Legislative Update

Republican Clerks Named to Leadership Roles in House
Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) named three former clerks to head prominent committees in the Michigan House of Representatives for the 103^rd Legislature. In November, Republicans seized control of the state House by unseating four Democrats incumbents, which gave Republicans 58-52 seat majority.

Smit to Chair Elections Integrity Committee
State Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Allegan County) was named to chair the House Election Integrity Committee.

“It’s an honor to be appointed by Speaker Hall to lead this important committee,” Smit said. “Election integrity has been among my greatest passions for years. As a former clerk, I know as well as anyone that there are serious flaws in our system. I look forward to listening to and working closely with election clerks throughout the state to find solutions to patch the holes in our system.”

In addition to chairing the Election Integrity Committee, Smit was selected by her caucus to serve as speaker pro tempore of the state House for the upcoming session. The speaker pro tempore is the presiding officer over the body standing on the rostrum each legislative session day. Last session Rep. Smit served as Republican vice chair of the Elections Committee.

Prior to being elected state representative, Rep. Smit served 7 years as the Martin Township (Allegan County) clerk.

Bollin to Oversee Appropriations
State Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Livingston County) has been selected to chair the critical House Appropriations Committee for the 2024-25 legislative term. In a prepared statement announcing the appointment, Rep. Bollin stated “I am incredibly honored that Speaker Hall has placed his trust in me to lead the Appropriations Committee,” said Bollin, R-Brighton Township. “His priorities for a responsible and transparent budget process align closely with mine, and I am eager to work together to ensure our state’s resources are directed to the core, essential functions of government.” Bollin will oversee crafting an $84 billion budget reflecting the priorities of the House Republican caucus.

Bollin served on the House Appropriations Committee in each of her first three terms and chaired the House Elections Committee during the 2021-2022 term. Prior to serving in the Legislature, Bollin served 16 years as the Brighton Township Clerk.

DeBoyer to Lead Oversight
State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-St. Clair County) was named chair of the House Oversight Committee for the 2025-26 legislative term. In previous sessions, the Oversight Committees have generally been low-key committees meeting infrequently to review Auditor General reports. The newly organized House Oversight Committee will be charged with providing checks and balances component within the Legislature by overseeing the executive branch. It is tasked with handling issues involving state government, including reviewing Auditor General reports and holding hearings on the actions and activities of state departments and agencies.

In a prepared statement announcing his appointment, Rep. DeBoyer stated “it is my honor to serve as chair of this committee, and I thank Speaker Matt Hall for entrusting me with this role. We have a duty to report to taxpayers that their government is working effectively, efficiently and transparently and that their tax dollars are being respected. When government falls short in those efforts, people lose faith in the system. This committee will work to provide that transparency and restore the public’s trust in our institutions.”

As mentioned previously, the committee has a different and super-sized structure this term with both subpoena authority and six subcommittees that will focus on the following issue areas: the weaponization of state government, child welfare, corporate subsidies and state investments, public health and food security, homeland security and foreign influence, and state and local public assistance programs. In the press release, DeBoyer noted that there were over 50 reportable findings across state departments in audits done by the Office of the Auditor General from 2022-24, but few committee hearings that would help ensure compliance and that problems were being shored up.

Prior to being elected state representative, DeBoyer served twelve years as the St. Clair County Clerk and Register of Deeds.

House Election Integrity Committee Named
The House Election Integrity Committee has been seated for the 103^rd Michigan Legislature. The nine-member committee will meet on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. in room 326 of the Anderson House Office Building. As noted in the previous story, the committee will be chaired by former Martin Township clerk Rachelle Smit (R-Allegan County).

Republicans Drop Resolution to Change Voter ID
State Representative Bryan Posthumus (R-Kent County) recently introduced House Joint Resolution B to amend the state constitution to require proof of United States citizenship when registering to vote. Under the proposal, anyone registering to vote after Dec. 18, 2026 would have to provide proof of citizenship. This requirement would only be required when registering to vote. The resolution would also require voters to present valid photo identification when attempting to vote. Both requirements would amend the Michigan constitution.

Lawmakers can put a proposal on the ballot with a two-thirds vote from each chamber. Hitting that two-thirds threshold means getting 74 votes in support from the 110 member House and 26 votes in support from the 38 member Senate. However, with the narrowly divided chambers, getting the necessary votes would require significant bi-partisan cooperation.

If approved by the Legislature, voters must approve the amendment on a statewide November general election ballot. The governor’s signature is not required for lawmakers to put an amendment on the ballot. If passed by the Legislature, it would appear on the November 2026 ballot for voters to approve or reject.

If voters approve the proposed amendment:

Photo ID would be required to vote in-person. Citizens who do not bring photo ID with them to their polling location will cast a provisional ballot by signing an affidavit of identify, but the ballot won’t be tabulated unless they provide photo ID within six days.
The state would be required to provide free photo ID to people who cannot afford it.
The Legislature would have to define how citizenship can be proved.
Voters who choose to vote by absentee ballot would have to verify their identity by providing a copy of their ID, a driver’s license number, state personal identification number, or the last four digits of their social security number.
The state would have to, on an ongoing basis, verify that everyone who appears in the statewide qualified voter file is a U.S. citizen, and that registration lists used in polling locations are consistent with the statewide qualified voter file.
If a registered voter’s citizenship is challenged, they will get notified and have a chance to respond before their name is removed from the qualified vote file.
If citizenship status is not confirmed before an individual attempts to vote, then they must cast a provisional ballot that will not be tabulated until they provide proof of citizenship.

House Joint Resolution B was referred to the House Committee on Election Integrity. Forty-four Republicans co-sponsored the resolution.