Michigan Legislature Concludes 2025 Session with Record-Low Law Enactments
The Michigan Legislature has wrapped up its 2025 session, an event marked by a stark political divide between the House and Senate. During this period, the legislative body managed to pass a scant number of new laws, making it a historic year for minimal legislative activity in Michigan.
On its final day, lawmakers passed around two dozen relatively routine bills, culminating in a session likely to produce the fewest new laws since Michigan’s statehood. Despite this, House Speaker Matt Hall from Richland Township expressed satisfaction with the outcome, emphasizing the emphasis on quality over quantity.
“We’re proud, you know. We focused on quality, not quantity,” Hall stated, further noting that this year saw the passage of the most substantial legislation during Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s tenure.
Significant achievements of 2025, according to Hall, included a transparency law concerning legislative earmarks in the state budget, a new road funding strategy, and measures to moderate increases in Michigan’s minimum wage and earned sick leave policies. The road funding initiative notably hinges on a new tax on recreational marijuana, which currently faces a legal challenge from the cannabis sector.
These wage and sick leave measures were prompted by a Michigan Supreme Court decision ruling that the GOP-led Legislature had contravened the state Constitution in 2018 by adopting then diminishing two petition initiatives.
In contrast, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks from Grand Rapids expressed skepticism about Hall’s satisfaction with the session’s low bill adoption rate. “I think it’s really strange that he’s so proud of not doing his job, so that’s my first impression,” Brinks remarked.
Brinks criticized missed opportunities in making healthcare and housing more affordable and highlighted a recent House Appropriations Committee decision to slash $645 million from the current state budget. This cut included funding for organizations aiding children with cancer and those supporting child survivors of sexual assault, a decision Brinks found particularly troubling.
“Unfortunately, it was really very disappointing to see the destructive nature of what the House did last week,” she added, noting the potential lasting impact on Michiganders’ perceptions as the holiday season approaches.
This legislative session marks the midpoint of the 2025-2026 term, with lawmakers scheduled to reconvene in January, a period that also heralds an election year, possibly intensifying political tensions as every legislative seat will be contested.
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