lost. After the House adjourned this afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks issued a statement affirming the Senate’s commitment to completing the agenda, stating, "The Michigan Senate is still in session, and we have the opportunity to do good - a lot of good. In the coming hours, residents can count on us to act on key items that will protect the state's children, improve on-the-job rights for workers, and more."

We are crossing our fingers that the Senate will schedule additional session days but at this late date, we are unsure of the future. We must continue to advocate and encourage our Senators to pass the Freedom to Read Acts. If the bills are passed in the Senate, they will head to Governor Whitmer. We remain confident that if these bills reach the Governor’s desk before the end of this legislative session, they will be signed into law.

Thank you for your continued advocacy and support for Michigan's public libraries. We will keep you tuned in as more is known of the fate of the Freedom to Read bills.

Deborah E. Mikula
Executive Director, Michigan Library Association