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Michigan State Senate

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Michigan State Senate
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General Information
Party control:  Republican
Session start:  January 8, 2025
Session end:  December 31, 2025
Term length:  4 years
Term limits:  2 terms (8 years)
Redistricting:  Legislative control
Salary:  $71,685/year + expenses
Members
Total:  38
Democrats:  19
Republicans:  18
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
President:  Garlin Gilchrist II (D)
Maj. Leader:  Winnie Brinks (D)
Min. Leader:  Aric Nesbitt (R)
Elections
Last election:  November 4, 2014
Next election:  November 6, 2018

The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. It consists of 38 members who are elected from districts that had an average of 260,096 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 261,538 residents.[2] The Senate meets at its capitol in Lansing.

Senators are elected at the same time as the governor and serve four-year terms concurrent with the governor's term of office. Senate and gubernatorial elections are offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 2000 and 2004, gubernatorial and senate elections were in 2002 and 2006). Terms for senators begin on January 1, following the November general election. Senators who have not served more than half of someone else's Senate term are eligible for two full terms (i.e. - eight years).[3]

Michigan has a divided government, and no political party holds a state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of November 20, 2025, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Michigan had a divided government. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.

See also: Michigan State Legislature, Michigan House of Representatives, Michigan Governor

Sessions

Article IV of the Michigan Constitution establishes when the Michigan Legislature, of which the Senate 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.

2025

See also: 2025 Michigan legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2025, and adjourn on December 31, 2025.


Role in state budget

See also: Michigan state budget and finances
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The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[15]

  1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in August of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
  2. State agencies submit their requests to the governor in October.
  3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in February. Newly elected governors are allowed an additional 30 to 60 days after the legislature convenes.
  4. The legislature typically adopts a budget in June. The fiscal year begins October 1.

Michigan is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[15][16]

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the state legislature is required to pass a balanced budget.[15]

Cost-benefit analyses

See also: Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative Cost-Benefit Study
Map showing results of the Pew-MacArthur cost-benefit study

The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative is a joint project of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that works to partner with states in implementing cost-benefit analysis models.[17]. The initiative released a report in July 2013 concluding that cost-benefit analysis in policymaking led to more effective uses of public funds. Looking at data from 2008 through 2011, the study's authors found that some states were more likely to use cost-benefit analysis, while others were facing challenges and lagging behind the rest of the nation. The challenges states faced included a lack of time, money, and technical skills needed to conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analyses. Michigan was one of 29 states with mixed results regarding the frequency and effectiveness of its use of cost-benefit analysis.[18]

Ethics and transparency

Following the Money report

See also: "Following the Money" report, 2015

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer-focused nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., released its annual report on state transparency websites in March 2015. The report, entitled "Following the Money," measured how transparent and accountable state websites were with regard to state government spending.[19] According to the report, Michigan received a grade of B+ and a numerical score of 87, indicating that Michigan was "Advancing" in terms of transparency regarding state spending.[19]

Open States Transparency

See also: Open States' Legislative Data Report Card

The Sunlight Foundation released an "Open Legislative Data Report Card" in March 2013. Michigan was given a grade of C in the report. The report card evaluated how adequate, complete, and accessible legislative data was to the general public. A total of 10 states received an A: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.[20]

Elections

2018

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2018

Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2018. The open primary election took place on August 7, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was April 24, 2018.[21]

2014

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014.

2010

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Michigan Senate 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 was held on August 3, 2010.

In 2010, the candidates running for state Senate raised a total of $16,309,515 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were:[22]

2006

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2006

Elections for the office of Michigan State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 8, 2006, and a general election on November 7, 2006.

During the 2006 election, the total of contributions to Senate candidates was $14,463,621. The top 10 contributors were:[23]

2002

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2002

Elections for the office of Michigan State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 6, 2002, and a general election on November 5, 2002.

During the 2002 election, the total of contributions to Senate candidates was $13,900,019. The top 10 contributors were:[24]

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
NevadaMassachusettsColoradoNew MexicoWyomingArizonaMontanaCaliforniaOregonWashingtonIdahoTexasOklahomaKansasNebraskaSouth DakotaNorth DakotaMinnesotaIowaMissouriArkansasLouisianaMississippiAlabamaGeorgiaFloridaSouth CarolinaIllinoisWisconsinTennesseeNorth CarolinaIndianaOhioKentuckyPennsylvaniaNew JerseyNew YorkVermontVermontNew HampshireMaineWest VirginiaVirginiaMarylandMarylandConnecticutConnecticutDelawareDelawareRhode IslandRhode IslandMassachusettsNew HampshireMichiganMichiganAlaskaVacancy fulfillment map.png

