Source: MIRS.news, Published 01/08/2025) For the 59th time since 1899, the Michigan House’s election for speaker went unopposed. Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) officially has the gavel for the 103rd Legislature and was elected unanimously by his colleagues on Wednesday 

Rep. Nancy DeBoer (R-Holland) gave Hall’s nominating speech and Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) seconded the nomination, as is customary. The eight Republicans who voted no for former Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit)’s nomination all voted for Hall. That 2023 election was the most contested since 1969, when almost half the chamber didn’t vote, and it took 10 separate votes to secure the speaker’s nomination. 

Five other speakership elections have seen opposition since 1899: former Speaker Jase Bolger’s in 2013, former Speaker Robert Waldron’s in 1967, former Speaker Don Pears’ in 1959, former Speaker George Schroeder’s in 1935 and former Speaker Gilbert Currie’s in 1913.  

Before 1899, it wasn’t yet customary for both chambers to vote in favor of the majority party’s nominee in an act of bipartisanship. 

The previous term’s assistant clerk, Scott Starr, was also elected by the body unanimously to be the term’s House clerk. It’s a role he was lined up to take on for the previous term, before we knew that Democrats were taking the gavel. At the time, he said being the House clerk was a dream of his. 

The election for Speaker Pro Tempore Rachelle Smit (R-Shelbyville) was unanimous, as well.  

After thanking and welcoming guests, Hall talked about how he ranks eighth in seniority among current members, saying that he hopes he has and will make current and former members proud.  

Hall choked up when he recognized the people that worked to get the majority back for Republicans. 

“It was a pretty broken party when we started, and not a lot of people thought we could win. We had to go really hard to do it. I just want to tell everyone here that was a part of that, we did it,” Hall said.  

HR 1 , the proposed House rules, was adopted by a voice vote and HR 2 and HR 3 were record roll call votes for the elections of Starr and Smit. 

Hall didn’t directly address media Wednesday; however, Puri and Minority Floor Leader John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) did. MIRS asked the two if they’d like to see the additional $1 billion in revenue projected by the Senate Fiscal Agency spent on economic development, road funding or something else. 

Puri, former chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, said he understands the road funding issue, but he doesn’t think $1 billion would be enough money to fix it.