House Republican Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, on Wednesday issued the following statement:

“Speaker Tate still refuses to admit that the House is in shared power, but he’s feeling its effects as House Republicans rack up wins each time Democrats move our way. Our caucus has called for passage of bills that are priorities of our representatives and the communities they serve. Today, the House approved one of these Republican bills and teed up another Republican-led package for a vote next week. Democrats also backed off and removed a partisan bill they had placed on the agenda.

“But even as Republicans secure victories, Democrats are blocking progress on the pressing issues facing Michiganders. Today, I moved to take up the comprehensive school safety and mental health plan that Democrats in the House Education Committee have refused to take up for a year. It’s time for the House to get to work so we can keep kids safe at school and tackle the serious problems facing Michiganders.”

House Bills 4088-4100, the school safety package that Democrat refused to take up, are designed to organize a unified approach to school safety and student mental health through enhanced communication, training, personnel, and more. The plan addresses specific problems identified by the bipartisan task force created by Republicans after the Oxford shooting. It establishes dedicated staff for school safety and mental health at every school district, implements regular review of each school’s safety plan, ensures tips submitted through the OK2SAY system are directed to the proper authorities, standardizes training and communication for responding to school emergencies, and more.

The House of Representatives today approved House Bill 4416, a Republican bill to update the Estates and Protected Individuals Code, which House Republicans on Monday asked the speaker to take up for House passage. The House also advanced a pair of bipartisan bills dealing with summer resort associations in preparation for a likely vote next week; the bills were also on the list of bills House Republicans requested this week.