Republican Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof and Republican Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter have formed a committee called the Joint Committee on the Flint Water Public Health Emergency that has something to do with the public health catastrophe in Flint. They plan to hold hearings, looking into all levels of government from local all the way up to federal.
The committee is made up of two Democrats, Rep. Jeff Irwin and Sen. Jim Ananich, along with four Republicans, Rep. Ed McBroom, Rep. Ed Canfield, Sen. Jim Stamas, and Sen. Joe Hune.
The role of the committee seems to be in some dispute. For one thing, they don’t plan to ask for subpoena power. In fact, the Chair, Rep. Stamas says it’s not an investigation, at all. Instead they’ll hold hearings to “make sure that we find solutions for Flint and make sure we find solutions for all of Michigan”. Rep. Ananich, however, is going to push for the ability to subpoena witnesses and have them testify under oath.
Here’s a Fun Fact about the committee: they are all white men. Just a bunch of white dudes, looking into the poisoning of a majority black city.
Seriously, guys? You couldn’t find one black person or one woman?
I really do long for the day when our legislative leadership joins us in the 21st Century.
[Photo credit: Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog]
