Michigan Legislature
Encyclopedia
The Michigan Legislature is the legislative assembly of the U.S. state
of Michigan
. It is organized as a bicameral body consisting of the Senate
, the upper house
, and the House of Representatives, the lower house
. Article IV of the state's Constitution
, adopted in 1963, defines the role of the Legislature and how it is to be constituted. The Legislature meets in the Capitol
building in Lansing, Michigan
.
, often refer to legislators as state senators or state representatives to avoid confusion with their federal counterparts. Michigan Constitution Article IV defines the Legislative Branch and powers. Article IV Sec 1 "The Legislative power of the State of Michigan is vested in a "senate and a house of representatives. Legislators are referred to as Senators or Representatives depending which chamber they were elected. Per Article IV sec 2 and 3 define Senators & representatives numbers (38 senators, 110 Representatives) terms and district apportionment. ‘‘ member of the Legislature
(abbreviated to ML). This is the same with members of the United States House of Representatives
, who increasingly use member of Congress (abbreviated to MC) as a post-nominal title
.
Constitutions of Michigan appear in the Biennially printed Michigan Manuals, are located at: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(jfrrop55xbhaoq45uwrhod55))/mileg.aspx?Page=PublicationsThe "Michigan Manual" has been printed since 1850, providing a unique compilation of Michigan History, Michigan Constitutions, current elected government officials Photo & Biographical information, Election results, County demographics and officials. Along with a huge amount of reference information and statistics for Michigan.
As elected officials, members of the Legislature also receive the courtesy title of the Honorable
(abbreviated to Hon. or Hon'ble) for life.
. The Senate consists of 38 elected from single-member election districts ranging from 212,400 to 263,500 residents according to the most recent creation of districts (2002). Senators' terms begin at noon on January 1 following their election. The Senate chamber in the State Capitol is located in the south wing of the building. As of 2011, Republicans
hold a majority of seats in the Senate with 26; Democrats
hold 12 seats. Under the Michigan Constitution
, the Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
serves as President of the Senate but may only cast a vote in the instance of a tie. The Senate selects its other officers and adopts its own rules of procedure at the start of a new legislative session.
are chosen. The House of Representatives consists of 110 members who are elected from single-member election districts ranging from 77,000 to 91,000 according to the most recent creation of districts (2002). Representatives' terms begin at noon on January 1 following their election. The House of Representatives chamber in the State Capitol is located in the north wing of the building. As of 2011, Republicans
hold a majority of seats in the House of Representatives with 63, and Democrats
hold the remaining 47 seats. The House of Representatives selects its own Speaker of the House and other officers and adopts its rules of procedure at the start of a new legislative session.
Each year during which the Legislature meets constitutes a new session. According to Article IV Section 13 of the state Constitution, a new session of the Legislature begins when the members of each house convene on the second Wednesday of January every year at noon. A regular session of the Legislature typically lasts throughout the entire year with several periods of recess and adjourns sine die in late December.
There is no minimum or maximum number of days for which a session of the Legislature must meet each year. Although there is no universal definition as to what constitutes a full-time legislature, the Michigan Legislature is one of only eleven full-time legislative bodies in the United States. Members of the Michigan Legislature receive a base salary of $71,650 per year which makes them the second-highest paid legislators in the country, after California. While legislators in many states receive daily per diems that make up for lower salaries, Michigan legislators receive $1,000 per month for office expenses.
Any legislation pending in either house at the end of a session that is not the end of a legislative term of office continues and carries over to the next legislative session.
to the Constitution in 1992, Section 54 of Article IV, which became effective in 1993. This amendment limits the length of time any individual may serve as a member of the Legislature.
Pursuant to this amendment, one may not be elected to the Senate more than two times or to the House of Representatives more than three times. The result of this is that there is now considerable turnover in membership in both houses of the Legislature.
Formerly, many seats were held by the same office holder for sometimes decades. Although measures to repeal the term limits amendment have been introduced in both houses since it took effect, none of them have yet reached a vote on the floor of either house or received serious deliberation in the Legislature.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is organized as a bicameral body consisting of the Senate
Michigan Senate
The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....
, the upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
, and the House of Representatives, the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
. Article IV of the state's Constitution
Michigan Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government....
, adopted in 1963, defines the role of the Legislature and how it is to be constituted. The Legislature meets in the Capitol
Michigan State Capitol
The Michigan State Capitol is the building housing the legislative and executive branches of the government of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the state capital of Lansing in Ingham County...
building in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
.
