(Source: MIRS.news, Published 12/26/2024) As 2024 comes to a close, Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) recorded the most liberal voting record for the second time in four years and Sen. Jonathan Lindsey (R-Brooklyn) tallied the most conservative, but both seem to be footnotes in a much larger story.
In 2024, the 20-seat Democratic majority held together on nearly every single vote, making the voting record for every member of the caucus nearly identical.
More so than 2023 when the same dynamic was seen, a review of the 660 votes taken in the Senate up until last Friday roughly 10 times when Senate Democrats members broke from their colleagues, creating little separation from Chang's 98% liberal ranking and Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing)'s 92% liberal ranking, based on 50 roll call votes and calculated using the MIRS Voting Scorecard system.
Twelve members had a 96% liberal ranking and six scored a 94% ranking, with many members showing the same exact voting record.
Chang only broke apart from the pack by voting against the rate break for Hemlock Semiconductor. Her lone conservative vote was against an amendment that allows law enforcement to bring a weapon into a polling location for any reason.
“I am proud to have consistently voted my values and have built a track record as both a progressive and a pragmatist who has gotten things done in my 10 years in the legislature, this past year being no exception,” Chang told MIRS in response to her having the most liberal voting record.
All the Republican members had a below 50% liberal voting ranking, but the separation among the members was more pronounced. The caucus is not a position to govern, giving the members more freedom to vote their district, their conscience or their political situation.
Lindsey, Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) and Sen. Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton) gravitated to having more conservative ratings.
Lindsey stood apart for voting against increased penalties on drivers who hit bicyclists and against mandates that co-branded alcoholic beverages are not placed next to soft drinks and fruit juices. He also voted no on deleting penalties around adultery and divorced couples continuing to cohabit.
Being in the most politically competitive districts, Sens. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) and Michael Webber (R-Rochester Hills) had, predictably, the most liberal voting record among the Republican members.
“I do my best to vote for liberty and against the behemoth of government," Lindsey told MIRS.
Final Ranking (Percentage of Liberal Votes)
98% - Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit)
96% - Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), Sen. John Cherry (D-Flint), Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores), Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), Sen. Veronica Klinefelt (D-Eastpointe), Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit), Sen. Sue Shink (D-Ann Arbor), Sen. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) and Sen. Paul Wojno (D-Warren)
94% - Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor), Sen. Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.). Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor), Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City), Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak)
92% - Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing)
48% - Sen. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker)
44% - Sen. Michael Webber (R-Rochester Hills)
30% - Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs)
28% - Sen Roger Victory (R-Hudsonville)
22% - Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Waucedah Twp.)
20% - Sen Roger Hauck (R-Union Twp.), Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly), Sen. Rick Outman (R-Six Lakes).
18% - Senate Majority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton)
16% - Sen. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell), Sen. Jon Bumstead (R-North Muskegon) and Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly)
14% - Sen. Kevin Daley (R-Lum)
12% - Sen. Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway)
10% - Sen. Lana Theis (R-Brighton)
8% - Sen. Joseph Bellino Jr. (R-Monroe) and Sen. Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton)
6% - Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake)
2% - Sen. Jonathan Lindsey (R-Brooklyn)
1. Roll Call 11, HB 4325 – Makes the dumping of three cubic feet of litter – the size equivalent to a compact washing machine – a $2,500 misdemeanor. Liberal vote yes.
2. Roll Call 12, SB 282 – Shields from penalties for drivers re-applying for car insurance who were unable to stay current on their policy because they were incarcerated. Liberal vote yes.
3. Roll Call 17, HB 4824 – Terminates the Gov. Rick Snyder-era Environmental Rules Review Committee (ERRC), which was designed to give the business community some oversight over the state’s environmental rule-making process. Liberal vote yes.
4. Roll Call 25, HB 4523 – Expands participation in alternatives to jail or prison. Liberal vote yes.
5. Roll Call 30. HB 4185 – Increases the standards workers must follow when dealing with asbestos. Liberal vote yes.
6. Roll Call 40. HB 4857 – Removes milkweed from the list of noxious or exotic weeds. Liberal vote yes
7. Roll Call 43, HB 4127 , Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) amendment – Allows a law enforcement officer to bring a firearm into a voting location, regardless of the reason. Liberal vote no.
