Michigan House and Senate lawmakers are due back in session Wednesday for what is likely to be their last voting week of the year.
There’s no shortage of agenda items to tackle: Potentially altering pending sick leave and minimum wage changes, a major government transparency reform proposal and road funding, to name a few.
The House is scheduled to meet Wednesday and Thursday, and Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, has not signaled willingness to add any further voting days to the calendar.
But whether the House will be able to pass any bills is not yet known. Republicans walked out last week, citing stalled wage and sick leave talks, and one House Democrat has said she won’t show up Wednesday unless there is voting on a supplemental spending bill to benefit lawmakers’ districts.
Related:
- Dems go it alone in Michigan House, where chaotic meeting ends in lame-duck limbo
- Republicans walk out of Michigan House, demand action on tipped wage and sick leave laws
- $90M data center tax break plan headed to Gov. Whitmer after final passage
The Senate, meanwhile, is tentatively scheduled to hold final votes next Monday, but it’s more likely the upper chamber finishes work this week.
With several Democrats openly questioning Tate’s leadership, it’s not immediately clear how much lawmakers can realistically get done in what could be the final days of the Democratic trifecta in Lansing, where Republicans will take over the state House next year.
Should the stars align, here are some of the bigger items to watch out for:
Government transparency
After sitting in the House for months without action, efforts to open the Legislature and governor’s office to public records requests picked up this month with committee approval. A vote by the full House – should Tate allow one — could send the plan toward Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk.
Michigan is currently one of two states to not allow its residents to request public documents from either lawmakers or the governor. If passed as written, citizens could request emails and other records from the governor and lawmakers — which they can already do with local and other state government officials — beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
Tipped wage and sick leave
Michigan’s wage and sick leave laws will change in February if lawmakers take no further action. That’s due to a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision that requires the state to raise its $10.33/hour minimum wage to nearly $15 while phasing out its $3.93/hour tipped wage by 2028.
Businesses oppose the pending changes, and bipartisan legislation could retain the tipped credit while relaxing some sick leave rules. But the UAW and progressive groups are urging Democrats to let the changes take effect. After last week’s impasse, major changes seem unlikely this week.
Business incentives
Roughly $50 million in taxpayer subsidies could be heading to a proposed copper mine just outside the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. All that’s needed is a final vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The controversial subsidy is among nearly $300 million in new incentives approved last week by the House Appropriations Committee.
The money would come from the Strategic Outreach and Reserve (SOAR) fund, which would expire next year unless lawmakers agree to additional funding — perhaps as early as this week.
Police reforms
Efforts to enact sweeping police reform in Michigan partially passed the Senate last week, including bills that would require departments to formalize use of force policies, require mental health and law enforcement response training for officers (including the use of de-escallation and crisis intervention techniques) and reform the use of no-knock warrants.
Those bills would each need final approval by the House.
More cash for out-of-state trash
Whitmer has long pushed to raise Michigan’s out-of-state trash dumping fee, but that effort was scuttled last week when House Democratic Rep. Karen Whitsett abruptly left the rare Friday voting day.
She and Rep. Nate Shannon, D-Sterling Heights, were holdouts on the change, which could have seen the state increase outstate dumping fees from $0.36/ton to $0.72/ton. The Whitmer administration initially called for the fee to be increased to $5/ton to curb out of state waste being dumped in Michigan.
Shannon changed his vote. But citing health issues, Whitsett’s departure caused the vote to fail Friday. It’s unclear if the Legislature will try bringing the issue back before the full House for a vote
Housing and zoning efforts
Also a victim of Friday’s sudden workstop were efforts to simplify the construction of more housing units amid a shortage. A bill that would have removed minimum parking requirements for new construction was put up for a vote but pulled when it became clear it would not get 56 House votes.
Prisoner productivity credits, juvenile ‘lifers’
Major overhauls to the state’s penal system could also come this week, including reforms to Michigan’s cash bail system, allowing prisoners to petition for a “second look” at their sentencing length and putting an end to juvenile life without parole sentences.
It could be a major lift for these policies to cross the finish line, however, as state prosecutors openly advocate against repealing life sentences for juveniles and doing away with mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
Driver’s licenses for undocumented residents
A longsought push, primarily by progressive Democrats but backed by the Michigan Catholic Conference, would allow undocumented Michiganders the ability to get a noncommercial driver’s license or state ID.
The bills have not received hearings in either the House or Senate, meaning final passage could be unlikely given the tight timeline.
Michigan Voting Rights Act
While Michigan clerks have voiced some concerns with the plan, legislation that broadly aims to prevent voter suppression could reach the governor’s desk with a vote in the full House.
Among other things, the Senate-approved bills aim to expand ballot access by providing ballots in more languages, create a voting data clearinghouse and codify protections for voters who may need help casting a ballot.