Titles
Members of the Senate are commonly referred to as senators and members of the House of Representative are commonly referred to as representatives. Because this shadows the terminology used to describe members of Congress, constituents and news media, using the Associated Press guidelines for journalistAP Stylebook
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, usually called the AP Stylebook, is a style and usage guide used by newspapers and in the news industry in the United States...
, often refer to legislators as state senators or state representatives to avoid confusion with their federal counterparts. Michigan Constitution Article IV defines the Legislative Branch and powers. Article IV Sec 1 "The Legislative power of the State of Michigan is vested in a "senate and a house of representatives. Legislators are referred to as Senators or Representatives depending which chamber they were elected. Per Article IV sec 2 and 3 define Senators & representatives numbers (38 senators, 110 Representatives) terms and district apportionment. ‘‘ member of the Legislature
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(abbreviated to ML). This is the same with members of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, who increasingly use member of Congress (abbreviated to MC) as a post-nominal title
Post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
.
Constitutions of Michigan appear in the Biennially printed Michigan Manuals, are located at: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(jfrrop55xbhaoq45uwrhod55))/mileg.aspx?Page=PublicationsThe "Michigan Manual" has been printed since 1850, providing a unique compilation of Michigan History, Michigan Constitutions, current elected government officials Photo & Biographical information, Election results, County demographics and officials. Along with a huge amount of reference information and statistics for Michigan.
As elected officials, members of the Legislature also receive the courtesy title of the Honorable
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
(abbreviated to Hon. or Hon'ble) for life.
Michigan Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the Legislature. Its members are elected on a partisan basis for four-year terms concurrent with the election of the Governor of MichiganGovernor of Michigan
The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...
. The Senate consists of 38 elected from single-member election districts ranging from 212,400 to 263,500 residents according to the most recent creation of districts (2002). Senators' terms begin at noon on January 1 following their election. The Senate chamber in the State Capitol is located in the south wing of the building. As of 2011, Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
hold a majority of seats in the Senate with 26; Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
hold 12 seats. Under the Michigan Constitution
Michigan Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government....
, the Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...
serves as President of the Senate but may only cast a vote in the instance of a tie. The Senate selects its other officers and adopts its own rules of procedure at the start of a new legislative session.
Michigan House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature. Its members are elected on a partisan basis for two-year terms at the same time at which Representatives in U.S. CongressUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
are chosen. The House of Representatives consists of 110 members who are elected from single-member election districts ranging from 77,000 to 91,000 according to the most recent creation of districts (2002). Representatives' terms begin at noon on January 1 following their election. The House of Representatives chamber in the State Capitol is located in the north wing of the building. As of 2011, Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
hold a majority of seats in the House of Representatives with 63, and Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
hold the remaining 47 seats. The House of Representatives selects its own Speaker of the House and other officers and adopts its rules of procedure at the start of a new legislative session.
Terms and sessions
Every two years the entire House of Representatives stands for election, whereas the Senate does so at four-year intervals concurrently with elections for governor. For reckoning periods of time during which the legislature operates, each two-year period coinciding with the election of new members of the House of Representatives is numbered consecutively as a Legislature dating to the first legislature following Michigan's admission as a state. The current two-year term of the legislature, serving from 2011 until 2013, is the 96th Legislature.Each year during which the Legislature meets constitutes a new session. According to Article IV Section 13 of the state Constitution, a new session of the Legislature begins when the members of each house convene on the second Wednesday of January every year at noon. A regular session of the Legislature typically lasts throughout the entire year with several periods of recess and adjourns sine die in late December.
There is no minimum or maximum number of days for which a session of the Legislature must meet each year. Although there is no universal definition as to what constitutes a full-time legislature, the Michigan Legislature is one of only eleven full-time legislative bodies in the United States. Members of the Michigan Legislature receive a base salary of $71,650 per year which makes them the second-highest paid legislators in the country, after California. While legislators in many states receive daily per diems that make up for lower salaries, Michigan legislators receive $1,000 per month for office expenses.
Any legislation pending in either house at the end of a session that is not the end of a legislative term of office continues and carries over to the next legislative session.
Term limits
The electors of the State of Michigan adopted an amendmentConstitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
to the Constitution in 1992, Section 54 of Article IV, which became effective in 1993. This amendment limits the length of time any individual may serve as a member of the Legislature.
Pursuant to this amendment, one may not be elected to the Senate more than two times or to the House of Representatives more than three times. The result of this is that there is now considerable turnover in membership in both houses of the Legislature.
Formerly, many seats were held by the same office holder for sometimes decades. Although measures to repeal the term limits amendment have been introduced in both houses since it took effect, none of them have yet reached a vote on the floor of either house or received serious deliberation in the Legislature.