2019 Michigan legislative session
Michigan State Legislature | |
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General information | |
Type: | State legislature |
Term limits: | 2 terms (8 years) in Senate, 3 terms (6 years) in House |
Session start: | January 9, 2019 |
Session end: | December 31, 2019 |
Website: | Official Legislature Page |
Leadership | |
Senate President: | Garlin Gilchrist II (D) |
House Speaker: | Lee Chatfield (R) |
Majority Leader: | Senate: Mike Shirkey (R) House: Triston Cole (R) |
Minority Leader: | Senate: Jim Ananich (D) House: Christine Greig (D) |
Structure | |
Members: | 38 (Senate), 110 (House) |
Length of term: | 4 years (Senate), 2 years (House) |
Authority: | Art IV, Michigan Constitution |
Salary: | $71,685/year + expenses |
Elections | |
Last election: | November 6, 2018 Senate House |
Next election: | November 3, 2020 House |
Redistricting: | Michigan Legislature has control |
Michigan convened its legislative session on January 9, 2019, and legislators remained in session until December 31, 2019. Neither party had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session. Following the 2018 election, Republicans had a 22-16 majority in the Senate and a 58-52 majority in the House. Democrats controlled the governorship, creating a divided government.
Click the link to read more about the 2020 state House elections.
Click the links to read more about the 2018 state Senate and state House elections.
Partisan control in 2019
- See also: State government trifectas
Michigan was one of 14 states under divided government at the start of 2019 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
Michigan was also one of 28 state legislatures where neitehr party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Michigan State Legislature in the 2019 legislative session.
Michigan State Senate
Party | As of January 2019 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 16 | |
Republican Party | 22 | |
Total | 38 |
From 1990 to 2019, the Michigan State Senate was controlled by the Republican Party. The table below shows the partisan history of the Michigan State Senate following every general election from 1990 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Michigan State Senate election results: 1990-2018
Year | '90 | '94 | '98 | '02 | '06 | '10 | '14 | '18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrats | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 16 |
Republicans | 20 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 22 |
Republicans maintained control of the Michigan State Senate from 1990 to 2019. Throughout the period, Democrats usually controlled between 11 and 18 seats, while Republicans controlled between 20 and 27 seats. Senate Republicans held their largest majority following the 2014 elections when Republicans held a 16-seat advantage. From the 2010 elections through the 2014 elections, Republicans held more than the 26 seats required to override a gubernatorial veto. The Republican gains from 2010 to 2014 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.
Michigan House of Representatives
Party | As of January 2019 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 52 | |
Republican Party | 58 | |
Total | 110 |
Between 1992 and 2010, partisan control of the Michigan House of Representatives fluctuated, swinging back and forth between the Democratic and Republican parties. Since the 2010 elections, Republicans have controlled the chamber. The table below shows the partisan history of the Michigan House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Michigan House of Representatives election results: 1992-2018
Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrats | 55* | 54 | 58 | 52 | 51 | 47 | 52 | 58 | 67 | 47 | 51 | 47 | 47 | 52 |
Republicans | 55 | 56 | 52 | 58 | 59 | 63 | 58 | 52 | 43 | 63 | 59 | 63 | 63 | 58 |
*Chamber controlled by power-sharing agreement
Between 1992 and 2018, majority control of the state House changed six times. As a result of the 1992 elections, the chamber was tied at 55-55. A power-sharing agreement was agreed between Democrats and Republicans where leadership of the chamber switched every month.[1] Republicans gained an outright majority in the 1994 elections when the party gained one seat. Republicans held the chamber until the 1996 elections when Democrats gained four seats and held a 58-52 majority. Republicans regained control of the chamber in the 1998 elections and held the chamber until the 2006 elections. During that period of time, the Republican majority spiked following the 2002 elections when the party held a 63-47 majority. Republicans lost five seats in the 2004 elections but maintained control of the chamber.
Democrats took control of the House in the 2006 elections and held the chamber until the 2010 elections. In the 2008 elections, Democrats increased their majority from 58-52 to 67-43. In the 2010 elections, Republicans took control of the legislature after they flipped both chambers in 2010.[2] The Republican gains in 2010 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats altogether. Between 1992 and 2018, Democrats usually controlled between 47 and 67 seats, while Republicans controlled between 43 and 63 seats. From 1992 to 2018, neither Democrats or Republicans held more than the 74 seats required to override a gubernatorial veto.
Leadership in 2019
Michigan State Senate
- Senate president: Garlin Gilchrist II (D)
- Majority leader: Mike Shirkey (R)
- Minority leader: Jim Ananich (D)
Michigan House of Representatives
- Speaker of the house: Lee Chatfield (R)
- Majority leader: Triston Cole (R)
- Minority leader: Christine Greig (D)
Regular session
The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2019 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria yet in 2019. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2019 legislative session, there were 39 standing committees in Michigan's state government, including 20 state Senate committees and 19 state House committees.
Senate committees
- Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee
- Economic and Small Business Development Committee
- Education and Career Readiness Committee
- Elections Committee
- Energy and Environment Committee
- Finance Committee
- Health Policy and Human Services
- Housing and Human Services Committee
- Labor Committee
- Local Government Committee
- Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Senate Government Operations Committee
- Senate Oversight Committee
- Senate Regulatory Reform Committee
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Veterans and Emergency Services Committee
House committees
- Communications and Technology Committee
- Economic Competitiveness Committee
- Education Committee
- Elections and Ethics Committee
- Energy Committee
- Families, Children, and Seniors Committee
- Financial Services Committee
- Health Policy Committee
- House Agriculture Committee
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Government Operations Committee
- House Oversight Committee
- House Regulatory Reform Committee
- Insurance Committee
- Judiciary Committee
- Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee
- Rules and Competitiveness Committee
- Select Committee on Protecting Michigan Employees and Small Businesses
- Transportation Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Michigan Constitution can be amended:
The Michigan Constitution can be amended in three different ways—a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention.
Initiative
- See also: Initiated constitutional amendment
An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In Michigan, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
Legislature
A two-thirds vote is required during one legislative session for the Michigan State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 74 votes in the Michigan House of Representatives and 26 votes in the Michigan State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention
According to Section 3 of Article XII of the Michigan Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 16 years starting in 1978. Michigan is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.
The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:
State | Interval | Last question on the ballot | Next question on the ballot |
---|---|---|---|
Michigan | 16 years | 2010 | 2026 |
Historical context:
Between 1995 and 2018, the following occurred:
- Elections featured 41 ballot measures.
- An average of three measures appeared on statewide general election ballots in Michigan.
- An average of two citizen-initiated measures appeared on statewide general election ballots in Michigan.
- Voters approved 51 percent (21 of 41) and rejected 49 percent (20 of 41) of the ballot measures.
- Voters approved 31 percent (8 of 26) and rejected 69 percent (18 of 26) of the citizen-initiated measures.
Ballot measures in Michigan, 1995-2018 | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Even-year average | Even-year median | Even-year minimum | Even-year maximum | |
All measures | 41 | 21 | 51.22% | 20 | 48.78% | 3.33 | 3.00 | 0 | 6 | |
Citizen initiatives | 26 | 8 | 30.77% | 18 | 69.23% | 2.17 | 2.00 | 0 | 6 | |
Legislative amendments | 9 | 8 | 88.89% | 1 | 11.11% | 0.67 | 0.00 | 0 | 2 |
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Michigan.
Michigan Party Control: 1992-2025
Two years of Democratic trifectas • Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D |
House | D | S | S | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R |
See also
Elections | Michigan State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes