Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a frequent critic of how the governor has fought the pandemic, did not say how he believes he contracted COVID-19.
Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey confirms he had COVID-19 in December Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press
First COVID-19 vaccines administered at University of Michigan
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The leader of the Michigan Senate who has often criticized the state s approach to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic tested positive for the coronavirus in December, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 on Dec. 23, said Amber McCann, a Shirkey spokeswoman. McCann said the lawmaker believes he was exposed on Dec. 19 and had not been in the Capitol since Dec. 18, the last day the full Senate met in session for the year.
Who’s new in the Michigan House of Representatives
Updated Jan 05, 2021;
Posted Jan 05, 2021
The House Chamber pictured at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Thursday, April 25, 2019.Neil Blake
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The new legislative session brings with it substantial turnover for the Michigan House of Representatives, which will have 28 new lawmakers serving their first full terms in office.
Most of the freshman class will fill House seats vacated by members who hit their six-year term limit serving in the state House, although some defeated incumbents or are replacing members who sought other offices last fall.
Speaker-elect Jason Wentworth, R-Clare, and Democratic Leader-elect Donna Lasinski, D-Scio Township, will fill the leadership slots left open by the departures of former Reps. Lee Chatfield and Christine Greig.
Outgoing House Speaker had big wins on auto insurance and criminal justice, but pandemic was a stumbling block
Updated Dec 25, 2020;
Posted Dec 25, 2020
Speaker of the House Rep. Lee Chatfield pictured at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Thursday, April 25, 2019.Neil Blake | MLive.com
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In his last speech on the House floor, Rep. Lee Chatfield frequently took an apologetic tone.
From the get-go, the 32-year-old former teacher from Northern Michigan said his goal while serving as the Speaker of the House was to find bipartisan consensus wherever possible in a divided government.
But although the Republican-led House and Senate saw some bipartisan wins this term, including an overhaul of the state’s no-fault auto insurance laws and a host of policy changes aimed at improving the criminal justice system, Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, frequently sparred with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her administration.