Honigman Capitol Report

Governor's Office

Governor Requests New Bills

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is asking legislative leaders to resend her new versions of nine bills from the 2023-24 session that she vetoed in July, arguing that the originals had been unconstitutionally withheld for roughly 18 months and that signing them so late would have sparked litigation and complicated budget and legal issues. The bills covered several policy areas, including health insurance options for local government and school employees, expanded retirement benefits for certain law enforcement officers, protections for Earned Income Tax Credit benefits from garnishment by debt collectors, and millage funding eligibility for Black Southeast Michigan museums such as the Charles H. Wright Museum of African History. The dispute stems from late-2024 bills that were not transmitted to the governor before Rep. Matt Hall became House speaker in January 2025; after Hall directed the new clerk not to send them, the Senate sued and won at the Michigan Supreme Court in July. Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks said Senate Democrats have already reintroduced all nine bills and intend to keep pushing them toward enactment, while Senate attorney Mark Brewer criticized Whitmer’s vetoes and her request to redo the process. Hall signaled he might negotiate on the measures but tied them to broader Republican priorities and warned that the health care proposal could require reopening the budget because of major costs to local governments, schools and universities.

Committee News

House Passes MMOP

The Michigan House voted 77-26 to approve the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics initiative, which would bar utilities and high-dollar state contractors from making campaign contributions, but the proposal is unlikely to be enacted by the Legislature because Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D) said the Senate will not take it up and instead wants voters to decide the issue on the November ballot. Unless Brinks changes course or judicial action removes the proposal because of signature challenges, the initiative is expected to proceed to voters. The House vote exposed divisions over whether legislative approval would advance campaign finance reform or interfere with the petition process: Rep. Dylan Wegela (D) opposed the vote because he said voters should decide the issue and Lansing should not “mess” with the proposal, while Rep. James DeSana (R) was the only Republican to vote no for similar reasons.

Election News

ACVM asks Supremes to add Amendment to the Ballot

Americans for Citizen Voting-Michigan asked the Michigan Supreme Court to order election officials to place its proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot, arguing the Board of State Canvassers improperly rejected nine notarized affidavits that would have allowed the measure to meet the signature threshold. The proposal would require citizenship verification for voters, documentary proof of citizenship for registration and photo identification for voting, while eliminating the current affidavit option for voters without photo ID. Although ACVM submitted 709,841 signatures, far above the 446,198 required, a Bureau of Elections sample review ultimately found too few valid signatures after challenges by opponents. ACVM contends the Bureau directed it to obtain affidavits from voters whose signatures were rejected, then the Board improperly refused to count them, including some for timing reasons and others because they did not match qualified voter file signatures. The group argues the rejection violated Michigan law and the U.S. Constitution and asked for expedited review by Sept. 1.

On Point

Press Release: Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan Joins Honigman