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2021 Michigan legislative session

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2021 Michigan legislative session
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General information
Session start:    January 13, 2021

Session end:    December 31, 2021

Leadership
Senate President
Garlin Gilchrist II (D)

House Speaker
Jason Wentworth (R)
Majority Leader
Senate: Mike Shirkey (R)
House: Ben Frederick (R)
Minority Leader
Senate: Jim Ananich (D)
House: Donna Lasinski (D)

Elections
Next Election:    November 8, 2022

Last Election:    November 3, 2020

Previous legislative sessions
2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2021 legislative sessions


In 2021, the Michigan State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 13, 2021, and adjourn on December 31, 2021.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections and the 2018 elections. Republicans won a 22-16 majority in the Senate in 2018 and a 58-52 majority in the House in 2020. A Democrat controlled the governorship, creating a divided government. At the start of the 2021 session, Michigan was one of 28 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

Redistricting is the process by which states draw new Congressional and state legislative districts following the U.S. Census. Officials sent data from the 2020 U.S. Census to states in early 2021 to begin the process of redistricting. As of the 2020 census, Michigan was one of four states where an independent commission was responsible for redistricting.

At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session:
  • Republicans held a majority in the Michigan state House and state Senate.
  • Michigan was one of 12 states with divided government.
  • Michigan's governor was Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

    • Leadership in 2021

    Michigan State Senate

    Michigan House of Representatives

    Partisan control in 2021

    See also: State government trifectas

    Michigan was one of 12 states with divided government at the start of 2021 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 neither 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 2021 legislative session.

    Michigan State Senate

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 16
         Republican Party 22
    Total 38

    Michigan House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 52
         Republican Party 58
    Total 110

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2021 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 in 2021. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Michigan after the 2020 census

    Michigan's 13 United States representatives and 148 state legislators are all elected from political divisions called districts. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. Federal law stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

    Congressional districts
    Litigation over congressional redistricting in Michigan after the 2020 census has concluded.

    Michigan’s congressional district boundaries became law on March 26, 2022, 60 days after the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) published its report on the redistricting plans with the secretary of state.[1][2] On December 28, 2021, the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) approved what was named the "Chestnut" map by a vote of 8-5. Two Democrats, two Republicans, and four nonpartisan members voted to approve the plan with the five remaining commissioners in favor of other plans. As required, "at least two commissioners who affiliate with each major party, and at least two commissioners who do not affiliate with either major party" voted in favor of the adopted map.[3]

    Click here for more information.

    Legislative districts
    Litigation over state legislative redistricting in Michigan after the 2020 census has concluded.

    The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan struck down the state House and Senate maps on December 21, 2023.[4] The MICRC voted on June 26, 2024, to approve the state Senate map called Crane A1.[5] On July 26, 2024, a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan approved state Senate district boundaries submitted by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) on June 27, 2024, and authorized Michigan's secretary of state to implement the plan for the 2026 elections.[6]

    Click here for more information.

    See the sections below for further information on the following topics:

    1. Summary: This section provides summary information about the drafting and enacting processes.
    2. Apportionment and release of census data: This section details the 2020 apportionment process, including data from the United States Census Bureau.
    3. Drafting process: This section details the drafting process for new congressional and state legislative district maps.
    4. Enactment: This section provides information about the enacted congressional and state legislative district maps.
    5. Court challenges: This section details court challenges to the enacted congressional and state legislative district maps.
    6. Background: This section summarizes federal and state-based requirements for redistricting at both the congressional and state legislative levels. A summary of the 2010 redistricting cycle in Michigan is also provided.

    To learn more about the redistricting process in Michigan after the 2020 census, click here.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Michigan state government


    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 2021 legislative session, there were 39 standing committees in Michigan's state government, including 20 state Senate committees, and 19 state House committees.

    Senate committees

    House committees

    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:

    See also: Article XII of the Michigan Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Michigan

    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

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    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

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    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 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

    Historical Senate control

    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 altogether.

    Historical House control

    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 2020. 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: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 55* 54 58 52 51 47 52 58 67 47 51 47 47 52 52
    Republicans 55 56 52 58 59 63 58 52 43 63 59 63 63 58 58

    *Chamber controlled by power-sharing agreement

    Between 1992 and 2020, 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 reached between Democrats and Republicans where leadership of the chamber switched every month.[7] 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.[8] 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 2020, Democrats usually controlled between 47 and 67 seats, while Republicans controlled between 43 and 63 seats. From 1992 to 2020, neither Democrats or Republicans held more than the 74 seats required to override a gubernatorial veto.

    See also

    Elections Michigan State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Michigan.gov, "Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission-Public Notice of Adopted Plans," accessed March 30, 2022
    2. ↑ Dave Beaudoin, "Email communication with Edward Woods III, Communications and Outreach Director of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission," March 1, 2022
    3. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Article IV § 6" - Independent citizens redistricting commission for state legislative and congressional districts," accessed January 3, 2022
    4. ↑ United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan Southern Division, "Case No. 1:22-cv-272 Donald Agee, Jr. v. Jocelyn Benson," December 21, 2023
    5. ↑ Michigan Public, "Redistricting commission chooses final state Senate plan for court approval," June 26, 2024
    6. ↑ CourtListener, "Opinion and order," July 26, 2024
    7. ↑ NCSL, "IN CASE OF A TIE......," accessed February 12, 2021
    8. ↑ Washington Post, "The Republican takeover in the states," November 14, 2010
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