The Michigan Senate is the upper part of the Michigan Legislature. It works with the Michigan House of Representatives to form the state legislature, which has powers, roles, and duties described in Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, created in 1963. The main job of the Legislature is to create new laws and change or remove old laws.

The Michigan Senate has 38 members. Each member is elected from a district that has about 212,400 to 263,500 people. These districts are drawn using population numbers from the federal census, which happens every 10 years. In January 2023, Democrats had the majority with 20 seats, and Republicans had 18 seats. The Senate meets in the State Capitol building.

Titles

Members of the Michigan Senate are called senators. Because the words used to describe members of the United States Senate are similar, the Associated Press Stylebook guidelines suggest using "state senators" when needed to avoid confusion with federal senators.

Terms

Senators are chosen by voters based on political parties and serve four-year terms. These terms happen at the same time as the election for the Governor of Michigan. A senator's term starts on January 1 at noon, after the November general election, and ends on January 1 when new senators are officially sworn in.

Senate elections take place every two years, always two years after the U.S. President is elected. The next Senate election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.

Term limits

On November 3, 1992, nearly 59 percent of Michigan voters supported Proposal B, the Michigan Term Limits Amendment. This change to the state constitution created term limits for federal and state officials. In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that states could not set term limits for members of Congress, but allowed states to keep term limits for their own officials. The amendment limited individuals to being elected to the state senate twice. A rule about partial terms was also added. These rules became Article IV, section 54 and Article V, section 30 of the Michigan Constitution. On November 8, 2022, about two-thirds of voters approved Proposal 1, which limited state legislators to serving a total of 12 years in either chamber of the legislature. However, current senators who were re-elected in 2022 would still be allowed to serve their new terms even if it caused them to exceed the 12-year limit. Similarly, newly elected senators would be eligible for a second term in 2026, regardless of their previous legislative experience.

Qualifications

Each senator must be a U.S. citizen, at least 21 years old, and an elector in the district they represent. If a senator moves out of their district, they are considered to have left their position. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has been convicted in the past 20 years of a serious crime that involved breaking public trust is allowed to serve in either house of the legislature.

Legislative session

For periods of time when the legislature is active, each two-year period that matches the election of new members of the House of Representatives is numbered in order as a legislature, starting with the first legislature after Michigan became a state. The current two-year term of the legislature (January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2026) is called the 103rd Legislature.

Each year when the legislature meets is called a new legislative session. According to Article IV Section 13 of the State Constitution, a new session begins when members of each house meet on the second Wednesday of January every year at noon. A regular session usually lasts for the entire year, with several breaks, and ends in late December without a specific date set for the next meeting.

The Michigan legislature is one of ten full-time state legislative groups in the United States. Members earn a base salary of $71,685 per year, making them the fourth-highest paid state legislators in the country, after California, Pennsylvania, and New York. While legislators in many states receive daily allowances to help with lower salaries, Michigan legislators receive $10,800 per year to cover expenses during the session and between sessions. Salaries and expense amounts are decided by the State Officers Compensation Commission.

Any laws being considered in either house at the end of a session that is not the end of a legislative term continue and move to the next legislative session.

Powers and process

The Michigan legislature is allowed by the Michigan Constitution to make and change the laws of the U.S. state of Michigan, but the governor can veto, or reject, these laws. To create laws, lawmakers suggest ideas in the form of bills written by a staff that does not take sides and is made up of experts. For a bill to become law, it must first be reviewed by a committee. Then, it must be read three times in each house of the legislature. Each time, members must vote in favor of the bill by the required majority. If the governor approves the bill, it becomes law. If the governor vetoes the bill, it can still become law if two-thirds of the members in both houses of the legislature agree to override the veto.

Composition

The Michigan Senate is led by the Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, who acts as the Senate President. This person can vote only when there is a tie. Other leaders in the Senate are chosen by the senators during their first meeting. These leaders remain in their roles until their term ends. Leaders from the majority and minority parties are also chosen at the same time by their groups.

The Senate Majority Leader is responsible for assigning committee roles, leadership positions, and setting the schedule for meetings in the Senate.

• President: Garlin Gilchrist (D)
• President Pro Tempore: Jeremy Moss (D)
• Majority Leader: Winnie Brinks (D)
• Assistant President Pro Tempore: Erika Geiss (D)
• Associate President Pro Tempore: John Cherry (D)
• Assistant Majority Leader: Darrin Camilleri (D)
• Majority Floor Leader: Sam Singh (D)
• Assistant Majority Floor Leader: Jeff Irwin (D)
• Majority Caucus Chairperson: Dayna Polehanki (D)
• Assistant Majority Caucus Chairperson: Veronica Klinefelt (D)
• Majority Whip: Mallory McMorrow (D)
• Assistant Majority Whip: Mary Cavanagh (D)

• Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate: Aric Nesbitt (R)
• Assistant Minority Leader: Rick Outman (R)
• Minority Floor Leader: Dan Lauwers (R)
• Assistant Minority Floor Leader: Lana Theis (R)
• Minority Caucus Chair: Kevin Daley (R)
• Assistant Minority Caucus Chair: Jim Runestad (R)
• Minority Whip: Roger Victory (R)
• Assistant Minority Whip: Mark Huizenga (R)