Michigan Senate

The Michigan State Senate is composed of 38 members, each directly elected from a state senate district. Members serve terms of 4 years. Elections to the Michigan Senate are not staggered. Elections to all seats occur in the same year as U.S. presidential elections.

The Michigan Senate is charged with the passage of state legislation, known as bills, which, after concurrence by the Michigan House, are sent to the governor for consideration. Any state senator may draft bills, which will then be assigned to the relevant Senate committee at the beginning of the next week. After a bill's hearing on the Senate floor, any senator may offer amendments, which are immediately voted on. When the amendment process is complete, a final floor vote is held.

If the Senate amends and passes a bill that began in the House, the bill will be sent for a conference report to adjust any discrepancies between the House and Senate versions. After that, both chambers must vote on whether to approve the conference report.

There is a committee system in the Michigan Senate. Committees hold specialized hearings on relevant bills.

A committee chair is the ranking member of the majority party within a committee. Above all other members of the Michigan Senate, a committee chair has the right of first review over any draft bill on an issue that falls within the purview of the committee. The committee chair may grant or refuse a hearing. If the committee chair refuses to grant a hearing on a bill, that bill can no longer advance. This is true even if the bill already passed through the House.