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SR 3

Provides for the appointment of the Senate Session staff. (BDR R-979)

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Nicole Cannizzaro and 1 co-sponsor

Authorizes the Senate Majority Leader to sue to compel the House to present nine passed bills (HBs 4177, 4665–4667, 4900–4901, 5817–5818, 6058) to the Governor for action.

Enrolled and delivered to Secretary of State. File No. 6.
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Bill Summary · SR 3

Summary — SR 3 (Senate Resolution No. 3)

Status: Adopted by the Senate (enrolled/reported)
Primary purpose: Authorize the Senate Majority Leader to bring litigation, on behalf of the Senate, to compel the House of Representatives to present to the Governor nine bills that passed both houses but remain unpresented.

Main purpose and intent

SR 3 directs and authorizes the Senate Majority Leader, in her official capacity, to commence and pursue legal action on behalf of the Michigan Senate to compel the House of Representatives to carry out its constitutional duty to present to the Governor every bill that has been passed by both legislative chambers. The resolution responds to the House’s refusal (as represented by the Speaker) to present a specific set of bills to the Governor.

Key provisions

  • Authorizes the Senate Majority Leader to initiate litigation, on behalf of the Senate, to compel the House to present specified bills to the Governor.
  • Lists the specific bills the Senate seeks to have presented:
    • House Bills 4177 and 4665–4667 (2023)
    • House Bills 4900–4901, 5817–5818, and 6058 (2024)
  • Grants authority to take “all necessary steps incidental thereto,” explicitly including pursuing or defending appeals.
  • Grounds the action on Article IV, Section 33 of the Michigan Constitution, which requires that every bill passed by the Legislature be presented to the Governor.

Who would be affected

  • The Michigan Senate: the resolution is an exercise of the Senate’s institutional authority to enforce constitutional procedures.
  • The Michigan House of Representatives: the target of the requested judicial remedy to compel presentation.
  • The Governor: would receive the nine bills for action (signature, veto, or other action) if the House is compelled to present them.
  • Sponsors, proponents, and opponents of the nine bills and affected constituencies: their measures cannot reach the Governor (and become law or be vetoed) until presentation occurs.
  • The judiciary: courts would be asked to resolve a constitutional/inter-branch dispute that could implicate separation-of-powers and justiciability doctrines.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • The Senate adopted the resolution and recorded it as enrolled; it expressly authorizes immediate commencement of litigation (if the Majority Leader elects to proceed).
  • The resolution itself does not file a lawsuit; it delegates and authorizes the Majority Leader to do so and to pursue appeals as necessary.
  • Any resulting litigation could take weeks or months and could be subject to interlocutory appeals; timing will determine whether the Governor can act on the bills during any litigation period.
  • SR 3 is a procedural/constitutional enforcement measure — it does not change statutory law or appropriate funds.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • If successful, the action would force the presentation of the nine named bills, allowing the Governor to act on them (sign, veto, or otherwise).
  • The case could produce a judicial ruling clarifying the constitutional duties of each chamber and the availability of judicial remedies for inter-chamber disputes; it may set precedent for future enforcement of procedural constitutional requirements.
  • The litigation could raise separation-of-powers and political-question issues; courts may limit or defer to legislative internal processes.
  • The resolution is an institutional, not policy, measure: its immediate effect is to enable legal enforcement rather than to change the content of any bill.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a short timeline of the legislative actions related to SR 3 (dates of introduction, adoption, enrollment), or
- Draft a one-paragraph plain-language explainer suitable for a public briefing.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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