As the Senate holds its final session days before the end of the 102nd Legislature, members of the Michigan Senate took a moment on Thursday to share their gratitude for State Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) before she resigns to take her seat in Congress.
McDonald Rivet is set to represent Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, succeeding U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint). The district contains all of Saginaw and Bay counties, most of Genesee County and parts of Tuscola and Midland counties.
Members adopted a resolution of tribute, praising McDonald’s work during her time in the legislature, as well as her work as a community leader and in leading nonprofits before serving in the Senate.
“Since day one Kristen has stepped up as a leader delivering real results and progress for her constituents and for the people of Michigan,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said while addressing the chamber.
“From spearheading legislation that keeps firearms safely secured away from minors to championing a historic tax relief plan for working families and much, much more, she has proven herself as a pragmatic, hardworking public servant,” Brinks said.
McDonald Rivet sponsored Senate Bill 80, which created sentencing guidelines as part of the penalty for storing or leaving a firearm where it can be accessed by a minor.
She also led efforts to expand the earned income tax credit from 6% to 30% of the federal earned income tax credit.
McDonald Rivet offered her own farewell speech while standing beside her husband on the Senate floor, offering her gratitude for a number of her colleagues and staff and sharing memories from her time in the chamber.
She shared the story of the first time she stepped onto the Senate floor, saying the view from the top of the center aisle took her breath away.
“I’m going to have a moment of honesty here. I was more than a little mad in that moment. The campaign part of getting here, that was hard. Attack ads, heated debates, 22 pieces of negative mail. And at one point my son actually asked me if it was true that I helped push fentanyl on the streets of Saginaw,” McDonald Rivet said.
“I spent 10 months in what felt like a good guys versus bad guys battle in 2022. But what hit me as I looked at the portraits, the seals on the ceiling, the rostrum, the gigantic chairs where my feet don’t touch the floor. It’s not good guys versus bad guys at all. It’s a focus on people,” she said. “The single mom struggling to keep food on the table, the senior hoping to retire after a lifetime of hard work. The freshman in high school dreaming of being a scientist. None of us own caring for people. All of us want a strong Michigan where everyone has the ability to thrive.”
Moments like watching Michigan State University Students demand action on gun control following the mass shooting on campus, watching Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) gavel in the final passage of amendments to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act barring discrimination against individuals on account of their gender identity or sexual orientation, helping Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield) adjust her Rosie the Riveter headband, and debating education policy with Sen. Jonathan Lindsey (R-Allen) were among those McDonald Rivet said she would take with her into her new role in Washington D.C.
In addition to thanking Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and Sens. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores), McDonald Rivet offered her gratitude to former State Sen. Curtis Hertel (D-East Lansing) —who was not present — for encouraging her to run for the state Senate.
“When he asked me to consider running for this seat, he wouldn’t take ‘absolutely not’ for an answer. He convinced me that the Michigan Senate mattered and we could do big things here and he was right, and I will be forever grateful. I have valued every, well, almost every minute in this chamber. It has been an honor of a lifetime, and I hope to make all of you proud in Washington. Thank you,” McDonald Rivet said.
McDonald Rivet’s departure will leave Senate Democrats with a razor-thin, one-person majority over Republicans. The Senate is currently split 20-18. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will need to call a special election to fill the vacant 35th Senate District seat, but has been unable to do that until McDonald Rivet officially resigned.
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