Michigan House of Representatives

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Michigan House of Representatives


General Information
Type:   Lower house
Term limits:   3 terms (6 years)
2012 session start:   January 11, 2012
Website:   Official House Page
Leadership
House Speaker:  Jase Bolger, (R)
Majority Leader:   Jim Stamas, (R)
Minority leader:   Richard Hammel, (D)
Structure
Members:  110
   Democratic Party (47)
Republican Party (63)
Length of term:   2 years
Authority:   Art IV, Michigan Constitution
Salary:   $79,650/year + per diem
Elections
Last Election:  November 2, 2010 (110 seats)
Next election:  November 6, 2012 (110 seats)
Redistricting:  Michigan legislature has control

Contents

The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members. Each member represents an average of 89,851 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 90,349 residents.[2] Representatives are elected in even-numbered years to 2-year terms, and take office on the first day of January following the election. Each Representative is limited to serving three terms.

Sessions

Article IV of the Michigan Constitution establishes when the Michigan Legislature, of which the House of Representatives is a part, is to be in session. Section 13 of Article IV states that the Legislature is to convene on the second Wednesday in January of each year. Section 13 gives the Legislature the power to determine its date of adjournment through concurrent resolution.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the House will be in session from January 11 though a date yet to be determined.

Major issues

For the first time in years, legislators are anticipating an estimated $1 billion surplus. They are expected to consider proposals regarding autism, concealed weapons, elder abuse, mining and ending the personal property tax. Controversial "right-to-work" legislation may also be on the table.[3]

2011

In 2011, the House will be in session from January 12 through mid December. A specific date is yet to be decided by the Legislature. [4] The 348 calendar days that the Michigan Legislature is in session during 2011 is the longest legislative session in the country.[5]

Session highlights

In the 2011 session, Michigan was a key battleground on corporate taxes. Governor Rick Snyder had made promises during his campaign to eliminate the “Michigan Business Tax,” which was costly and difficult to calculate. Governor Snyder delivered, replacing the tax with a flat 6 percent corporate income tax. The state will recover the $1.8 billion in lost business tax revenues with $1.5 billion in higher personal income tax revenues. Current Michigan law requires the state income tax to drop to 3.9 percent by 2015. Governor Snyder's measure keeps the income tax rate at its current 4.35 percent until January 1, 2013, when it will drop to 4.25 percent. During 2011, Michigan also became the first state in more than 50 years to cut state-level unemployment benefits. [6]

2010

In 2010, the House convened its session on January 13th, and it remained in session throughout the year.[7]

Elections

2012

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives will be held in Michigan on November 6, 2012. All 110 seats will be up for election.

The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections is May 12, 2012.

Michigan state representatives are subject to term limits, and may not serve more than three two-year terms. In 2012, 14 state representatives will be termed-out of office.

2010

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for seats in the Michigan House of Representatives were held on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was May 11, 2010, and the primary election day was on August 3, 2010.


In 2010, candidates running for state house raised a total of $17,146,452 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [8]

Donor Amount
Michigan House Democratic Fund $2,999,067
House Republican Campaign Cmte of Michigan $578,118
Michigan Education Association $245,350
Michigan Auto Workers $194,240
Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association $184,882
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan $141,225
Michigan Farm Bureau $139,250
Michigan Automobile Dealers Association $138,675
Michigan Trial Lawyers Association $130,650
Hammel Leadership Fund $125,250

Qualifications

Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
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In Michigan, the governor can call for a special election in the event a vacancy exists in the House[9].

When conducting a special election, the election should be held whenever the next general election is scheduled. If the vacancy happens after the statewide primary election, the leaders of the respective party organizations in the district can submit a list of nominees that would be voted on by party leadership. The nominee must be voted on no later than 21 days after the vacancy occurred[10].

Representatives

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2011, members of the Michigan Legislature are paid $71,865/year. Legislators can use up to $10,800/year for expenses.[11]

The $71,865/year that Michigan legislators are paid as of 2011 is a decrease from a salary of $79,650 from the 2010 session, which was the same as they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem is also the same.[12][13]

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state houses
Party As of May 2012
     Democratic Party 47
     Republican Party 63
     Vacancy
Total 110


Leadership

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body and is elected by its membership. The Speaker appoints the Speaker Pro Tempore and all committees. Other duties of the Speaker include preserving order and decorum and deciding points of order.[14][15]

Current leadership

Position Representative Party
State Speaker of the House Jase Bolger Republican
State House Speaker Pro Tempore John Walsh Republican
State House Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Opsommer Republican
State House Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore Margaret O'Brien Republican
State House Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas Republican
State House Majority Whip Peter Lund Republican
State House Majority Caucus Leader David Agema Republican
State House Minority Leader Richard Hammel Democratic
State House Minority Floor Leader Kate Segal Democratic

2010 Leadership

Position Representative Party
State Speaker of the House Jase Bolger Republican
State House Speaker Pro Tempore John Walsh Republican
State House Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Opsommer Republican
State House Majority Whip Peter Lund Republican
State House Majority Caucus Leader David Agema Republican
State House Minority Leader James Bolger Democratic
State House Minority Floor Leader Kate Segal Democratic

Current members

District Representative Party Residence
1 Timothy Bledsoe Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Grosse Pointe
2 Lisa Howze Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
3 Alberta Tinsley Talabi Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
4 Maureen Stapleton Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
5 John Olumba Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Highland Park
6 Fred Durhal, Jr. Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Detroit
7 Jimmy Womack Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Detroit
8 Thomas Stallworth III Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
9 Shanelle Jackson Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Detroit
10 Harvey Santana Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
11 David Nathan Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Detroit
12 Rashida Tlaib Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Detroit
13 Andrew James Kandrevas Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Southgate
14 Paul Clemente Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Lincoln Park
15 George Darany Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
16 Bob Constan Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Dearborn Heights
17 Phil Cavanagh Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
18 Richard LeBlanc Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Westland
19 John Walsh Image:Reddot.png Republican Livonia
20 Kurt Heise Image:Reddot.png Republican
21 Dian Slavens Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
22 Douglas Geiss Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
23 Pat Somerville Image:Reddot.png Republican
24 Anthony Forlini Image:Reddot.png Republican
25 Jonathan Switalski Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
26 Jim Townsend Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
27 Ellen Lipton Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Huntington Woods
28 Lesia Liss Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
29 Tim Greimel Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Auburn Hills
30 Jeff Farrington Image:Reddot.png Republican
31 Marilyn Lane Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
32 Andrea LaFontaine Image:Reddot.png Republican
33 Ken Goike Image:Reddot.png Republican
34 Woodrow Stanley Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Flint
35 Rudy Hobbs Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
36 Peter Lund Image:Reddot.png Republican
37 Vicki Barnett Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
38 Hugh Crawford Image:Reddot.png Republican
39 Lisa Brown Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
40 Chuck Moss Image:Reddot.png Republican Birmingham
41 Martin Knollenberg Image:Reddot.png Republican Troy
42 Harold Haugh Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
43 Gail Haines Image:Reddot.png Republican
44 Eileen Kowall Image:Reddot.png Republican
45 Tom McMillin Image:Reddot.png Republican
46 Bradford Jacobsen Image:Reddot.png Republican
47 Cindy Denby Image:Reddot.png Republican
48 Richard Hammel Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Mount Morris Township
49 Jim Ananich Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
50 Charles Smiley Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
51 Joseph Graves Image:Reddot.png Republican Argentine Township
52 Mark Ouimet Image:Reddot.png Republican
53 Jeff Irwin Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
54 David Rutledge Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
55 Rick Olson Image:Reddot.png Republican
56 Dale Zorn Image:Reddot.png Republican
57 Nancy Jenkins Image:Reddot.png Republican
58 Kenneth Kurtz Image:Reddot.png Republican
59 Matt Lori Image:Reddot.png Republican
60 Sean McCann Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
61 Margaret O'Brien Image:Reddot.png Republican
62 Kate Segal Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
63 James Bolger Image:Reddot.png Republican
64 Earl Poleski Image:Reddot.png Republican
65 Mike Shirkey Image:Reddot.png Republican
66 William Rogers Image:Reddot.png Republican
67 Barbara Byrum Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Onondaga
68 Joan Bauer Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Lansing
69 Mark Meadows Image:Bluedot.png Democrat East Lansing
70 Rick Outman Image:Reddot.png Republican
71 Deb Shaughnessy Image:Reddot.png Republican
72 Ken Yonker Image:Reddot.png Republican
73 Peter MacGregor Image:Reddot.png Republican
74 David Agema Image:Reddot.png Republican Grandville
75 Brandon Dillon Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
76 Roy Schmidt Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
77 Thomas Hooker Image:Reddot.png Republican
78 Sharon Tyler Image:Reddot.png Republican
79 Al Pscholka Image:Reddot.png Republican
80 Aric Nesbitt Image:Reddot.png Republican
81 Jud Gilbert Image:Reddot.png Republican
82 Kevin Daley Image:Reddot.png Republican Arcadia Township
83 Paul Muxlow Image:Reddot.png Republican
84 Kurt Damrow Image:Reddot.png Republican
85 Ben Glardon Image:Reddot.png Republican
86 Lisa Lyons Image:Reddot.png Republican
87 Mike Callton Image:Reddot.png Republican
88 Bob Genetski Image:Reddot.png Republican
89 Amanda Price Image:Reddot.png Republican
90 Joseph Haveman Image:Reddot.png Republican
91 Holly Hughes Image:Reddot.png Republican
92 Marcia Hovey-Wright Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
93 Paul Opsommer Image:Reddot.png Republican Dewitt
94 Kenneth Horn Image:Reddot.png Republican Frankenmuth
95 Stacy Oakes Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
96 Charles Brunner Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Bay City
97 Joel Johnson Image:Reddot.png Republican
98 Jim Stamas Image:Reddot.png Republican
99 Kevin Cotter Image:Reddot.png Republican
100 Jon Bumstead Image:Reddot.png Republican
101 Ray Franz Image:Reddot.png Republican
102 Phillip Potvin Image:Reddot.png Republican
103 Bruce Rendon Image:Reddot.png Republican
104 Wayne Schmidt Image:Reddot.png Republican
105 Greg MacMaster Image:Reddot.png Republican
106 Peter Pettalia Image:Reddot.png Republican
107 Frank Foster Image:Reddot.png Republican
108 Ed McBroom Image:Reddot.png Republican
109 Steven Lindberg Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Marquette
110 Matt Huuki Image:Reddot.png Republican

Standing committees

The Michigan House of Representatives has 19 standing committees:

External links

References

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