Lansing, MI — Tensions in the Michigan House of Representatives reached a boiling point Thursday as Speaker Joe Tate ordered the rare “call of the House,” directing the Sergeant at Arms to round up absent members and secure a quorum for voting. The move came after 54 Republican members and one Democrat, Rep. Karen Whitsett, decided to skip the day’s legislative session, leaving just 55 representatives present — one short of the necessary quorum to conduct official business.
The absences stemmed from a growing frustration among Republicans, who have been calling for the House to take up a bill affecting tipped restaurant workers. The proposed legislation has become a point of contention, with Republicans accusing House Democrats of stalling on a vote that they argue is critical for workers across the state.
Rep. Whitsett, the lone Democratic member to join the walkout, has also voiced dissatisfaction with the legislative process, claiming that funding for local districts was not being allocated properly. Whitsett, who represents Michigan’s 4th District, was reportedly in Lansing Thursday, but chose to stay away from the chamber in protest.
The situation comes just days before the final adjournment of the current legislative session. With Democrats holding a slim 56-54 majority in the House, the walkout could delay a series of bills that House Democrats hope to pass before they lose control of the chamber in the next legislative session. In the wake of November’s elections, Republicans are set to take back the majority with a 58-52 advantage, giving them greater power to shape the legislative agenda when the House reconvenes next year.
This walkout marks a dramatic escalation in the political tensions between Michigan’s Democratic-controlled House and the state’s Republican Party. The impasse reflects a broader national trend of heightened polarization, where partisan disagreements over key issues are increasingly spilling over into disruptions in normal legislative operations.
Thursday’s “call of the House” was an attempt by Speaker Tate to regain control of the situation and ensure that the legislative business could proceed. While members of the Michigan State Police were reportedly placed on standby to assist in rounding up absentees, there was no immediate word on whether they would be needed.
The bill at the center of the dispute, which would impact tipped workers in the state, has garnered significant attention in recent weeks. Republicans have argued that the legislation is essential to providing better protections for restaurant workers, but Democrats have countered that it lacks sufficient safeguards for vulnerable employees.
The timing of the walkout is especially significant, as it comes at the tail end of the legislative session. Democrats had hoped to pass a slate of bills before the end of the year, but with the chamber’s majority now uncertain due to the absences, those efforts could be severely delayed.
For Michigan voters and lawmakers, the standoff represents a tense conclusion to a legislative session that has been marked by intense partisan division. With Republicans poised to regain control in January, the final days of the 2023 session could prove pivotal in shaping the state’s policy priorities for the next two years.
As of Thursday afternoon, it remained unclear how or when the deadlock would be resolved, but Speaker Tate’s call to reconvene could signal that both sides are gearing up for a showdown over the future of the state’s legislative agenda.
