On the tax bills:
Among the bills passed were:
HB 5352, which freezes the the yearly inflation adjustment on the personal income tax exemption. This bill passed by a 58-51 margin early in the evening.
HB 5384, a “shell” bill that will likely reduce some exemptions under the Michigan Business Tax. This bill passed 57-52.
HB 5386, which places a 3 percent tax on doctors in order to fund a Quality Assurance Assessment Program for doctors in the state. By establishing those assessments, this bill would also qualify the state for an additional $822 million in federal matching funds for Medicaid reimbursement.
The Doctor's tax was the most controversial.
The voting on this bill began just before 7:15 pm and within a few minutes it became obvious that the bill was going to fail. There were 56 votes against the bill on the board by 7:25. But the voting remained open for nearly another hour, during which time presumably some members were pressed to change their votes.
At 8:21, the chair suddenly ordered the clerk to tally the vote, which was 56-52 in favor of the bill. Four legislators had been convinced to change their votes: Rep. Jimmy Womack (D-Detroit), Lee Gonzales (D-Flint), Dan Scripps (D-Leelanau), and Marc Corriveau (D-Plymouth).
I'd like to see which democrats or republicans defected from the party line. Scripps and Corriveau should be targeted in a big way for their votes.
