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Yesterday the House once again failed to vote on any legislation to deal with COVID. In fact, we adjourned session so the GOP could offer Rudy Giuliani a platform to once again make unfounded claims about election fraud. Today, I spoke with Mary, who works in a group home. (1/9)
I've spoken with Mary before about what direct care workers are facing right now, my bill to increase their minimum wage and ways to get us through this crisis. Today, though, we spoke about Jeff. Jeff was a resident in the home Mary works in. Yesterday, he died of COVID. (2/9)
Mary is tired. She wanted me to keep working on extending hazard pay for direct care workers. Mostly, though, she wanted to tell me about Jeff. He loved wrestling, the Special Olympics and pizza. Mary said he was "pure love." She said they still haven't told his roommate. (3/9)
Mary said staff have essentially moved into the home to care for residents while trying to protect their own families. They're understaffed and struggling. They're balancing their families' safety and their residents' care. Meanwhile, they've given up on Lansing. (4/9)
We have 7 session days left. It is unconscionable that we spent yesterday voting on bills to change the procedure for Reps to pick their seats on the floor and public notice requirements. We're failing Mary. We failed Jeff. We've failed countless other Jeffs since March. (5/9)
Maybe my GOP colleagues aren't having these conversations. Maybe they haven't cried with someone like Mary because Jeff died alone. Maybe they didn't try to comfort Rep. Robinson's family as they said, "We don't even get to have a funeral." (6/9)
Maybe they don't have a mom like mine, 70 years old and a nurse, who I haven't hugged since February. I have to believe they don't have these things, because the alternative is they don't care and I cannot fathom why someone would want this job to simply not give a damn. (7/9)
We have 7 days left. It's time to put aside the political stunts and the pet projects and do our jobs to protect the people of this state. It's been time. (8/9)
I'm sorry. This isn't polished or brief, but it's important and honest. We have legislation ready to help mitigate this crisis. I'm pleading with my GOP colleagues to take it up and do what is right by all of our constituents. (9/9)
*I wanted to make a correction.*
Mary and I were just talking and she told me Jeff liked pizza, but his absolute favorite was fish and chips. I wanted to make that change because Jeff is not just a statistic, he was a real person and his memory is important.
Mary and I were just talking and she told me Jeff liked pizza, but his absolute favorite was fish and chips. I wanted to make that change because Jeff is not just a statistic, he was a real person and his memory is important.
