Summary — HB 4345 (Public Act 5 of 2025)
Purpose
- HB 4345 amends section 101 of the State School Aid Act (MCL 388.1701) to create a limited, temporary exception to the statutory minimum instructional time requirement (1,098 hours and 180 days). The change applies only to the 2024–25 school year and only under specified conditions tied to a governor-declared state of emergency.
Key provisions
- Temporary exemption: A district located wholly or partially in a county covered by a governor-declared state of emergency may exempt itself from meeting the statutory minimum hours and days of pupil instruction for the 2024–25 school year.
- Local board action required: A majority vote of the district’s board is required to adopt the exemption.
- Limited scope of exemption:
- The board may exempt the district only from the specific hours and days actually missed because of the state of emergency.
- The board’s vote may exempt no more than 15 days (these 15 days are in addition to any other missed days currently allowed to be counted toward instructional requirements).
- Interaction with existing enforcement: The bill amends the compliance framework in MCL 388.1701 so that districts meeting the conditions above would not be subject to the usual forfeiture calculation for the exempted hours/days for 2024–25.
Who is affected
- Public school districts and public school academies (PSAs) located wholly or partly in counties covered by a governor-declared state of emergency for the relevant incident(s).
- Local boards of education, which must vote to apply the exemption.
- State-level enforcement of instructional-hour requirements (Michigan Department of Education) — the department would not apply forfeiture for the exempted time under the bill’s conditions.
Fiscal impact
- No state fiscal impact.
- Likely indeterminate but minimal local fiscal effect: affected districts/PSAs may realize small savings (avoided costs for utilities, food service, transportation) by not needing to add make-up days/hours at the end of the year for up to 15 days.
Background / context
- The bill responded to a severe winter ice storm in northern Michigan in 2025. The governor issued executive orders (EO 2025-2, amended by EO 2025-3) declaring a state of emergency for specified counties; the statutory exception targets districts in those or similarly declared counties.
Legislative timeline / current status
- Introduced: March 11, 2025.
- Passed House (substitute H‑1): May 6, 2025.
- Passed Senate: May 21, 2025.
- Enacted: Approved by Governor June 2, 2025 — filed with Secretary of State June 2, 2025 as Public Act 5 of 2025; effective immediately (June 2, 2025).
Supporters noted in the record
- Michigan Education Association, Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, Michigan Association of School Boards, Michigan Association of Superintendents.