Whenever a vacancy occurs in the senate, it is up to the Governor to call for a special election. A special election must be held during the next scheduled general election.[25] If the vacancy happened after the statewide primary, leaders of the respective party organizations within the Senate district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. A vote must be held no later than 21 days after the vacancy.[26]

Term limits

See also: State legislatures with term limits

The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years.enators who have not served more than half of someone else's Senate term are eligible for two full terms (i.e. - eight years). Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.[3]

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Michigan

The state legislature has the power to redraw district boundaries. Changes to the boundaries are made in the form of regular legislation, which means the maps are subject to the Governor's veto. In 2010, the House and the Senate organized redistricting committees to handle drafting the maps. As a result of the 2010 elections, both chamber's of Michigan's legislature and Michigan's governorship were controlled by Republicans.

2010

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Michigan's population fell from 9.94 million to 9.88 million between 2000 and 2010.[27] Michigan's U.S. Congressional delegation decreased in size from 15 to 14 seats.[28] A substantial population shift occurred from Detroit proper into the suburban areas.[29]

The state legislature undertook a relatively private redistricting process.[30] A Republican-proposed plan passed with bipartisan support after the House made some changes to the Senate plan. Governor Rick Snyder signed the plan, Senate Bill 498, into law on August 9, 2011.

Notably, the original Republican maps did not include a state senate district entirely within Detroit proper. Senate Democrats suggested some changes to the Detroit-area districts, which were then incorporated and sent to the House.

Senators

Are lawmakers representing your views?
Learn how your Michigan legislators are voting.Votespotter test.PNG

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[31]
SalaryPer diem
$71,685/yearNo per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense allowance of $10,800/year for session and interim.

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Party As of November 2025
     Democratic Party 19
     Republican Party 18
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 38

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Michigan State Senate from 1992 to 2013.
Partisan composition of the Michigan State Senate.PNG

Leadership

The Lieutenant Governor serves as the presiding officer of the Senate, known as the President of the Senate. The president can only vote when there is a tie. In the absence of the President, the President Pro Tempore presides. The President Pro Tempore, Assistant President Pro Tempore, and Associate President Pro Tempore are elected by a vote of a majority of the Senators.[32][33]

Current leadership

Current members

Current members, Michigan State Senate (38)
District Senator Party Assumed office
1 Coleman Young II Democratic 2011
2 Bert Johnson Democratic 2011
3 Morris Hood Democratic 2011
4 Ian Conyers Democratic 2016
5 David Knezek Democratic 2015
6 Hoon-Yung Hopgood Democratic 2011
7 Patrick Colbeck Republican 2011
8 Jack Brandenburg Republican 2011
9 Steven Bieda Democratic 2011
10 Tory Rocca Republican 2011
11 Vincent Gregory Democratic 2011
12 Jim Marleau Republican 2011
13 Marty Knollenberg Republican 2015
14 David Robertson Republican 2011
15 Mike Kowall Republican 2011
16 Mike Shirkey Republican 2015
17 Dale Zorn Republican 2015
18 Rebekah Warren Democratic 2011
19 Mike Nofs Republican 2009
20 Margaret O'Brien Republican 2015
21 John Proos Republican 2011
22 Joe Hune Republican 2011
23 Curtis Hertel Democratic 2015
24 Rick Jones Republican 2011
25 Phil Pavlov Republican 2011
26 Tonya Schuitmaker Republican 2011
27 Jim Ananich Democratic 2013
28 Peter MacGregor Republican 2015
29 Dave Hildenbrand Republican 2011
30 Arlan Meekhof Republican 2011
31 Mike Green Republican 2011
32 Ken Horn Republican 2015
33 Judy Emmons Republican 2011
34 Goeff Hansen Republican 2011
35 Darwin Booher Republican 2011
36 Jim Stamas Republican 2015
37 Wayne Schmidt Republican 2015
38 Tom Casperson Republican 2011

Veto overrides

Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Michigan are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

Two-thirds of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 74 of the 110 members in the Michigan House of Representatives and 26 of the 38 members in the Michigan State Senate. Michigan is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

Authority: Article IV, Section 33 of the Michigan Constitution.

"Every bill passed by the legislature shall be presented to the governor before it becomes law, and the governor shall have 14 days measured in hours and minutes from the time of presentation in which to consider it. If he approves, he shall within that time sign and file it with the secretary of state and it shall become law. If he does not approve, and the legislature has within that time finally adjourned the session at which the bill was passed, it shall not become law. If he disapproves, and the legislature continues the session at which the bill was passed, he shall return it within such 14-day period with his objections, to the house in which it originated. That house shall enter such objections in full in its journal and reconsider the bill. If two-thirds of the members elected to and serving in that house pass the bill notwithstanding the objections of the governor, it shall be sent with the objections to the other house for reconsideration. The bill shall become law if passed by two-thirds of the members elected to and serving in that house."

