Legislative

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

The relationship between the House and Senate remained frayed on Wednesday after the House called back 11 Senate-sponsored bills it moved on Tuesday, responding to the Senate's failure to pass all the House-sponsored bills it pledged to pass.

The Senate Tuesday night passed a bill significantly expanding Michigan's brownfield redevelopment program, which would award developers with $3.5 billion in total tax capture off from payrolls and other costs. Folks around the Capitol see this as greasing the wheels on a massive redevelopment of Detroit's Renaissance Center, a planned aquarium in Kent County, a Macomb County mall, and other large projects in Traverse City and Muskegon.

More than 30 years ago, Rep. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) – a 2026 state Senate candidate – pleaded guilty to domestic battery against his then-fiancé, Kimber'y Lanute in DuPage County, Illinois. Prestin says it's an incident he's never run from.

Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Howell), chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on State and Local Assistance Programs, has been named legislative Freshman of the Year on the MIRS Monday podcast. The first-time legislator used his committee post to explore ways to better shield state food assistance from fraud.

In the new legislative year, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) is planning to introduce a property tax cut proposal that gives Michigan voters two choices on how to replace the lost dollars for local governments and schools.

The House will remain out of session for the rest of the week as the caucus remains in Fort Worth, Texas, for the annual American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) meeting, where members receive an award based on their work with the state budget.