As outlined in the Michigan Constitution, the 103rd Legislature began its work for the year by holding session on the second Wednesday in January. Since last year was not an election year, the legislature will continue business as usual from the prior year, with few, if any, noticeable changes.
Key Points:
- Legislation that was working its way through the process last year continues, without needing to be reintroduced.
- However, at the end of this year, all legislation that wasn’t passed by both chambers will need to be reintroduced in 2027.
- The leadership teams and committees will remain the same as last year.
Looking Ahead:
- The House will mostly follow its typical Tuesday-Thursday schedule through June, except for a three-week break during the end of March and beginning of April. Session days will be more sporadic from July through October, given that this is an election year.
- The Senate has released its session calendar for the first half of the year. Similar to the House, they’re scheduled to mostly follow the typical Tuesday-Thursday schedule. The chamber will take a two-week break at the end of March and the beginning of April.
- Governor Whitmer will deliver her final State of the State address (we anticipate it being on February 25), laying out her policy goals and objectives for 2026, her final year as governor.
- The budget process for the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year will continue with the presentation of the executive budget recommendations in February. After that, House and Senate Appropriation Subcommittees will begin meeting to work on the budgets within their respective purviews.
- This November, all 110 House seats and 38 Senate seats will be up for election. Additionally, the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are up for election, and without incumbents in the race. While the Democratic Party has controlled the top elected positions in the state, the three key offices tend to flip between the two major parties.
- In the legislature, the Republicans will work hard to keep their majority in the House and flip the Senate back to their control. While the Democrats are campaigning to flip the House and expand their majority in the Senate. After the election, the House and Senate will hold leadership elections to elect a Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader, and other key positions for the 2027-2028 term.
- After the election, the House and Senate will hold leadership elections to elect a Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader, and other key positions for the 2027-2028 term.
