Senate Moves Earmark Reforms

Oct 17, 2025

by Liz Gullett

As MLC’s Communications and Social Media Manager, Liz Gullett keeps clients informed and up-to-date on the goings on in Lansing and the Capitol.

This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported two bills making changes to legislatively directed spending items (LDSIs). Commonly referred to as earmarks, the legislation creates a definition of LDSI in state law and sets up a system for how they will be handled during the appropriations process.

Key Points:

    • Senate Bill 596 was introduced by Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), who also serves as chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee.
    • House Bill 4420 was introduced by Representative Tom Kunse (R-Clare).
    • The legislation outlines the process for a legislator to make a request, including completing a form and presenting the request to an Appropriations Committee or subcommittee.
    • Furthermore, unless a legislator is in leadership, they can only make a request for a recipient within their district.
    • A non-profit must be in the state for three years and have a physical office for one year to be eligible.
    • A for-profit is ineligible for an LDSI.
    • The House and Senate would be required to have a dedicated page on each of their websites to post the LDSI requests.
    • The legislation provides for exceptions for appropriations in response to declarations of emergency and appropriations to state departments and agencies.

Next Steps:

    • HB 4420 was passed unanimously by the House in June. Since the Senate amended the House-passed version, if passed by the Senate, it would go back to the House for a concurrence vote.
    • Both bills were referred to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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