Updates About Legislature

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks is entering her final year in office with a focus on delivering a smoother, more transparent budget process and protecting long-term investments in education, health, and housing. She emphasized the importance of sustaining initiatives like expanded school meals, science-of-reading programs, workforce credentialing, and new housing development, along with advancing long-sought FOIA expansion to include the Legislature and Governor’s office. Brinks noted that continued support for these efforts is essential to improving outcomes over time, particularly in areas like early literacy, affordable housing access, and building a stronger skilled workforce for Michigan’s future.

This week, House Floor Leader Bryan Posthumus released the Michigan House of Represenatives’ 2026 session calendar. You may see the calendar here.

Recently, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the nine remaining bills from the 2023-2024 legislature must be sent to Governor Whitmer for a signing decision. The court upheld that the state Constitution requires presentation of the bills and ordered the House to abide by the ruling. The court ruled that while the Michigan Constitution does not set a strict schedule for the House to present a bill, the Constitution does state that once passed the mandatory next step for a bill passed by both chambers is to be presented in front of the governor.

House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) had refused to present the bills, arguing that the current House was unable to do so because they were passed under a former Legislature. One of the nine bills now set for presentment is one that would require governments to pay more of their employees’ health insurance premiums.