Rep. Palmer, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:
“Mr. Speaker and members of the House:
I am voting no on this bill because I believe that creating different classes of victims of the same crime is a poor way to construct an effective and meaningful penal code. I am not indifferent to the potential dangers of operating a public transit vehicle, as my father drove a bus in the City of Detroit. We already have penalties for assault and battery on the books, penalties that are less severe than what these bills call for. I cannot support legislation that would degrade one class of victims at the expense of another.”