Michigan Legislature | |
---|---|
99th Michigan Legislature | |
Type | |
Type | |
Houses |
Senate House of Representatives |
Leadership | |
House Majority Floor Leader
|
|
Structure | |
Seats |
148 voting members: 38 senators 110 representatives |
Senate political groups
|
Majority
Minority
|
House of Representatives political groups
|
Majority
Minority
|
Authority | Article IV, Michigan Constitution |
Elections | |
Senate last election
|
November 4, 2014 |
House of Representatives last election
|
November 8, 2016 |
Senate next election
|
November 6, 2018 |
House of Representatives next election
|
November 6, 2018 |
Meeting place | |
Michigan Capitol, Lansing, Michigan | |
Website | |
legislature |
|
Footnotes | |
1Formal election of the Speaker to take place Jan. 11, 2017. |
Majority
Minority
Majority
Minority
The Michigan Legislature is the legislature 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.
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 Stylebook, 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, saying in section 1 that "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.
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 Michigan. The Senate consists of 38 members 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 2015, Republicans hold a majority of seats in the Senate with 27; Democrats hold 11 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.