Legislative

The story is legendary in the Bill Schuette household.

During a press conference Thursday, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) frequently dodged reporters' questions about whether he'd reprimand Rep. James DeSana (R-Carleton) for his comments about Rep. Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown)'s deceased daughter and fellow Republican caucus members.

The deteriorating relationship Rep. James DeSana (R-Carleton) has with Monroe County Republicans spilled onto the House floor Wednesday after a private recording circulated in which he called his fellow Republican representatives “scumbags” and negatively framed Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown)'s account of her daughter’s death. Thompson said she feels like her deceased daughter's memory was “mocked.”

Stephanie Chatfield, the wife of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield, finalized a plea agreement that could leave her with no criminal conviction.

The Michigan Senate has held roll-call votes on just 21 days so far this year, a historically sluggish pace that is less than half the number recorded at the same point in 2008 and 2010, the last time the Legislature operated under split-party control.

Laying on the glass floor in the Capitol rotunda is a memorable photo opportunity for visitors to downtown Lansing.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) advised Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) today that "sometimes it's not so good to be so emotional here on the Senate floor." Singh called Runestad's zealous remarks on lawmakers voting on budgets that fund their future employers an "emotional outburst."

Kicking off the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference, speakers from across the political spectrum repeatedly returned to the conference’s central theme: “the quest for common ground.”

Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) told the media that she believed she was removed from all of her committees for pushing the Speaker too hard on whether to investigate any connection between Jeffrey Epstein and the Interlochen camp near Traverse City.

After nearly eight hours of session, lawmakers, staff members and reporters stared at the House voting board, waiting to see which legislator would give Republicans the vote they needed to pass their property tax reform package.

Lansing will empty out next week for the annual week-long migration to Mackinac Island, prompting pundit questions about the theme and feel expected at the 2026 policy conference in the long shadow of national politics, as well as the chatter of changing who is — or isn't — elected in state politics.

All Democratic state senators who can return next year are supporting Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton)'s leadership bid in the caucus and are co-hosting a "Leadership Lunch" for him on June 4.

Rep. Matt Longjohn (D-Portage) hit a grand slam and Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) went 5-for-5 at the plate to lead the Democrats to their first Legislative Softball Game win in four years.

The 2026 Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference will host a debate between the three Democrats running for U.S. Senate and will play host to the policy discussion over data centers.

'Tis the season. While Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was sharing her words of wisdom during a commencement speech for the graduates of Michigan State University this week, 1,300 miles west, the president of Colorado University was doing the same thing.

Former House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) will finish his term as minority vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) announced Tuesday, saying his predecessor is “highly respected and many Democrats have been coming to me recently saying they had made a mistake in changing leaders.”

Being a politician means meeting with people, talking with people, and being scrutinized by people. It can all seem akin to the celebrity fishbowl, with the extra step of being held to account by the people who elected you.

As Congress left Washington for spring break amid a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), celebrity tabloid TMZ urged readers to submit photos of lawmakers on vacation — a move media experts say reflects a long-standing overlap between politics and tabloid culture.

House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said he was “feeling charitable” when he helped move a bill, HB 4044, to designate the wood duck as Michigan's official state duck, taking a jab at bill sponsor Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) in the process.

Family caregivers are quietly propping up the nation’s health care system to the tune of nearly $1 trillion a year, and Michigan lawmakers are looking to take another crack at easing the burden.