Senator Cassis, under her constitutional right of protest (Art. 4, Sec. 18), protested against the adoption of the amendment offered by Senator Thomas to Senate Bill No. 1 and moved that the statement she made during the discussion of the amendment be printed as her reasons for voting “no.”
The motion prevailed.
Senator Cassis’ statement is as follows:
I just have to say that it’s elementary, Dr. Watson. Needless to say, I am concerned that a new tie-bar being added to this bill looks an awful lot like an attempt to delay or avoid providing real tax relief in the state so badly in recession. And you know, you will recall, that our Banking and Financial Institutions Committee has taken steps to address this issue. I personally have taken steps last session to introduce a bill to disclose the amount of money owed when a house goes into foreclosure to make it easier for a homeowner to reclaim his property, and that bill will be re-introduced. It just never got the attention over in the House that is probably deserved.
Let me add, these are really two separate issues—fine issues, no doubt. Let me reinforce the comments of the good Senator from the 28th District. The goal here with Senate Bill No. 1 is to reduce excessive taxation and burden on our job providers. Why? This will retain jobs and perhaps add some new ones, but it will stop the horrendous bleeding, hemorrhaging of jobs in this state. How can we sit by and allow for jobs to continue to be lost every day; the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, another example of more people going on the unemployment lines.
What we are doing here today is concrete, and most importantly, it is an immediate stimulus. Stimulus. Talking a lot lately, on the federal level and everywhere about what we can do to stimulate an economy, well, this is it, make no doubt.
I would like conclude by saying that the No. 1 reason for foreclosures to occur is that loss of a job—the loss of a job. So the bill that we are dealing with right now is addressing the very core problem of foreclosures. So let’s restore hope. Let’s do something today in a bipartisan fashion. This is more than just sending a message; it’s sending hope. There is an urgency to save jobs and the need is and has been imminent.