LANSING (WWJ) -- The GOP-controlled State Senate on Tuesday passed a package of bills that would prevent local school districts from requiring students to wear face masks or receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
While the package of four bills now heads to the House of Representatives, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to veto the bills if they reach her desk.
Tuesday’s 19-15 vote along party lines came after some heated debate on the Senate floor. Proponents of the legislation, like Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, says the decisions should be left to the parents on an individual basis.
“We have seen time and time again parents stepping up on behalf of their own children to make their own decisions on behalf of their kids and see nothing but the government intrude on them to stand in their way,” Barrett said.
Democrats, however, say the legislation goes against science and guidance from health officials. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, slammed the measures, accusing his colleagues of ignoring science and endangering the public.
“I ask that you vote no on these bills -- not because of the ridiculous policy that is contained in them that is not needed in any real way, shape or form -- but instead as a rejection of the conspiracy-laden nonsense that this building has become,” Hertel said during heated discussion Tuesday.
State health officials earlier this month said data shows school districts without mask requirements were experiencing higher case rates and more outbreaks.
Last week the state reported nearly 100 new outbreaks at Michigan schools, including 25 in Macomb County, involving nearly 500 students and staff. Macomb County does not currently have a school mask mandate, unlike other neighboring counties.
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Sen. Lan Theis, R-Brighton, said Tuesday “there is data to show that areas with strict mandates do not have better outcomes than those without.”
Theis also says instead of uniting the state, “forcing vaccines and mask mandates upon our citizens has driven us further apart.”
Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills, accused her colleagues of playing political games.
“Here we are again debating ‘anti-vax’ and anti-mask nonsense. Stop with perpetuating this crisis. Stop. People are believing what you’re telling them. People are drinking your Kool-Aid,” she said, addressing Republicans.
As of Monday, the state’s most recent numbers showed Michigan had reported about 1.1 million cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic and just under 22,000 deaths.
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