8. Roll Call 50, SB 544 – Regulates refrigeration facilities and removal services for dead human bodies. Liberal vote yes.
9. Roll Call 55, HB 4511 – Updates state mandates for youths in car seats and booster seats. Liberal vote yes.
10. Roll Call 58, SB 632 – Caps the amount payday lenders can charge their customers at a 36% interest rate. Liberal vote yes.
11. Roll Call 65, SB 504 – Allows the Michigan Public Service Commission to create a special lower rate for large energy consumers like Hemlock Semiconductor. Liberal vote no.
12. Roll Call 69, HB 5207 – Creates a legal framework for surrogate parenting contracts for compensation. Liberal vote yes.
13. Roll Call 81, HB 4368 – Creates research and development (R&D) tax credits. Liberal vote yes.
14. Roll Call 89, SB 601 – Increases penalties for hate crimes. Liberal vote yes.
15. Roll Call 85, HB 4596 – Requires non-flushable disposable wipes to include a statement on its packaging that they are not to be flushed down the toilet. Liberal vote yes.
16. Roll Call 97, HB 5527 – Requires public and nonpublic schools to develop “cardiac emergency response plans” to respond to on-site heart attacks. Liberal vote yes.
17. Roll Call 105, SB 571 – Ensures that contractors follow prevailing wage requirements. Liberal vote yes.
18. Roll Call 211, SB 599 – Removes the requirement that medically frail inmates who are discharged be placed in medical facilities. Liberal vote yes.
19. Roll Call 236, SB 617 – Increases penalties on drivers who hit bicyclists, pedestrians and other vulnerable users of the road. Liberal vote yes.
20. Roll Call 285, SB 730 – Mandates that co-branded alcoholic beverages are not placed next to soft drinks and fruit juices. Liberal vote yes.
21. Roll Call 289, SB 829 – Put MIOSHA in compliance with federal OSHA requirements by strengthening maximum penalties for serious violations. Liberal vote yes.
22. Roll Call 307, SB 636 -- Part of a six-bill package that creates a state health insurance exchange as opposed to one run by the federal government. Liberal vote yes.
23. Roll Call 314, SB 353 – Expands who can receive energy bill assistance through the statewide Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP). Liberal vote yes.
24. Roll Call 328, SB 790 – Creates a body for in-home caregivers compensated through state subsidies to unionize and bargain. Liberal vote yes.
25. Roll Call 340, SB 401 —Establishes the Michigan Voting Rights Act, which would allow a voter to bring legal action against a local government for relocating or closing early voting sites, absentee ballot drop boxes of other election locations if the voter can argue that the change disadvantaged people of color. Liberal vote yes.
26. Roll Call 341, SB 911 – Lowers the amount public school districts need to spend on their employee retirement payments. Liberal vote yes.
27. Roll Call 356, SB 205 – Bans landlords from refusing to rent to someone based on receiving public assistance, like federal Section 8 housing vouchers. Liberal vote yes.
28. Roll Call 370, SB 860 – Mandates that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to create a recovery plan for the American Woodcock, whose population is declining. Liberal vote yes.
29. Roll Call 373, SB 922 – Creates a system for elderly residents and vulnerable adults to seek a new type of personal protection order. Liberal vote is yes.
30. Roll Call 396, SB 165 – Allows corrections, conservation, motor carrier and Capitol police to sign up for the Michigan State Police pension system. Liberal vote is yes.
31. Roll Call 403, HB 4928 – Lets school buses be outfitted with a camera system to catch vehicles that ignore the stop lights or stop arm at pickup and drop-off for kids. Liberal vote is yes.
32. Roll Call 408, SB 963 – Sets steeper fines against those employers who violate Michigan’s safety standards for minor workers. Liberal vote is yes.
