{"id":1955,"date":"2016-02-23T13:36:25","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T18:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.respectmyplanet.org\/publications\/?p=1955"},"modified":"2026-02-11T08:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T13:46:08","slug":"michigan-law-101-how-a-bill-becomes-a-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.respectmyplanet.org\/publications\/michigan\/michigan-law-101-how-a-bill-becomes-a-law","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Law 101 – How A Bill Becomes A Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Understanding how a bill works its way through the Michigan legislature and becomes a law can be complicated if you don\u2019t know where to start. \u00a0The process can be broken down, however, so it’s at least easier to understand the 101 basics. By the time you’ve finished reading this post you will know the fundamentals of how an idea becomes a Michigan Bill, how that bill works its way through Michigan\u2019s legislature, and how that bill becomes a law. This post will also show you some\u00a0web-based tools that can help you easily track a bill\u2019s lifecycle and how to find a bill\u2019s actual written text. It\u2019s important to read the sponsored legislation verbatim rather than relying solely on another person\u2019s opinion or cliff notes about the bill. RMP has done a couple \u201c101\u201d posts for subjects including Michigan Petroleum Geology 101<\/a> and Michigan Petroleum Production 101<\/a> in past posts and now it\u2019s time for<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

a 101 course on Michigan law. By understanding the 101 basics, it will help us springboard into the fun part: reviewing actual bills that are actively working their way through our Michigan Legislature right now. In future posts, RMP will analyze specific bills and proposed legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aric<\/a>
Aric Nesbitt was elected to the Michigan House in November of 2010. Nesbitt serves as the chair of the Committee on Energy Policy. RMP follows Michigan Energy Policy bills like Nesbitt’s HB 4297 very closely.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RMP is focused on freshwater conservation. Our goal is to be a leader amongst Michigan 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that volunteer efforts toward protecting Michigan\u2019s freshwater natural resources and Michigan’s economy.  RMP believes that even though at the date of this publication it currently costs more money to buy a barrel of oil than a barrel of freshwater, freshwater itself has much more intrinsic value than oil. To protect Michigan\u2019s freshwater natural resources, it\u2019s important to understand how Michigan laws work. Michigan\u2019s legislature is not some obscure organization. Decisions made in Michigan\u2019s legislature impact every part of a Michigander\u2019s daily life.   How old do you have to be before you get your driver\u2019s license? What\u2019s required information on a purchase agreement between two parties for goods or services? How old do you have to be before you can vote or drink a beer?   The Michigan Legislature defines all of these things and many more.   Some of the recent bad behavior exhibited in the Michigan Legislature<\/a> has undermined its credibility with the public trust.   The Michigan Legislature belongs to we the people and it\u2019s important to understand the basics of how it works. The Michigan Legislature should work for taxpayers like us; that\u2019s what it\u2019s supposed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first bill RMP wants to talk about is HB 4297<\/a>. But, before talking about that bill in a future post coming soon, this primer 101 post can serve as a reference point explaining the basics of any bill\u2019s life cycle as well as some important tools you can use to track any bill or find out who your representative is. After reading the paragraphs that follow, you will have a good basis for taking a deep dive into any piece of Michigan legislation quickly and efficiently regardless of whether your interested in energy, food safety, transportation, education, health care, et Al.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Michigan Legislature Is Set Up<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The Michigan Legislature, like the U.S. Congress at the federal level of government, is bicameral<\/a>. The Michigan Legislature is made up of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.   U.S. Government is a mandatory course in Michigan for high school seniors and if you paid attention in that class, you have a leg up on understanding Michigan\u2019s legislature because it\u2019s very similar to our federal one. If you flunked out, don\u2019t worry, RMP has you covered with this quick & easy to read post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The famous interior dome picture of the Michigan Capitol Building from the Wikimedia commons archive.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the Michigan Legislature there are 38 Senators and 110 Representatives, and each group assembles in its own chamber in the State Capitol to pass the laws of this state. In contrast, at the national level, in the U.S. Senate there are two Senators from each state. Each state has at least one U.S. Representative, with the total number being 435; Michigan has 14 members in the U.S. House. One of the 14 Michigan members in the US House of Representatives, Debbie Dingell<\/a>, has shown exceptional intelligence by following our organization on Twitter @respectmyplanet<\/a>. You too can follow respectmyplanet.org on Twitter by clicking here<\/a> or liking respectmyplanet.org on facebook by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both the Michigan Senate and the House of Representatives are responsible for the organization of their respective chambers. At the beginning of each session, party members have a meeting, or caucus, to deal with the election of officers and party officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How an Idea Becomes a Bill in Michigan:<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The legislator works with the public to conceive ideas for new legislation. The legislator will work with many different groups and special interests to carry out the process to create new legislation to address public needs. Groups such as labor, business, the legal & medical professions, teachers, farmers, and veterans have long been<\/p>\n\n\n\n

recognized as special interests due to well-established organizations. In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the development of new professional multi-client lobbying organizations that work to influence legislation with deep pocket financial resources. Many large corporate lobby groups represent different industrial interests; some of the biggest are the pharmaceuticals industry, the energy industry (i.e. oil, coal, nuclear, alternative), the insurance industry, and the banking industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corporate lobby groups have achieved a landmark victory in how they can finance themselves under the guise of free speech<\/a> through something called a SuperPac<\/a> because of the Citizens United vs Federal Elections Commission<\/a> decision in the United States Supreme Court. Any domestic corporation, foreign corporation, or foreign government<\/a> can now spend an unlimited amount of funds to influence US elections because of Citizens United vs FEC. Justice Stevens cautioned Americans when he wrote in his dissenting opinion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Citizens United vs FEC threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation. The path it has taken to reach its outcome will, I fear, do damage to this institution. A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

How a Michigan Bill Becomes a Law:<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Bills may be introduced in either house of the Michigan Legislature. Senate bills are filed with the Secretary of the Senate and House bills are filed with the Office of the Clerk of the House. Upon introduction, bills are assigned a number. At the beginning of each biennial session, House bills are numbered consecutively starting with House Bill Number 4001 and Senate bills are numbered starting with Senate Bill Number 1. In both houses, joint resolutions are assigned a letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once introduced, a bill is then referred to committee. In the House, the Speaker of the House refers the bill to committee and in the Senate the bill is assigned to committee by the Majority Leader. In committee review, the bill is debated and discussed. In both houses, a majority vote of members in the committee is required for the bill to be reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a bill is reported from committee favorably with or without amendment or in the form of a substitute bill, the committee report is printed in the journal under the order of business entitled \u201cReports of Standing Committees\u201d in the House, and in the Senate under \u201cCommittee Reports.\u201d Journals are the official records of the actions of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Those records are published online here<\/a> following each day\u2019s session. Upon being reported favorably from committee, the bill and recommended committee amendment (if any) are placed on the order of \u201cGeneral Orders\u201d in the Senate. In the House, the bill and amendments are referred to the order of \u201cSecond Reading.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the conclusion of Third Reading, the bill is either passed or defeated by a roll call vote of the majority of the members elected and serving (pursuant to the State Constitution, approval of certain measures requires a two-thirds or three-quarters vote) or one of the following four options is exercised to delay final action on the bill:<\/p>\n\n\n\n