Insider Intelligence

A bipartisan group of House members introduced a 26-bill package extending additional legal protections to human trafficking survivors. The bill sponsors are aiming to address the issues of human trafficking in three ways: Creating and funding additional legal tools for victims of human trafficking Expanding awareness and preventive measures Addressing the relationship between prostitution and […]

On Tuesday, both the House and Senate held their final session day before their summer legislative break. “During the long sessions, each chamber passed many reforms and caucus priorities, in addition to finishing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, before beginning their in-district work periods and hitting the campaign trail for most of the […]

In my blog post last month, Speaker of the House Only Feels Like a Lifetime Appointment, I explained that there have only been 54 Speakers of the House at the federal level since the position was created in 1789.  Of those, only two served more than 10 years, the longest was Sam Rayburn at 17 […]

When the Legislature passes a bill, the governor can opt to either approve or reject the piece of legislation from becoming law.  He can approve the bill by either signing it or if he doesn’t sign it within 14 days and the legislature is still in session, it will automatically become law.  If he decides […]

On Monday, the House Democratic Caucus, led by House Democratic Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), released their priorities for the upcoming year. The agenda, titled “Building Opportunity for All,” calls for a new focus on working families and prioritizing legislation that would drive the state economy forward. One of the more notable proposals calls for […]

House Speaker Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt Twp.) announced changes to the memberships of a few committees following the resignation of former Representative Andy Schor after he took office as Mayor of Lansing. House Health Policy Committee – Representative Jim Ellison (D-Royal Oak) has been added to the committee. House Commerce and Trade Committee – Representative Sheldon […]

Governor Rick Snyder announced dates for a special election to fill the vacant 68th House District. The special primary election will be held on August 7, while the special general election will be held on November 6. Both dates coincide with regularly scheduled elections. The special elections will only be to fill the remainder of […]

Sine Die has come and gone in Lansing. As our Michigan lawmakers closed the books on this legislative session, we tallied the numbers to see what was accomplished in the statehouse.