SCR 12

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 12
Senators Brinks,
Nesbitt, Albert, Anthony, Bayer, Bellino, Bumstead, Camilleri, Cavanagh, Chang,
Cherry, Daley, Damoose, Geiss, Hauck, Hertel, Hoitenga, Huizenga, Irwin,
Johnson, Klinefelt, Lauwers, Lindsey, McBroom, McCann, McMorrow, Moss, Outman,
Polehanki, Runestad, Santana, Shink, Singh, Theis, Victory, Webber and Wojno
offered the following concurrent resolution:
A concurrent resolution of tribute offered as a memorial for
Bruce Patterson, former member of the Michigan Senate and Michigan House of
Representatives.
Whereas, It was with great sorrow that the members of the
Legislature learned about the passing of Bruce Patterson. He will be remembered
as a thoughtful and dedicated public servant by his constituents in Wayne
County and the people of our great state; and
Whereas, Bruce Patterson was born in 1947 in Detroit,
Michigan. He earned a bachelor’s
degree and juris doctor from Wayne State University, degrees he utilized to
launch a career that combined private law practice, higher education
advancement, and public service; and
Whereas, Throughout the course of his life, Bruce Patterson
found much professional success. He worked for over 20 years as an attorney,
rising through the ranks from an associate attorney to vice-president and,
ultimately, president of McCabe, Middleton & Patterson, P.C. Bruce
Patterson also served as the Director of Planned Giving at Eastern Michigan
University from 1991 to 1994 and on the Board of Trustees for the Schoolcraft
College Foundation; and
Whereas, Bruce Patterson began his career in public service on
the local level, serving two terms as a Wayne County Commissioner from 1995 to
1998 before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. He served
two terms representing the Twenty-first District, during which he served as
Associate Speaker Pro Tempore during his first term and as Majority Floor
Leader during his second term. Bruce  Patterson also served as the chair of
both the House Oversight and Operations Committee and the House Redistricting
and Elections Committee, in addition to serving as vice chair of the House
committees on Constitutional Law and Ethics and House Television and Oversight,
and as a member of the House committees on Conservation and Outdoor Recreation,
Tax Policy, Transportation, Gaming and Casino Oversight, and Veteran’s Affairs.
Additionally, Bruce Patterson served on the Legislative Council. During his
time in the House, Bruce Patterson advocated for better nursing home care, led
the successful 2002 ballot proposal that authorized up to $1 billion in state
bonds for local water pollution control projects, and promoted the
implementation of a uniform voting system; and
Whereas, In 2002, Bruce Patterson was elected to serve the
Seventh District in the Michigan Senate. He served in the Senate until 2010,
during which time he served as chair of the Senate Committee on Energy Policy,
Public Utilities, and Technology and Energy, and vice-chair of the Senate
committees on Health Policy, Governments Operations and Reform, and Natural
Resources and Environment Affairs. Bruce Patterson also served on the Senate
Judiciary Committee, the Legislative Council, and the Commission on Uniform
State Laws. During his tenure in the Senate, Bruce Patterson continued to
champion environmental protections. Moreover, he led the charge on significant
public acts to protect consumers from utility shut-offs, provide tax credits to
encourage hybrid vehicle research and development, and protect students from
criminal sexual conduct by school employees. He left a legacy of protecting
consumers, ensuring government transparency, and promoting environmental
stewardship. An often-colorful personality with a handlebar mustache, Bruce
Patterson was known for challenging any obstacles in his way, even if those
obstacles were his own caucus. Inquisitive, knowledgeable, humorous,
thoughtful, tenacious, passionate, and devoted were just a few of the words
used to describe Bruce Patterson; and
Whereas, Bruce Patterson’s commitment to his community
extended beyond his time in office. He was actively involved with many
community organizations such as the American Arbitration Association; the Huron
Valley Visiting Nurses Fund Board; the Irish-American Lawyers; the Chambers of
Commerce for Northville, Plymouth, Canton, Belleville, and Southern Wayne
County; the Senior Citizens Kitchen Band; the Canton Economic Club; and the
Wayne Out-County Mediation Service. Bruce Patterson also served on the Board of
Directors of the Educational Excellence Foundation for the Plymouth-Canton
Public Schools; the Canton Community Foundation; and the First of America Bank
(now National City Bank). He was the President of the Canton Economic Club, the
founder of the Minute Man Foundation, and an honorary chair of the Western
Wayne County Salvation Army capital campaign. Additionally, Bruce Patterson was
actively engaged in local, and state Republican organizations. His activism was
recognized by many organizations with awards from his work on education to
healthcare to mental health to public safety to job creation; and
Whereas, Beyond his public service career, Bruce Patterson was
a devoted family man. He found great joy in hunting, golfing, fishing, and
taking long drives. But through it all, his family remained his greatest joy,
and he loved to spend time with his wife, Phyllis, his three children, and four
grandchildren; and
Whereas, Upon Bruce Patterson’s passing, we offer our
condolences to his loved ones. Bruce Patterson’s contributions to these
chambers and the state of Michigan will be remembered; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That we offer this expression of our highest tribute to honor the
memory of Bruce Patterson, a member of the House of Representatives from 1999
to 2002 and the Senate from 2003 to 2010; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the
Patterson family as evidence of our lasting esteem for his memory.