North Michigan News

State Sen. John Damoose, representing Harbor Springs, addressed the media following a Senate vote on reforms related to Michigan's sick leave law and tip credit legislation. The proposed changes have been forwarded to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for approval.

Sen. Damoose expressed dissatisfaction with the legislative process, stating, "We had months and months and months to do this, yet here we are at the eleventh hour rushing to get this done." He criticized Democratic leadership for delaying action on these significant issues until the last minute.

While acknowledging the attention given to the tip credit issue, Sen. Damoose emphasized that business owners were more concerned about potential changes to sick leave laws. "Because of that, I made my position clear: I would not support any proposals without a reform to the sick time law," he stated.

Despite his disappointment with the timing, Sen. Damoose noted that a bipartisan agreement was reached, saying, "The deal wasn’t perfect, but what I can guarantee is that the solution we reached is far better than what would have happened had the Legislature chosen not to act."

He concluded by expressing hope for Gov. Whitmer's approval of the agreement: "I’ll be patiently waiting for the governor’s signature this evening."