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House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) has vowed to push some form of property tax relief in the new year, but two political observers in this town have a different take on his chances for success.

Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) asked House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) on Tuesday to be removed from all committees as she further distances herself from the traditional operations of a state legislator.

Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), a Republican candidate for governor, wants an audit of state subsidies provided to childcare providers. His request follows reports in Minnesota of significant fraud schemes, where Somali residents have been accused of fraudulently collecting government funding intended for child nutrition, housing services and autism programming.

A former policy advisor for the Michigan House Republican Caucus is alleged to have strangled his 34-year-old girlfriend following an argument after a night at the bar, according to a police report.

Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit), whose well-documented absences prematurely ended lame duck in 2024, missed 86.4 percent of the House's roll call votes in 2025 as her disenchantment over the Legislature's work continued under split power.

It's officially 2026! We're electing a new governor, U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and attorney general.

House Finance Committee Chair Rep. Mark Tisdel (R-Rochester) got a call earlier this month from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who wanted to compare notes on crafting a new job incentive program because, as the chair said, "what we've been doing is not working."

In a caucus with such conservative brands as Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford) and Rep. James DeSana (R-Carleton), two-term Republican Rep. Donni Steele (R-Lake Orion) ended up with the House's most conservative record based on 46 roll call votes selected by MIRS.

Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor), who opted against seeking reelection after this term, ended 2025 with having the most liberal or progressive voting record in the state Senate based on MIRS' recording of 46 roll call votes as recorded and categorized on software available to all MIRS subscribers.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), the lead negotiator on the earned sick time and tipped wage package early in the year, was named the MIRS News Senator of the Year Monday, a recognition given annually to the Senator who exhibits high levels of impact, effectiveness and activity in the calendar year.

Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor) wants Michigan to have a 13-member task force dedicated to expanding public access to "palliative care," the medical specialty dedicated to relieving the stress and symptoms of serious illnesses. 

A Michigan Court of Appeals panel held this week that an Otsego County barbecue restaurant’s lawsuit challenging the local health department’s pandemic-related orders is moot.

A letter purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein to disgraced former Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar was released this week by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

For 2025, there were three people who earned the most Quotes of the Day: two state leaders and a newly minted state party chair.

House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) has been named MIRS' House Member of the Year, with the team recognizing how his leadership, unpredictable power plays and transparency platform have caused culture shock around Lansing.

Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) was named MIRS' Minority Lawmaker of the Year on the MIRS Monday podcast. The second-term legislator was recognized as a liaison between Republicans and Democrats on subjects like public safety, economic development and road funding.

Others may be waiting to see if Gov. Gretchen Whitmer attempts to legally challenge the law the House Appropriations Committee used to deny $644 million in work projects last week, but House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said Thursday he hasn't heard that the Governor is going to do anything to push back.

The House and Senate leadership closed the door on 2025 on Thursday with big dreams for 2026, but none that seem to overlap.

In the first “deal” House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said he'd made with Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) this session, the House and Senate passed around 25 bills cracking down on bots during high-volume ticket sales, creating a voluntary high school hunter safety education class and updating standards on the machines used in mammograms.

The House and Senate adjourned for the final time this year, producing the fewest number of likely public acts in a regular session since the founding of the state in 1837.