Bill
HB 6045
Allows DHHS to consolidate any number of counties into one admin unit, removing the three-county cap, with county boards still consulted for director appointments.
Status (procedural)
- Introduced: November 7, 2024 (first reading); sponsor Rep. Christine Morse.
- Referred to Committee on Families, Children and Seniors; later referred to Health & Human Services Committee and Human Services Subcommittee.
- Subsequent actions (2025): referred to Joint Committee on General Law (1/22/2025); indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration (5/3/2025); listed as “died in Human Services Subcommittee” (6/16/2025). A companion measure, CS/SB 7012, is noted (Ch. 2025-186).
- Current status: not enacted; bill was postponed/withdrawn in committee.
Purpose and intent
- To amend the Social Welfare Act (1939 PA 280) so the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) director may organize any number of counties into a single administrative unit for purposes of administrative efficiency. The bill would remove the existing cap that limits such consolidation to no more than three counties.
Key provisions
- Statutory change: amends section 48 of the Social Welfare Act (MCL 400.48) to allow the DHHS director to organize any number of counties into a single administrative unit (current law: up to three counties).
- Consultation requirement: before making a decision to combine counties, DHHS must have a formal consultation with the affected county boards (this requirement remains).
- Appointment of unit director: the director of the single administrative unit is to be appointed by DHHS from persons certified as eligible and recommended by the department and by all affected county boards. If the affected county boards cannot agree on recommended candidates within 3 months after being notified of a vacancy, DHHS may appoint from eligible persons recommended by the department and by one or more of the affected county boards.
- Fiscal impact: projected to be negligible for state and local governments (per House Fiscal Agency analysis).
Who would be affected
- Counties and county boards participating in or subject to consolidation into a single administrative unit.
- DHHS, which gains expanded authority to consolidate county administrative functions.
- Local staff and residents receiving county-administered social welfare services could experience changes in administration, oversight, or service delivery depending on how consolidations are implemented.
Potential implications
- Administrative: broader authority to consolidate could enable larger regional administrative structures intended to increase efficiency or standardize service delivery.
- Local control: while formal consultation with county boards is required and boards participate in recommending directors, DHHS retains appointment authority if county boards fail to reach agreement within 3 months.
- Scale: lifting the “three-county” cap permits consolidations spanning many counties, which could magnify both efficiencies and concerns about responsiveness to local needs.
Statutory reference
- Proposed amendment to 1939 PA 280, section 48 (MCL 400.48).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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