Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) took to the floor of the U.S. House to honor the life and service of former State Senator and Great Lakes Champion Patty Birkholz.
Congressman Huizenga:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a friend and former colleague, former State Senator Patty Birkholz. I join my colleagues and friends in Lansing today by wearing purple in her honor, as she was affectionately known as “Purple Patty.” Literally down to the ink pens that she used, everything was purple.
Senator Birkholz was first elected to the state legislature in 1996 as the first woman from Allegan County on the western side of Michigan. Then she became the first female Republican Speaker Pro Tempore. After that, she was elected to the state senate where she served two terms.
Upon leaving the legislature, Senator Birkholz was appointed Director of the Office of Great Lakes by Governor Rick Snyder and as the Michigan Representative to the Great Lakes Commission. President Obama appointed her to the National Sea Grant Advisory Board, a position she continued until she passed away.
Senator Birkholz was a passionate advocate for Michigan's natural resources and passed significant legislation creating the Great Lakes Inner Basin Compact, water withdraw assessment laws, as well as, ballast water standards that have affected the entire Great Lakes region.
In 2010, a 291 acre portion of the 1,000 acre Saugatuck Dunes State Park was renamed the Patricia Birkholz Natural Area by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. She was a friend and colleague who fought hard for her beliefs. She was tough, she was compassionate, and she was a great legislator. She will be deeply missed and blessings to her family as we mourn her loss.
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