Republicans blasted Democrats for spending the waning hours of their trifecta control of the state’s government on leftist social issues, such as giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and allowing Michiganders to change their gender identity on their driver’s license rather than helping the state’s restaurant workers.

On Friday, the last day for one chamber to pass a bill for the other to consider before the end of the session, House Republicans walked out of the chamber to protest Democratic inaction on measures to amend the state’s paid sick leave law and keep the minimum wage rate for tipped restaurant workers.

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Small businesses say the sick leave law, which will take effect in February, will mandate burdensome requirements for small businesses. Meanwhile, the tip change will raise the hourly rate for servers to meet the state’s minimum wage in 2030, which servers fear will drive down how much they make in tips.

“They don’t understand why they just lost the election,” House Speaker-elect Rep. Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., said during a Friday press conference. “They lost the election because they focus on this stuff, these crazy, divisive social issues that only [a] small amount of people care about, most of which are in their far left radical wing of their caucus and up in the gallery when they let people in.”

Republicans say that without legislative intervention, the hospitality industry and many small businesses will face mass layoffs and closures early in 2025. They pointed to a recent Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association survey that found that most restaurants (more than 92%) would hike prices, with many anticipating increases of 20% to 25% by early 2025.

Roughly two-thirds (66%) of restaurant owners said they would lay off employees. Another one in five (20%) would shut their doors, while nearly half (42%) would cut operating hours.

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“We’re right up against the buzzer on this lame duck legislative session and Democrats are still completely ignorant to the dire situation faced by our tipped wage workers and small businesses,” Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord, said in a release. “Republicans recognize the urgency of getting something done; that’s why we’ve dragged [Democratic] Gov. [Gretchen] Whitmer and legislative Democrats to the negotiating table for over a month now. But they’ve been distracted by their efforts to let murderers out of jail and clear the way for illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses.”

Borton added: “We’ve been negotiating in good faith, and they’ve been dragging their feet as they try to strong arm their members into further destroying our state. We’re not going to stand for it anymore. The people chose Republicans because we’re going to save our tipped wage workers and small businesses, if the Democrats still don’t see that writing on the wall now, they’re in for a rude awakening come January.”

Another survey from Save MI Tips found that 82% of Michigan restaurant servers wanted to maintain the state’s tipping system, while a similar amount (79%) worried they could lose their job if the tip credits were eliminated.

“Legislative Democrats are reaching a point where their level of greed and complete disregard for the Christmas season would put the Grinch to shame,” state Rep. John Roth, R-Interlochen, said in a release.

“Our tipped workers have stood outside our chambers and pleaded with us for help. Yet, Democrats in charge are more focused on giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants and letting dangerous convicts out of jail,” Roth added. “The grinch may have stolen Christmas, but Democrats are going to steal a lot more from tipped wage workers if we don’t act.”

Of course, lawmakers found the time to pass House Bill 5616, which would require hospitals or freestanding surgical outpatient facilities to offer patients unused portions of eye drops or eye ointment upon discharge.

We need to pass a law and spend $272,500 so [people] can take their unused eye drops home?” state Rep. Matt Maddock, R- Milford, posted to X. “Do we need a law to permit [people] take unused toilet paper home too?”