LANSING, Mich. — After Senate Democrats voted to eliminate the position of associate president pro tempore and remove him from committee assignments in retaliation for Republicans using the parliamentary rules to delay action on legislation designed to stop an automatic income tax cut from going into effect, Sen. Joseph Bellino, R-Monroe, who served as associate president pro tempore, issued the following statement:
“Stripping an elected official of their voice for following the rules of the Senate simply because you don’t like it is an absurd abuse of power by the new majority and beneath the dignity of this historic chamber in which we all serve.
“I have a long record of working with members of both parties on solutions to improve our state and the lives of our families — but sometimes you have to stand up for what’s right. Democrats were trying to rush their plan to raise taxes on Michiganders at a time of record-high inflation — without legislative debate or public comment.
“Now — for using the very rule they have utilized in the past — Senate Democrats are punishing me for doing everything in my power as a member of the Senate to bring more transparency to a scheme designed to take away a tax cut from all Michigan residents.
“They can strip me of whatever pro tempore title they wish, but I will not remain silent as they work to silence my voice in this chamber. I will not remain silent about the impact of their decisions on the people of our region and the entire state.”
Bellino was removed from his seats on the Energy and Environment Committee and the Regulatory Affairs Committee and replaced as minority vice chair on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
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