House Speaker Joe Tate among Michigan guests to Biden's State of the Union

Washington ― Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate will attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday as a guest of freshman U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar of Detroit, the congressman's office said.

Thanedar, a former state lawmaker, invited Tate ― the first Black lawmaker elected as Michigan House speaker ― to "exemplify the progress" of Democrats and the priorities that Tate brings to a legislative term in which Democrats control the majority in Lansing for the first time in over 10 years, he said.

"His policy priorities include uplifting Michigan families; protecting the rights of all people; ensuring workers are valued; and investing in a world-class education system, a strong infrastructure, and a thriving economy," Thanedar said in a statement.

“The State of the Union Address will highlight the achievements that House Democrats and President Biden have delivered over the past two years and the work that Democrats are doing to defend our American values from extreme MAGA Republicans."

Also attending the speech as a guest of Michigan lawmakers will be former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who has criticized transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, including NCAA contests. 

Gaines, 22, of Nashville will be the guest of Republican U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain of Bruce Township, who met Gaines last week when both participated in a Capitol Hill event put on by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California to mark National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

"Riley Gaines is a courageous and inspirational woman that dared to speak out against the tyranny of wokeism,” McClain said in a statement. “She has stood up for women’s rights and the protection of fair and equal playing fields in sports, even though she was hounded in the media."

Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer, competed in last year’s NCAA swimming and diving championships against University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas, who became the first transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I national championship. Thomas and Gaines tied in one event, the 200-meter freestyle.

Gaines said she put off dental school to speak against the unfairness of girls and women competing against biological "males" and having to share locker rooms with them, she said. She suggested the transgender athlete inclusion movement discriminates against cisgender women in sport in violation of Title IX, the 1972 gender equity law.

"No one has asked us how we felt, where we exist to validate a male's identity," Gaines said at last week's event. "No one within the NCAA is willing to acknowledge us, our feelings, our safety, our privacy."

Tuesday is the first time since 2020 that lawmakers are allowed to bring in-person guests to the State of the Union after the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions. Several lawmakers selected their guests to highlight priorities or legislation of significance to them.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, plans to bring Shanay Watson-Whittaker, who was a leader of the Reproductive Freedom for All campaign that organized last year's abortion-rights ballot initiative in Michigan.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Lansing Democrat who has long pushed to improve mental health access and funding, is hosting Robert Sheehan, CEO of the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, has emphasized the importance of federal investments in manufacturing to move semiconductor supply chains to the United States through legislation like last year's CHIP and Science Act. Her guest will be Mike Huerta, president of the UAW local at the General Motors Co.'s plant in Delta Township, which was among the first to shut down in 2021 due to the industry-wide shortage of chips.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, invited Kevin Hensley, an Air Force veteran from Trenton, who advocated for the passage of last year's PACT Act, which expanded care and benefits for veteran illnesses tied to prolonged exposure to burn pits and other toxic chemicals during their service.

Hensley, who worked with the VFW to press for the bill's adoption, operated open air burn pits during four of his eight deployments to the Middle East. In 2017, he was diagnosed with constrictive bronchiolitis, a terminal lung disease that requires him to wear a portable oxygen concentrator to help his breathing, according to Peters' office.

"I'm honored to join Senator Peters for this year's State of the Union to raise awareness about the PACT Act and bring with me the memory and strength of those I've been fortunate enough to serve and advocate alongside," Hensley said in a statement. "I join the Senator's call for Michigan veterans to apply for the benefits they have earned because a promise made is a promise kept.”

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia, is hosting Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole from the new part of his district after the redistricting process.

With the next farm bill set to be debated this year, Rep. Dan Kildee of Flint Township invited dry bean grower Joe Cramer of Frankenmuth. Cramer is executive director of the Michigan Bean Commission and also hails from the new part of Kildee's mid-Michigan district following redistricting.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland, is also hosting a guest from the new part of his district, TV news anchor Andy Dominianni of WWMT in Kalamazoo, and Rep. Tim Walberg is bringing Cassopolis Village President David Johnson from the new section of his district.

Freshman Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said she is bringing her husband, Jesse Holcomb, as her guest as a reflection of her focus on families.

"Being the first woman and mother in history to do this job is incredibly rewarding. It's also incredibly challenging, and there's no way that I would be able to do this without my husband," she said. "The state of our union is strong and I'm bringing him to have him there by my side at this critical moment."

A spokeswoman for Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, said she gave the ticket for her State of the Union guest to the Rev. Al Sharpton so the civil rights leader can accompany the family of Tyre Nichols who died after being severely beaten by Memphis police officers last month.

Staff Writer Riley Beggin contributed.

mburke@detroitnews.com