March 7th-20th, 2026

The state House and Senate have been in gridlock for months over legislation that would keep Michigan in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), which currently allows 8,000 physicians to practice in the state using their home state license. If legislation extending the compact is not passed by its expiration date of March 28, estimates say over 100,000+ Michiganders will be negatively affected through canceled appointments and loss of medical providers.

The spat between the two chambers does not stem from disputing policy language or the legislation’s intent, but rather over which lawmaker will receive credit for sponsoring the bill. Last May, the Senate passed SB 303, which was introduced by Senator Roger Hauck (R-Mount Pleasant), who represents a solidly Republican district. Twin bill HB 5455 was then introduced in January by Representative Rylee Linting (R-Wyandotte), who resides in a highly competitive district. HB 5455 was then voted out of the House and transmitted to the Senate.

Since early February, the House and Senate bills have sat in each other’s chambers without action, despite vocal concerns from various stakeholders about the approaching deadline.

Yesterday, in an unexpected twist, the House and Senate struck a deal to pass one of the IMLC bills before the Senate adjourns for Spring Break next Thursday. The House has agreed to pass an unrelated bill sponsored by Senator Kevin Hertel (D-Saint Clair Shores) in exchange for HB 5455. The deal offers wins for both vulnerable Republican Rylee Linting and Democrat Kevin Hertel as they prepare for two of the fiercest campaign races Michigan will see this year.

The Senate is expected to vote on the IMLC bill next week and send it to the Governor before the March 28 deadline.

Last week, the Michigan Senate passed a bipartisan bill package offering relief for Michiganders with medical debt. SB 449, SB 450, and SB 451, championed by Senators Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) and Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater), passed with substantial support across both political caucuses. The bills would require hospitals to implements financial assistance plans for managing a patient’s medical debt and would change rules that currently allow for what critics say is aggressive debt collection.

Two related bills introduced by Anthony and Lindsey also passed unanimously last week. SB 701 and SB 702 would provide protections for patients by establishing maximum interest rates for medical debt and removing excessive late fees on medical debt for a minimum of 90 days after a patient receives their final invoice. The bills would also prohibit debt collectors and healthcare facilities from having a patient arrested, garnishing their wages, or foreclosing on their home as a means of collecting medical debt.

All five bills were subsequently referred to the House Health Policy committee.

On Wednesday, an eight bill package (SB 691 - 698) that would make significant changes to the state’s current election and campaign finance laws passed out of the Senate with support from Senate Democrats and Republicans. The bill that would have the most impact is SB 691 introduced by Senator Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), which would move the current August primary up to May and would allow for February primaries.

Also included in the bill package is SB 697, sponsored by Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), which lowers the number of petition signatures needed for statewide candidates. Singh bill SB 698 creates a single, set schedule for campaign finance reports with four filings each year. The remaining bills make updates to align the law with the changes proposed in SB 691.

If passed by the House, the changes would take effect in 2028. Currently, Michigan is one of nineteen states that hold their primary election in August or later. The bills still have a long journey ahead, including testimony and votes in the House Election Integrity Committee, final passage from the House, and signing off by the Governor before becoming law.

Ryan Hunt, CEO of the Michigan Works! Association, provided testimony in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on LEO/MEDC this week on workforce impacts related to proposed SNAP and Medicaid work requirements. Hunt’s testimony included a request for $25 million to support implementation, noting that local offices are already experiencing increased demand and may require additional staffing to manage higher caseloads and reduce administrative errors.

Hunt also urged continued funding for the Going PRO Talent Fund at $31.8 million, so that workers who go through the program can continue to receive training and see wage increases.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has decided not to pursue an appeal after the 54-A District Court in Lansing dismissed the criminal charges brought against a group of 15 defendants who conspired to award Michigan’s 2020 electoral votes to Donald Trump instead of Joe Biden. The group signed fake certificate of votes, and sent them to the United States Senate with the intention of the false votes being accepted as the official electoral votes for the State of Michigan.

In her official statement, Nessel cited roadblocks such as time required and the difficulty with which the courts have dealt with election law violations that would hinder the office of the attorney general from a successful prosecution.

The Senate Fiscal Agency (SFA) recently released the Monthly Revenue Report for February 2026. The report detailed that tax collections came in at $1.6 billion, $225.2 million above expectations and 23.1% higher than February 2025.

Leading the pack in revenue were collections from the sales and use tax, which totaled $882.2 million. Despite bringing in the most revenue, collections were still $46.3 million below the predicted level. Net income tax collections exceeded expectations by $248.4 million for a total of $383.0 million in revenue. A large part of the overperformance was due to individual income tax refunds coming in $159.2 million lower than the predicted number. Net revenue from the Michigan Business Tax (MBT), Corporate Income Tax (CIT), as well as the repealed Single Business Tax totaled $38.7 million, $15.4 million more than expected.

General Fund (GF) collections were $237.6 million above the estimated number, and School Aid Fund revenue lagged behind by $16.4 million. So far, the year-to-date actual revenue compared to predicted for both the General Fund (GF) and School Aid Fund are up. The GF is above expectation by $268.5 million whereas the School Aid Fund is up by $56.5 million.