Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on February 26, 2004, to require the Department of Natural Resources to contract out the management of four forest pilot project areas to be managed on scientific silvicultural specifications based on sustainable forestry principles. The bill is part of a legislative package including House Bill 5554, which would require state forest management to be based on sustainable forestry principles, and requires the state to seek forest certification from an independent third party organization

The vote was 24 in favor, 14 opposed and 0 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 263 at Senate Journal 44)

Click here to view bill details.

Senator Clarke, under his constitutional right of protest (Art. 4, Sec. 18), protested against passage of Senate Bill No. 1023. Senator Clarke's statement is as follows: These bills aren't necessary. They add an unnecessary level of bureaucracy. We currently have in the DNR expert foresters who have good judgment on how to best manage our forest resources. So this is why I voted against this bill and will not be supporting the successive two bills as a part of this package.