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2024 Michigan legislative session
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| 2024 Michigan legislative session |
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| General information |
| Scheduled session start: Jan. 10, 2024 Scheduled session end: Dec. 19, 2024 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Garlin Gilchrist II (D) House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2024 legislative sessions |
In 2024, the Michigan State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 10 and adjourn on December 19.
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. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Democratic state government trifecta. At the start of the 2024 session, Michigan was one of 21 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2024
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 2024
- See also: State government trifectas
Michigan was one of 17 Democratic state government trifectas at the start of 2024 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 21 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 2024 legislative session.
Michigan State Senate
| Party | As of January 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 20 | |
| Republican Party | 18 | |
| Total | 38 | |
Michigan House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 56 | |
| Republican Party | 54 | |
| Total | 110 | |
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 2024 legislative session, there were 39 standing committees in Michigan's state government, including one joint legislative committee, 17 state Senate committees, and 21 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Joint Committee on Administrative Rules
Senate committees
- Appropriations Committee
- Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee
- Economic and Community Development Committee
- Education Committee
- Elections and Ethics Committee
- Energy and Environment Committee
- Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection Committee
- Government Operations Committee
- Health Policy Committee
- Housing and Human Services Committee
- Labor Committee
- Local Government Committee
- Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee
- Oversight Committee
- Regulatory Affairs Committee
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Veterans and Emergency Services Committee
House committees
- Agriculture Committee
- Appropriations Committee
- Criminal Justice Committee
- Economic Development and Small Business Committee
- Education Committee
- Elections Committee
- Energy, Communications, and Technology Committee
- Ethics and Oversight Committee
- Families, Children, and Seniors Committee
- Government Operations Committee
- Health Policy Committee
- Higher Education Committee
- Insurance and Financial Services Committee
- Judiciary Committee
- Labor Committee
- Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee
- Military, Veterans, and Homeland Security Committee
- Natural resources, Environment, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Committee
- Regulatory Reform Committee
- Tax Policy Committee
- Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislation
Enacted legislation
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2024 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 2024. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Election administration legislation
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job. Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments, translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language, and, because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan.
The table below lists 2024 election-related legislation in Michigan. The following information is included for each bill:
- Bill number
- Official name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
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
Democrats won a 20-18 majority in the Michigan State Senate in 2022, gaining control of the chamber for the first time since 1984.
The table below shows the partisan history of the Michigan 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 |
Historical House Control
Democrats won a 56-54 majority in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2022, gaining control of the chamber for the first time since 2008.
The table below shows the partisan history of the Michigan House 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
Noteworthy events
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.[1] 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.[1]
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.[2] However, they were not presented to Whitmer for potential signatures before the start of the 2025 legislative session.[2]
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.[3] 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."[4]
On Feb. 25, 2025, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel heard arguments regarding the case.[5] Brinks and the Senate claimed it was Hall's responsibility to present the bills to Whitmer for potential signatures.[5] However, Hall and the House claimed that it was Tate's responsibility to ensure Whitmer received the bills.[5]
On Feb. 27, 2025, Patel ruled that Hall should have sent the bills to Whitmer once Republicans took control of the House.[6] 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."[6]
See also
| Elections | Michigan State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 WEMU 89.1, "Michigan Senate v. House argument has its day in court," February 25, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 CBS News Detroit, "Michigan Judge rules nine stalled bills should have been sent to Gov. Whitmer's desk," February 28, 2025
See also
| Elections | Michigan State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
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