The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower part of the state's lawmaking group. There are 110 members, each chosen from areas with about 77,000 to 91,000 people, based on population numbers from the 2020 U.S. census. The rules about how the House is set up, what it can do, and its responsibilities are written in Article IV of the Michigan Constitution.

Members are chosen in even-numbered years and start their jobs at 12:00 p.m. (EST) on January 1 after the November general election. At the same time as the Michigan Senate, the House meets for the first time on the second Wednesday in January, as stated in the state constitution. Each member can serve a maximum of six two-year terms, but cannot serve more than twelve years total between the Michigan House and Michigan Senate. The House holds meetings in the north wing of the Michigan Capitol in Lansing. The Republican Party currently has the most members in the group.

In recent years, the Republican majority in the House has often been linked to gerrymandering, which was done by the legislature after the 2010 census. Since then, in many elections, the Democratic Party has received more votes overall but still did not win a majority. However, after the approval of Proposal 2, a 2018 ballot measure, redistricting was handled by a nonpartisan commission instead. This group created new maps after the 2020 census. Because of these new district lines, in 2022, Democrats gained a majority in the House for the first time since 2008. Then, in 2024, Republicans regained the House, defeating four Democratic members to achieve a 58-52 majority.

Qualifications

According to Michigan's constitution, to be eligible to serve as a State Representative, a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 21 years old, and a registered voter who is qualified in the district they want to represent by the filing deadline.

Title

Members of the Michigan House of Representatives are often called representatives. This is similar to how members of Congress are described. To help people and the media avoid confusion with federal representatives, many follow the rules set by the Associated Press and use the term "state representatives" instead. As elected officials, members of the Michigan House of Representatives are given the special title "Honorable" (shortened to Hon. or Hon’ble) for life.

Leadership

• Speaker of the House: Matt Hall from Richland Township (R-42)
• Speaker pro tempore: Rachelle Smit from Shelbyville (R-43)
• Majority Floor Leader: Bryan Posthumus from Cannon Township (R-90)

• Minority Leader: Ranjeev Puri from Canton (D-24)
• Minority Floor Leader: John Fitzgerald from Wyoming (D-83)

Officials

The 77th and current Speaker of the House of Representatives is the main leader of the House and the head of the majority party. The current Speaker is Matt Hall, a Republican from Battle Creek.

The Speaker begins meetings at the time the House last ended its session, keeps the House in order, allows members to speak, and asks questions during debates. The Speaker is the main manager of the House and is officially responsible for all legislative staff. When the Speaker is not present, the Speaker pro tempore and two associate Speakers pro tempore take over. The full responsibilities of the Speaker are outlined in Chapter II of the House Rules.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives is chosen by members of the House at the start of each two-year term. The 35th and current Clerk is Scott Starr. Starr worked as an assistant clerk from 2023 to 2024. The current assistant clerk is Richard J. Brown, who was Clerk from 2007 to 2010 and again from 2023 to 2024.

According to House rules, the Clerk acts as the House’s official rules expert, leads meetings when the Speaker or any Speaker pro tempore is absent, counts votes at the start of each session day, and reports whether a quorum (the minimum number of members needed to conduct business) is present. The Clerk also prepares the House’s official schedule and records, manages all bills introduced in the House, and cares for bills sent from the Senate until they are returned.

The Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives is the main law enforcement officer of the House, appointed by the Speaker. The current chief Sergeant at Arms is Jon Priebe.

The chief Sergeant at Arms and assistant Sergeants at Arms have the legal authority to act as law enforcement officers. They can serve subpoenas and warrants issued by the House or its committees, ensure visitors are seated and not standing on the House floor or balconies, and maintain proper behavior in the area near the entrance to the House chamber. This helps ensure that members can access the chamber and that all visitors are treated fairly.

Committees

Article IV of the Michigan Constitution allows each house of the Legislature to "create the committees needed for its work." The House performs much of its tasks through committees, such as reviewing bills, checking the work of the executive branch, and handling the budget and spending process. The Speaker of the House selects committee members and their leaders. The Speaker sends bills to committees, and the committee leader decides the committee's schedule, including whether a bill will be sent to the full House. The Committee on Appropriations divides its tasks among smaller groups, usually organized by state departments or major budget areas.

There are also four specific standing committees: Joint Committee on Administrative Rules; House Fiscal Agency Governing Committee; Legislative Council; and Michigan Capitol Committee. At present, House committees meet on a "year by year" basis. A complete list can be found here.

Unlike the Senate, the House does not use the committee of the whole.

House Fiscal Agency

The House Fiscal Agency (HFA) is a group within the House of Representatives that helps lawmakers with unbiased financial information. It supports members of the Appropriations Committee and all other House members. Fiscal analysts examine the governor’s budget plan, create and review budget bills, and analyze how proposed laws might affect state finances. They also track economic changes, research financial issues, and prepare reports for lawmakers. Economists study tax and lottery-related laws, answer questions about state income, and report on economic conditions. Legislative analysts write clear, unbiased summaries of bills before they are discussed in committees. These summaries explain how a bill would change laws and its financial effects. For bills debated by the full House, analysts also describe the problem the bill addresses, opinions for and against it, and views from groups involved.

The HFA is managed by a group of six people, including the chairman and minority vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the House Speaker, the minority leader, and the majority and minority floor leaders. This group oversees the HFA, sets rules for its work, and chooses the HFA director. The director is one of three officials who predict the state’s yearly income at meetings called Consensus Revenue Estimating Conferences, which happen at least twice a year.

In January 1993, a major scandal was reported in The Detroit News. For six years, the HFA used a special account to pay for credit card bills, vacations, property taxes, and wages for workers who did not exist. This misuse of funds nearly ended a cooperation agreement between Democrats and Republicans after the 1992 election, when the House had an equal number of members from each party. The scandal led to Representative Dominic J. Jacobetti of Negaunee losing his role as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the imprisonment of HFA director John Morberg, and the resignation of state representative Stephen Shepich as part of a legal deal.