33. Roll Call 416, SB 818 – Creates a commission to investigate racial disparities related to maternal health. Liberal vote is yes.
34. Roll Call 447, SB 1083 – Deletes penalties around adultery and divorced couples continuing to cohabitate. Liberal vote is yes.
35. Roll Call 451, SB 975 – Expands unemployment insurance benefits to 26 weeks and increases the maximum benefit to $614 a week. Liberal vote is yes.
36. Roll Call 454, SB 1022 – Expands the Michigan Consumer Protection Act to allow for more causes of action against consumers injured or wronged by a product. Liberal vote is yes.
37. Roll Call 459, SB 857 – Bans guns from the Capitol. Liberal vote is yes.
38. Roll Call 461, SB 651 – Creates a new tobacco licensure system that includes steeper penalties for those who sell nicotine products to minors. Liberal vote is yes.
39. Roll Call 480, SB 397 – Requires insurers to cover over-the-counter birth control and emergency contraception without a prescription. Liberal vote is yes.
40. Roll Call 490, HB 4063 – Prohibits landlords with five or more rental units from discriminating against prospective or current tenants based on their source of income. Liberal vote is yes.
41. Roll Call 516, SB 809 – States that pre-nuptial agreements cannot be enforced if they were signed under duress or without proper time for the parties involved to be informed. Liberal vote is yes.
42. Roll Call 520, SB 1167 – Makes minimum staffing levels for fire departments a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. Liberal vote is yes.
43. Roll Call 537, SB 299 – Creates a statewide code for regulating onsite wastewater treatment systems. Liberal vote is yes.
44. Roll Call 562, SB 1173 – Repeals, in part, the “Death Star,” local pre-emption to set labor standards for public construction projects. Liberal vote is yes.
45. Roll Call 567, SB 861 – Allows for productivity credits for inmates if they complete a trades course while incarcerated. Liberal vote is yes.
46. Roll Call 638, HB 5950 – Creates a regulatory framework for peer-to-peer car sharing businesses. Liberal vote is yes.
47. Roll Cal 580, SB 943 – A Sen. Joseph Bellino Jr. (R-Monroe) amendment that mandates that the amount of money that comes out of school employee salaries be publicly disclosed. Liberal vote is no.
48. Roll Call 640, HB 5450 – Requires school districts to send home a note, informing parents that state law requires them to lock their guns. Liberal vote is yes.
49. Roll Call 651 HB 5172 – Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to implement a program registering a hospital that provides maternal care as a Level I, II, III or IV maternal care facility. Liberal vote is yes.
50. Roll Call 653, HB 5435 – Requires that an insurer cover hormonal contraception patches. Liberal vote is yes.
Past Most Conservative Senators:
2024 Sen. Jonathan Lindsey (R-Brooklyn)
2023 - Hoitenga
2022 – Theis
2021 - Sen. Tom Barrett
2020 – Runestad
2019 – Sen. Roger Victory
2018 – Sen. Patrick Colbeck
2017 – Colbeck
2016 – Colbeck
2015 – Sen. Phil Pavlov
2014 – Sen. John Moolenaar
2013 – Sen. Jack Brandenburg
2012 – Colbeck
2011 - Sen. Jack Brandenburg
2010 - Sen. Cameron Brown
2009 - Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop
2008 - Sen. Alan Sanborn
2007 - Sen. Mark Jansen
2006 - Sen. Nancy Cassis
2005 – Sanborn
2004 – Sanborn
2003 – Sanborn
Past Most Liberal Senators
2024- - Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit)
2023 - Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor)
2022 – Irwin
2021 – Chang
2019 – Sen. Erika Geiss
2018 – Sen. Rebekah Warren
2017 – Sen. Morris Hood III
2016 – Warren
2015 – Sen. Vincent Gregory
2014 – Hood
2013 – Warren
2012 – Warren
2011 – Warren
2010 – Sen. Liz Brater
2009 – Brater
2008 – Sen. Martha G. Scott
2007 - Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman
2006 - Sen. Martha G. Scott
2005 – Brater
2004 – Brater
2003 – Burton Leland
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