Budget Framework Signed; Hall Wants Housing Taken Up

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 06/23/2026) House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said Tuesday afternoon during his weekly press conference that a framework for a deal over the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget has been reached.

Late Monday night, the governor and legislative leaders reached an agreement on a framework that includes no tax increase and no “raid” of the Rainy Day Fund and a smaller budget than last year. The framework was signed by Hall, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Brinks' spokesperson, Rosie Jones, confirmed that a budget framework has been reached.

The deal also doesn't include a property tax cut, but Hall said that conversations could happen concurrently with the budget talks.

Without giving more information, Hall said schools will see another increase as part of the budget framework. Overall, though, the spending document will see cuts.

“This is going to be challenging for some people because this is a budget where you're going to have to make cuts,” he said. “We made some cuts last year and we're going to have to do it again.”

Hall said he couldn't talk about the details as there is trust that has to be built. The principals are requesting confidentiality to protect the framework from falling apart. He expressed hope that targets could be reached later in the day. The speaker said there's still a chance the budget could still pass both the House and Senate by July 1, which is next Wednesday.

However, Hall talked about “waste, fraud and abuse” and eliminating “ghost employees” as good places to start with the cuts.

The speaker said movement started in earnest on the budget after he suggested working with the Senate Democrats on a spending plan and then dumping a non-negotiated budget on the governor's lap. At that point, Budget Director Jen Flood was allegedly given authority to negotiate on the governor's behalf and the principals worked through Juneteenth and the weekend to make things happen.

Hall Says Families, Not Corporations, Should Own Single-Family Homes

Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said that House Republicans will introduce legislation this week aimed at preventing private equity firms and large corporations from purchasing single-family homes, arguing that institutional investors are driving up housing costs and making homeownership less attainable for Michigan families.

During his weekly press conference, Hall said the issue was brought to his attention during a recent visit to Marquette and was later discussed with U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner and U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte).

"These single-family homes should not be owned by big corporations. They're supposed to be for families and we're going to put an end to that with legislation this week," Hall said.

Hall did not provide details on the proposal, but said he views corporate ownership of homes as one of several factors contributing to Michigan's housing affordability challenges.

The speaker framed the forthcoming legislation as part of a broader House Republican effort to reduce costs for residents, alongside proposals to lower property taxes, utility bills and health care costs.

According to Hall, housing affordability can be addressed through multiple approaches, including increasing housing supply, reducing regulations, reforming local zoning practices and limiting corporate ownership of residential properties.

"One of the reasons for this is these big private equity firms and these big corporations are buying up all these homes," Hall said.

Hall also pointed to what he described as growing regulatory costs associated with new home construction, citing figures he said were discussed during meetings with federal housing officials.

"It's actually $130,000 now, which is the average cost of regulations on a new home," Hall said. "That's gone up, by the way, over the last couple of years."

The speaker argued that reducing regulatory burdens would help lower housing costs, while preventing large investors from purchasing single-family homes would leave more inventory available for individual buyers.

Hall additionally linked housing affordability to his ongoing push for property tax relief, saying homeowners could see annual savings of roughly $900 under Republican proposals currently being discussed as part of broader budget and policy negotiations.

"We can increase the supply as well. And when we do our massive property tax cuts, we're also going to make housing more affordable," Hall said.

The legislation had not been formally introduced as of Tuesday afternoon and Hall did not specify how private equity firms or corporations would be restricted from purchasing residential properties.

A full transcript of the press conference is here.