Stamas chairs Flint water committee
(Courtesy | Jim Stamas) State Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, talks about his recent appointment as chairman of the new Joint Committee on the Flint Water Public Health Emergency. The committee will review the findings surrounding the Flint water crisis, take testimony on the mistakes at all levels of government that led to the situation and explore potential policy solutions to prevent a similar disaster in the future.
LANSING, MI -- Members of Michigan's special Joint Committee on the Flint Water Public Health Emergency will hold a meeting in Flint on Tuesday to hear from residents about the water crisis.
The committee meets at University of Michigan - Flint's Northbank Center in the Grand Ballroom at 432 N. Saginaw St. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. and legislators are prepared for it to run until 6 p.m.
The committee started meeting earlier this month, and so far has heard testimony from the Office of the Auditor General regarding their inquiries at the Department of Environmental Quality. It was created to review the findings concerning the Flint water emergency, take testimony on governmental mistakes and explore how to prevent a similar disaster in the future.
Chairman Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, said the committee was looking for solutions.
"I certainly wish that in the end the solutions that we bring forward are those that people say that we've taken the time and made a very strong effort to find, how do we strengthen the public health of Michigan?" Stamas said.
He invited Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, former mayor Dayne Walling, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, employees at the water treatment plant and the public to testify. Public testimony will be limited to three minutes per person.
Sen. JIm Ananich, D-Flint, who serves as co-vice-chairman of the committee, said he expects the committee to learn from Flint residents at this hearing.
"I think it's eye-opening for folks that aren't from there to see the way people are living their lives and that not much has really changed," he said.
Members of the committee include Stamas and Ananich; Rep. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, co-vice-chairman of the committee; Sen. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg; Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor; and Rep. Edward Canfield, R-Sebewaing.
Emily Lawler is a Capitol reporter on MLive's statewide Impact Team. You can reach her at elawler@mlive.com, subscribe to her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter: @emilyjanelawler.