Michigan Legislature Passes Only 7 Bills in Q1 as Property Tax Reform and Budget Deadline Loom Over West Michigan

Michigan's politically divided Legislature is off to another historically slow start, sending Gov. Gretchen Whitmer just seven bills through the first three months of 2026. That's a slight increase from last year — when lawmakers finalized six bills in the first six months of session — but it's also the slowest pace in an even-numbered year this century.

With lawmakers expected to leave Lansing this summer to hit the campaign trail ahead of fall elections, experts predict the glacial pace could continue.

"We may, in fact, really not see much movement other than a budget all this year, unless we see a deal on property taxes," said Republican strategist John Sellek, founder and CEO of the Lansing-based Harbor Strategic communications firm.

The property tax reform has been high on the to-do list for several lawmakers, including House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township. But he has not yet introduced a plan, and his public comments suggest the forthcoming proposal will be complicated.

Among other initiatives facing an uncertain future in the politically polarized Capitol:

• A medical debt relief plan approved by the Democratic-led Senate
• Funding for a new runway and infrastructure upgrades at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base approved by the Republican-led House
• A potential business incentive deal that Whitmer and Hall teased last year

And then there's the budget. The process proved contentious last year, the first since Republicans won back the state House to end a short-lived Democratic trifecta. Lawmakers blew past a July 1 budget deadline written into state law and then missed an Oct. 1 deadline mandated by the state Constitution, passing a stopgap spending measure to avoid the first state government shutdown in 16 years.

Hall has defended the minimal lawmaking in Lansing, arguing quality matters more than quantity. In a statement, he told Bridge he's optimistic the Legislature can get "a property tax cut deal done this year."

Hall has also personally blocked a top priority for Senate Democrats, who last year advanced a government transparency proposal to expand Michigan's Freedom of Information Act by subjecting the governor and lawmakers to public records requests.

Asked about the prospects for legislative action this year, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids pointed to laws Democrats passed in 2023 when they were still in charge, including elimination of the so-called "retirement tax" and expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit for lower-income residents.

But there is "certainly more we can get done" this year, Brinks said, telling Bridge that other top priorities for her caucus include lowering child care costs and prescription drug prices.

"We certainly hope to have willing partners in the House on all those things," she said in a statement.

While lawmakers are off on their legislative spring break this week, both chambers will be back in the Capitol on Tuesday. In the meantime, here's where things stand in Lansing.

Bill breakdown

More than 2,600 bills have been introduced between the Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate since the current, two-year term started on Jan. 1, 2025. Whitmer signed 76 of those bills into law in 2025, making it the lowest performing legislative year since 1842, according to the Michigan Information and Research Service Inc.

Nearly half of the new laws — 36 — were signed in December during a year-end flurry. As of 2026, five of the seven bills signed into law this year originated in the Republican-led House, where Hall has at times vocally opposed passing legislation from Senate Democrats.

The second year of two-year terms are typically more productive than the first because lawmakers have learned to work together and already introduced many bills. But so far, 2026 is the slowest start to the second year of a term since at least 1998, which is as far back as legislative records are immediately available.

What's been signed into law so far this year:

• Two bills to ban smartphones from public school classrooms, a long-running effort of lawmakers from both major political parties
• Two bills dealing with death certificates, streamlining the certification process and requiring certificates be filed within 48 hours of a death
• A bill to renew an interstate medical compact Michigan participates in, keeping 8,000 doctors licenses from expiring in the process
• Both chambers wanted to renew, but the legislation stalled for months amid a political debate over which lawmakers would get credit
• A measure allowing Harsens Island in St. Clair County to utilize tax incremental financing for downtown development purposes
• It was approved as part of a deal on the medical compact bill
• Most recently, a bill to designate the wood duck as Michigan's first official state duck

Hall, the House speaker, claimed credit for having "personally negotiated deals to ban cellphones in classrooms" and for renewing Michigan's participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact which stopped an estimated 8,000 medical licenses from lapsing in late 2025.

The smartphone ban could have particular impact on West Michigan schools where educators have been debating device policy in classrooms. The ban means students and staff cannot use phones during school hours, affecting everything from homework completion to classroom discipline.

The medical compact renewal is also crucial for West Michigan, keeping 8,000 doctors from having their licenses expire and ensuring patients in rural areas can still access care.

The slow legislative pace raises questions about whether Michigan can afford to wait on key issues that affect West Michigan families, from property taxes to healthcare access to school funding.

With the budget deadline approaching and property tax reform still in limbo, the Legislature faces a critical decision: whether to prioritize quick wins or tackle the tough issues that families across West Michigan have been waiting years to address.

Sources

• https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/3-months-7-bills-michigan-lawmakers-moving-slow-as-campaign-season-looms/
• https://www.michigandaily.com/news/government/march-2026-michigan-legislative-roundup-voter-id-requirements-reproductive-data-privacy-and-anti-terrorism/