LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Hauck, R-Mt. Pleasant, issued the following statement on Thursday after the Senate voted to pass a bipartisan reform to maintain a tip credit for the state’s hospitality workers ahead of the new law taking effect next week:
“I’m not exactly happy with how this panned out or that the Senate Democrats waited so long to act on the tipped wage issue. However, I am glad my colleagues and I were able to force changes that created a final product that better reflected what workers — who made their voices clear — were asking for.
“For months, we knew a fix was needed, yet once again, Democratic leadership waited until the last minute to act. With the proper consideration and diligence an issue of this magnitude deserved, we could have brought a better product to the table, but this reform does help our small businesses keep their doors open and prevent out-of-state interests from coming to Michigan and running our businesses into the ground. Ultimately, we did reach a compromise I was willing to support.
“This is a far cry from declaring a victory lap, but someone had to be the adult in the room and acknowledge the very real disaster that was looming with inaction.”
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