House Fails To Pass Resolution Changing Way University Boards Are Selected

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 06/03/2026) A proposed constitutional amendment to overhaul the way Michigan’s university boards are selected failed in the House today, prompting Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) to warn Democrats that they’re going to be “wishing they made this deal today.”

“The new deal when they come around to this for the fall, is going to be a much tougher deal for them to accept,” Hall said.

On a 52-54 vote, the House failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass HJR U, which would have asked voters to change the state Constitution so members of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, Michigan State University Board of Trustees and Wayne State University Board of Governors are appointed rather than elected.

The failed vote likely ends the push to place the proposal on the August ballot, given that they’d need to pass the resolution through both chambers to get on the ballot by June 5.

However, Hall said a new version could return for the November election that would include putting the State Board of Education back on the table.

“The State Board of Education is just as wacky as the university boards, and we want this superintendent to report to the governor, so that we can reform education,” Hall said. "We need that state superintendent to be accountable to the governor … not some wacky board of extremist Democrats.”

Hall said they’d put a lot of things back on the table that would be a “much tougher deal” for Democrats to accept. He also believes that the people of Michigan are going to be “outraged when they see this inaction” from the legislative Democrats.

The substitute proposal Hall put up today would have created a nine-member university board, with four Republicans, four Democrats and one independent member selected by the governor. The Republican and Democratic members would have been chosen from lists submitted by the state party chairs and legislative leaders from both chambers, a process Hall said mirrored the Board of State Canvassers.

The proposal also would have made the university boards subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, a provision Hall framed as an opportunity for Democrats to support expanded government transparency.

“This is one of those things where we hear Democrats constantly talking about FOIA and expanding FOIA,” Hall said, grinning before the vote. “Well, we’re giving them an opportunity to expand FOIA today.”

Hall and House Republican leaders argued the change was needed to stabilize Michigan’s public universities, pointing to presidential turnover and board infighting at institutions like MSU and U-M. Floor Leader Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) said the current system has made it harder for universities to retain leaders.

But Democrats accused Hall of rushing the resolution to the floor without meaningful negotiations.

It wasn't until 10 minutes before the vote that House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) said he saw the proposal for the first time.

“If you are going to do something that meaningful, you might want to include the people that you need the votes from,” Puri said. “I think Hall was setting it up for failure.”

Republicans have 58 members, but 74 are needed for the House to support adding something to the ballot.

Rep. Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills), who chaired the House Higher Education Committee last term, said she opposed the proposal because she believes university boards should remain directly accountable to voters.

“What makes Michigan so unique and why our universities are so successful is because our university boards and our regents are held accountable by the people,” Steckloff said.

Floor leader John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) also criticized the process, saying Democrats were not brought into serious negotiations even though their votes were needed to pass the resolution.

“There was no negotiation,” Fitzgerald said. “We were presented with ‘this as what was going on the board.’”

Hall said he was encouraged that former House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) supported the resolution, often referring to him as the Democratic leader, but he accused other Democrats of being afraid of political pressure from activists and unions.

Democrats are open to serious conversations about accountability, Puri said, but not through a proposal he described as a political stunt.

“If there is an appetite for serious dialogue, House Democrats are there,” Puri said. “We will have that dialogue. But again, these things are not set up for that.”