A resolution to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to promptly present to the Governor nine bills that were passed by both houses of the Legislature and ordered enrolled in December 2024.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Joey Andrews and 50 co-sponsors

Directs the Clerk to promptly present nine enrolled bills to the Governor, enforcing the constitutional 14-day review and ending the legislative withholding dispute.

referred to Committee on Government Operations

Main purpose

HR 48 is a House resolution that directs the Clerk of the Michigan House of Representatives to promptly present nine bills — which were passed by both houses of the Legislature and ordered enrolled in December 2024 — to the Governor for consideration. It is a procedural resolution intended to enforce the presentation requirement in the Michigan Constitution and to end a dispute over withholding those enrolled bills.

Key provisions

Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to promptly present to the Governor the nine bills that were passed by both houses and ordered enrolled in December 2024.

Orders that copies of the resolution be transmitted to the Speaker of the House, the Clerk of the House, the Governor, and the President of the Senate.

Cites constitutional authority and prior court interpretation (Article IV, Section 33 and Article XI, Section 1 of the Michigan Constitution; Court of Claims decision, Feb. 27, 2025) finding the presentation requirement mandatory and rejecting claimed exceptions.

Expressly contrasts this directive with a prior House resolution (House Resolution 41 of 2025) that had instructed the Clerk to present only bills from a particular Legislature, characterizing HR 41 as inconsistent with the Court of Claims ruling and the Constitution.

Background / context

The resolution responds to a dispute in early 2025 in which the House leadership (Speaker and Clerk) withheld nine enrolled bills passed in December 2024. The Michigan Senate and its majority leader sued in the Court of Claims seeking an order to compel presentation.

On Feb. 27, 2025 the Court of Claims interpreted Article IV, Section 33 as unambiguous: every bill passed by the Legislature must be presented to the Governor and the House lacks discretion to withhold timely presentation.

HR 48 was introduced to implement that judicial interpretation by instructing the Clerk to present the outstanding enrolled bills.

Who is affected

Immediate: the Clerk of the Michigan House (responsibility to present the bills) and the Governor (who will then have the constitutionally prescribed 14 days to act).

Institutional: both chambers of the Legislature and House leadership, because the resolution resolves an inter-branch/procedural dispute.

Substantive effect: the resolution does not change policy content of the nine bills; it affects timing — making it possible for the Governor to sign, veto, or allow the bills to become law within the constitutional timeframe.

Procedural status and timeline

Introduced: (per the provided header) Aug. 19, 2025; the resolution was referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

The legislative record provided contains multiple calendar and procedural entries (hearings, adoptions, rules suspensions) and shows later House action to adopt and report the resolution enrolled (late Aug. 2025).

If the Clerk complies, the Governor’s 14‑day review period (measured in hours and minutes under Article IV, Section 33) will commence, determining final disposition and effective dates of the underlying bills.

Practical impact

HR 48 is procedural and internal to the House, but it can materially accelerate the governor’s consideration of the nine enrolled bills and thereby affect whether and when those measures become law.

It also reinforces the Court of Claims’ constitutional interpretation, reducing the legislative leadership’s discretion to withhold enrolled bills from the Executive.

Bill