Senator Whitmer, under her constitutional right of protest (Art. 4, Sec. 18), protested against the passage of House Bill No. 6608 and moved that the statement she made during the discussion of the bill be printed as her reasons for voting “no.”
The motion prevailed.
Senator Whitmer’s statement is as follows:
I rise in opposition to this bill and regrettably so. The practice legalized in this bill is common practice, and I support the intentions of the bill’s sponsor, my friend and colleague from Ingham County, Representative Byrum, to facilitate the practice of many of our mom-and-pop stores around the state selling propane to consumers.
Unfortunately, I think the current version of this bill creates some potential problems for consumers. Selling propane at a flat rate without informing the consumer of the amount of propane they are receiving is akin to buying a turkey without knowing its weight or filling up at the gas station for $50 without knowing how much gasoline you are receiving.
We discussed possible fixes in committee, and I have tried to work with the bill’s sponsor and stakeholders to craft language that legalizes a common practice while protecting consumers. Unfortunately, we have not reached that point in the short time we have left.
Because of my concerns for consumers given the current language in the bill, I will regrettably vote “no” on House Bill No. 6608.