Legislature: sessions; part-time legislature; provide for. Amends sec. 13, art. IV of the state constitution.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Michael Webber

Proposes a constitutional amendment to cap regular legislative sessions at 90 days (beginning 2027) with a fixed January start and noon adjournment, subject to voter approval.

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

#constitutionalamendments:state #legislature:legislators #legislature:sessions

Overview

Purpose: Propose a constitutional amendment to Michigan’s Constitution (1963) that would limit the length of the Legislature’s regular sessions and formalize a fixed annual schedule, with a cap on session days beginning in 2027.

Status: Introduced February 4, 2025 by Senator Michael Webber; referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

Type: Constitutional amendment (via a joint resolution). Requires approval by the Legislature and by voters at the general election.

What the bill would do

Establish a fixed start time and location for regular sessions: The Legislature would meet at the state’s seat of government on the second Wednesday in January each year at noon.

Set a hard end time for regular sessions: Each regular session would adjourn at noon on a day determined by concurrent resolution.

Carryover of unfinished business: Any business, bill, or joint resolution pending at the final adjournment of a regular session held in an odd-numbered year would carry over with the same status to the next regular session.

Cap on session length: Beginning in 2027 and in every year thereafter, the Legislature would meet for not more than 90 consecutive days.

Extraordinary sessions: The existing provision allowing extraordinary occasions to convene remains, but the 90-day cap applies to regular sessions (with the caveat that the language is in the context of the constitutional amendment).

Key provisions and details

Article affected: Article IV, Section 13 of the Michigan State Constitution (originally governing the schedule and length of sessions).

Timing rules:

Regular sessions start: second Wednesday in January, noon.
Regular sessions end: by noon on a date set by concurrent resolution.
Odd-year carryover: unfinished business from an odd-numbered year continues into the next regular session with the same status.
90-day limit: applies to regular sessions beginning in 2027 and each year after.

Submission to voters: The amendment, if approved by the Legislature, would be submitted to the people at the next general election in the manner provided by law.

Who is affected

The Michigan Legislature (Senate and House of Representatives) would be bound by the new schedule and 90-day cap for regular sessions.

Legislators would operate under a more defined annual calendar, with potential implications for how they schedule committee work, floor action, and fiscal/legislative timing.

Voters would ultimately decide whether to adopt the constitutional change at the general election.

Procedural and timeline notes

Current status in 2025: Referred to the Committee on Government Operations, awaiting hearings and potential amendments before a full chamber vote.

Next steps: If approved by both chambers, the amendment would be placed on the ballot for voter approval at the next general election, per the bill’s language.

Effective date: If adopted by voters, the 90-day cap would become effective starting in 2027 for regular sessions, with the start-date and procedural changes aligned to the constitutional amendment.

Potential considerations

Administrative impact: A shorter regular-session window could affect budget cycles, committee throughput, and the pace of lawmaking.

Flexibility: The ability to convene extraordinary sessions remains to address urgent or time-sensitive issues, though the baseline cap emphasizes a constrained regular session period.

Fiscal impact: Depending on how the cap interacts with annual budgets and appropriations, there could be implications for state budgeting timelines and interim measures.

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