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2023 Michigan legislative session
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| 2023 Michigan legislative session |
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| General information |
| Session start: January 11, 2023 Session end: December 31, 2023 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Garlin Gilchrist II (D) House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2023 legislative sessions |
In 2023, the Michigan State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 11, 2023, and adjourn on December 31, 2023.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Democrats won a 20-18 majority in the Senate and a 56-54 majority in the House. Democrats controlled the governorship, creating a Democratic state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, Michigan was one of 23 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2023
Michigan State Senate
- Senate president: Garlin Gilchrist II (D)
- Majority leader: Winnie Brinks (D)
- Minority leader: Aric Nesbitt (R)
Michigan House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Joe Tate (D)
- Majority leader: Abraham Aiyash (D)
- Minority leader: Matt Hall (R)
Partisan control in 2023
- See also: State government trifectas
Michigan was one of 17 Democratic state government trifectas at the start of 2023 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 23 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 2023 legislative session.
Michigan State Senate
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 20 | |
| Republican Party | 18 | |
| Total | 38 | |
Michigan House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 56 | |
| Republican Party | 54 | |
| Total | 110 | |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 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 2023. 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 2023 legislative session, there were 42 standing committees in Michigan's state government, including 1 joint committees, 19 state Senate committees, and 22 state House committees.
Joint committees
- Joint Committee on Administrative Rules
Senate committees
- Advice and Consent Committee
- Economic and Small Business Development Committee
- Education and Career Readiness Committee
- Elections Committee
- Energy and Technology Committee
- Environmental Quality Committee
- Families, Seniors, and Veterans Committee
- Finance Committee
- Health Policy and Human Services
- Insurance and Banking Committee
- Judiciary and Public Safety Committee
- Local Government Committee
- Natural Resources Committee
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Senate Government Operations Committee
- Senate Oversight Committee
- Senate Regulatory Reform Committee
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
House committees
- Commerce and Tourism Committee
- Communications and Technology 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
- Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee
- Military, Veterans and Homeland Security Committee
- Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee
- Rules and Competitiveness Committee
- Tax Policy Committee
- Transportation Committee
- Workforce, Trades, and Talent 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 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 2022, the Michigan State Senate was controlled by the Republican Party. Democrats won majority control in 2022. The table below shows the partisan history of the Michigan State Senate following every general election from 1990 to 2022. 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: 1990-2022
| Year | '90 | '94 | '98 | '02 | '06 | '10 | '14 | '18 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 20 |
| Republicans | 20 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 22 | 18 |
Republicans maintained control of the Michigan State Senate from 1990 until Democrats won a majority in 2022. Throughout the period, Democrats usually controlled between 11 and 20 seats, while Republicans controlled between 18 and 27 seats. 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.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2022, partisan control of the Michigan House of Representatives switched six times. The table below shows the partisan history of the Michigan House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. 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: 1992-2022
| Year | '92* | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 55 | 54 | 58 | 52 | 51 | 47 | 52 | 58 | 67 | 47 | 51 | 47 | 47 | 52 | 52 | 56 |
| Republicans | 55 | 56 | 52 | 58 | 59 | 63 | 58 | 52 | 43 | 63 | 59 | 63 | 63 | 58 | 58 | 54 |
*Chamber controlled by power-sharing agreement
Between 1992 and 2022, 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.[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.[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. Democrats regained majority control of the chamber in 2022.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
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Noteworthy event
Michigan Senate files lawsuit againt Michigan House of Representatives
On Feb. 3, 2025, the Michigan Senate and Majority Leader Sen. Winnie Brinks (D) filed a lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims against the Michigan House of Representatives, House Speaker Matt Hall (R), and House Clerk Scott Starr.[3] According to Brinks, she and the House filed the lawsuit because Hall, at the time, did not send nine bills that passed both legislative chambers to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) for potential signatures.[3]
Both legislative chambers passed the nine bills at the center of the lawsuit during the 2023-2024 legislative sessions when Democrats had a 20-18 majority in the Senate and a 56-54 majority in the House. After their passage, then-House Speaker Joseph Tate (D) enrolled the bills.[4] However, they were not presented to Whitmer for potential signatures before the start of the 2025 legislative session.[4]
When the Michigan Legislature convened for the 2025 legislative session on Jan. 8, 2025, Republicans assumed control of the House after winning a 58-52 majority in the 2024 general elections. Since there were no regularly scheduled elections for the Senate that year, Democrats maintained their 20-18 control of the chamber. Following the start of the session, the House elected Hall to serve as speaker.[5] According to The Detroit News' Beth LaBlanc, Hall then "ordered House Clerk Scott Starr to hold off on sending the last bills until a legal review could be conducted to determine what House Republicans' options were."[6]
On Feb. 25, 2025, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel heard arguments regarding the case.[7] Brinks and the Senate claimed it was Hall's responsibility to present the bills to Whitmer for potential signatures.[7] However, Hall and the House claimed that it was Tate's responsibility to ensure Whitmer received the bills.[7]
On Feb. 27, 2025, Patel ruled that Hall should have sent the bills to Whitmer once Republicans took control of the House.[8] However, Patel said she would not force the House to send the bills, writing, "The procedures through which this takes place is a legislative function in which the Court will not interfere."[8]
See also
| Elections | Michigan State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ NCSL, "IN CASE OF A TIE......," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ Washington Post, "The Republican takeover in the states," November 14, 2010
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Michigan Senate Democrats, "Senate Majority Leader Brinks Files Lawsuit Against Republican Speaker Hall for Violating Constitution, Failing to Send Passed Legislation to Governor," February 3, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 CBS News Detroit, "Michigan Senate files lawsuit against Michigan House over 9 bills not reaching Gov. Whitmer's desk," February 3, 2025
- ↑ CBS News Detroit, "Michigan Rep. Matt Hall named state House speaker as Republicans reclaim majority," November 7, 2024
- ↑ The Detroit News, "Michigan Senate, House spar in court over nine bills that never made it to Whitmer's desk," February 24, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 WEMU 89.1, "Michigan Senate v. House argument has its day in court," February 25, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 CBS News Detroit, "Michigan Judge rules nine stalled bills should have been sent to Gov. Whitmer's desk," February 28, 2025
