Michigan House of Representatives

Michigan House of Representatives
99th Michigan Legislature
Type
Type	Lower house of the Michigan Legislature
Term limits	3 terms (6 years)
History
New session started	January 11, 2017
Leadership
Speaker of the House	Tom Leonard (R) Since January 11, 2017
Speaker pro tempore	Lee Chatfield (R) Since January 11, 2017
Majority Floor Leader	Dan Lauwers (R) Since January 1, 2017
Minority Leader	Sam Singh (D) Since November 11, 2016
Minority Floor Leader	Christine Greig (D) Since January 1, 2017
Structure
Seats	110
Political groups	Majority      Republican (63) Minority      Democratic (47)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article IV, Section 3, Michigan Constitution
Salary	$71,865/year + expenses
Elections
Last election	November 8, 2016 (110 seats)
Next election	November 6, 2018 (110 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
House of Representatives Chamber Michigan State Capitol Lansing, Michigan
Website
Michigan House of Representatives

Majority

Minority

The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U.S. Census. Its composition, powers, and duties are established in Article IV of the Michigan Constitution.

Members are elected in even-numbered years, and take office on the January 1 following the November general election; the House first meets on the second Wednesday in January, according to the state constitution. Each member is limited to serving three, two-year terms. The House meets in the north wing of the Capitol in Lansing.

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 journalist, often refer to members as state representatives to avoid confusion with their federal counterparts. As elected officials, members of the House of Representatives also receive the courtesy title of the Honorable (abbreviated to Hon. or Hon'ble) for life.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House and the leader of the majority party. The 72nd and current Speaker is Kevin Cotter, a third-term Republican from Mt. Pleasant.

The Speaker calls the House to order at the hour to which the House last adjourned, preserves order and decorum in the chamber, recognizes Members to speak, and puts all questions. The Speaker is the chief administrator of the House and is technically the employer of all legislative staff. There is also a Speaker pro tempore and two associate Speakers pro tempore who preside in the absence of the Speaker. The full duties of the Speaker are described in Chapter II of the Rules of the House.