Updates About Legislature

The first half of 2025 has produced the lowest number of public acts during an active legislative session in Michigan history. Only six public acts have been signed into law, far below the nearly 200-bill average typically passed by mid-July. The only instances with fewer laws enacted were years when the Legislature didn’t convene at all. Prior to 1951, the Legislature typically met every two years, but even in years with brief special sessions, more was accomplished. For instance, during the Spanish-American War in 1898, lawmakers passed eight public acts in just 22 days. This sluggish pace has been attributed to the partisan standoff between the Republican-led House and Democrat-controlled Senate, with observers on both sides pointing to a breakdown in bipartisan cooperation and growing political polarization.

As Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) reaches her term limit in District 29, three Grand Rapids Democrats are emerging as frontrunners for the upcoming primary:

• Ivan Diaz: Former progressive Kent County Commissioner
• Rep. Phil Skaggs: Current Representative for House District 80 and former legislative director to then-Rep. David LaGrand (now Mayor of Grand Rapids)
• Rep. Kristian Grant: Current Representative for House District 82 and Grand Rapids-based real estate developer

In neighboring District 30, incumbent Sen. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) is preparing to defend one of West Michigan’s last Republican-held Senate seats in a district that leaned narrowly Democratic in 2024. While Rep. Carol Glanville (D-Grand Rapids) is frequently mentioned as a potential challenger, she has not filed. The only declared Democrat so far is Richard Kreuzer, a former member of the State Board of Nursing.

Tensions reached a boiling point in the Michigan House last week after Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) was abruptly removed from his post as minority vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee by Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp). The move followed Farhat’s no vote on HB 4506, a Republican-backed bill that would allow life without parole for 19- and 20-year-olds convicted of particularly violent crimes, and HB 4141, which proposed banning cell phone use by students in schools.

Farhat defended his vote, arguing the policy deserved further debate and that Democrats were given little time to review final language. Speaker Hall, however, claimed Farhat failed to uphold a commitment and pointed to his resistance during budget talks as further justification. The session, which lasted more than seven hours, ended with no bills passed and deepened uncertainty over who will now represent House Democrats in ongoing—and already strained—budget negotiations.