Standing Senate Committees

The Michigan Senate has 22 standing committees:

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

Who Runs the States Project
See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Michigan
Partisan breakdown of the Michigan legislature from 1992-2013

During every year from 1992-2013, the Republican Party was the majority in the Michigan State Senate. The Michigan State Senate is one of 13 state senates that was Republican for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. For the final three years of the study Michigan was under Republican trifectas.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Michigan, the Michigan State Senate and the Michigan House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

Partisan composition of Michigan state government(1992-2013).PNG

SQLI and partisanship

To read the full report on the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) in PDF form, click here.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Michigan state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Michigan has had spurts of divided government and a Republican trifecta. The state had a Republican trifecta during three separate periods (1995-1996, 1999-2002, and 2011-2013) and divided government during three separate periods (1992-1994, 1997-1998, and 2003-2010). The state’s highest SQLI ranking came in 1999 under a Republican trifecta (19th). Beginning in 2007, Michigan has slipped into the bottom-10 of the SQLI ranking and has remained there since. Michigan saw its most precipitous drop in the SQLI ranking between 2001 and 2002 and again between 2003 and 2004, under both a Republican trifecta and divided government, respectively. The state had not had a Democratic trifecta.

  • SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: N/A
  • SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 26.88
  • SQLI average with divided government: 33.31
Chart displaying the partisanship of Michigan government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ census.gov, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," accessed May 15, 2014
  2. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population," April 2, 2001
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 michiganinbrief.org, "Term limits," accessed December 17, 2013
  4. ↑ Michigan Radio, "Lawmakers return to Lansing Friday for special session," accessed April 25, 2020
  5. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Michigan Senate approves more tax breaks for businesses," March 29, 2017
  6. ↑ Michigan.gov, "Gov. Rick Snyder's statement regarding passage of Good Jobs legislation," July 12, 2017
  7. ↑ Fox2Detroit, "Snyder signs bill to give tax breaks for Michigan jobs," July 26, 2017
  8. ↑ MLive.com, "'Good Jobs' bills for new business tax incentives heads to governor," July 12, 2017
  9. ↑ MLive, "Q&A with Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof: Energy policy, prevailing wage repeal on agenda," January 20, 2015
  10. ↑ MLive, "Michigan Republicans making new push for prevailing wage repeal in state Legislature," January 15, 2015
  11. ↑ Crain's Detroit Business, "Mich. has nearly $1B more than expected for budget," January 10, 2014
  12. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Michigan GOP puts tax break atop 2014 agenda, Bolger says," January 9, 2014
  13. ↑ South Bend Tribune, "Michigan Legislature starts tamer two-year session today," January 9, 2013
  14. ↑ MLive, "Gov. Rick Snyder signs Michigan business/income tax overhaul into law," May 25, 2011
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
  16. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
  17. ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts, "State Work," accessed June 6, 2014
  18. ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts, "States’ Use of Cost-Benefit Analysis," July 29, 2013
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 U.S. Public Interest Research Group, "Following the Money 2015 Report," accessed April 4, 2016
  20. ↑ Sunlight Foundation, "Ten Principles for Opening Up Government Information," accessed June 16, 2013
  21. ↑ Michigan.gov, "2018 Michigan election dates," accessed November 9, 2017
  22. ↑ Follow the Money, "Michigan 2010 - Candidates," accessed September 3, 2014
  23. ↑ Follow the Money, "Michigan 2006 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
  24. ↑ Follow the Money, "Michigan 2002 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
  25. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Michigan Election Law," accessed December 17, 2013 (Referenced Statute 168.178, Michigan Compiled Laws)
  26. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Michigan Election Law," accessed December 17, 2013 (Referenced Statute 168.634 (1)-(2), Michigan Compiled Laws)
  27. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "2010 Census: Michigan Profile," 2011
  28. ↑ The Hill, "Longtime Dem Reps. Levin and Dingell could face redistricting danger", December 22, 2010
  29. ↑ The Detroit News, "Black caucus preps for Michigan redistricting," March 25, 2011 (dead link)
  30. ↑ Livingston Daily, "Public could get early peek at district lines," May 18, 2011 (dead link)
  31. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  32. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Senate Rules," accessed September 3, 2014 (Referenced Ch. 1, Sec. 1)
  33. ↑ Michigan Senate, "Michigan State Senate Officers," accessed September 3, 2014


Current members of the Michigan State Senate
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
Sue Shink (D)
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
Sam Singh (D)
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
Vacant
District 36
District 37
District 38
Democratic Party (19)
Republican Party (18)
Vacancies (1)


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