Michigan Legislature Stalled as Property Tax Debate Dominates Capitol

Michigan lawmakers have finished their first three months of 2026 with just seven bills signed into law, marking the slowest legislative pace in an even-numbered year this century.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed only seven bills through January, February and March of 2026. This represents a slight uptick from last year when the Legislature passed six bills in the first six months of session.

The numbers still tell a stark story. According to the Michigan Information and Research Service Inc, Whitmer signed 76 bills into law during 2025, making it the lowest performing legislative year since 1842. Nearly half of those laws 36 were signed in December during a year-end flurry.

As of 2026, five of the seven bills signed into law this year originated in the Republican-led House, where Speaker Matt Hall has at times vocally opposed passing legislation from Senate Democrats.

The second year of two-year terms are typically more productive than the first because lawmakers have learned to work together and already introduced many bills. But so far, 2026 is the slowest start to the second year of a term since at least 1998, which is as far back as legislative records are immediately available.

More than 2,600 bills have been introduced between the Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate since the current two-year term started on Jan 1, 2025.

With campaign season looming, experts predict legislators may not do much more than pass a budget, which is constitutionally required.

Republican strategist John Sellek, founder and CEO of the Lansing-based Harbor Strategic communications firm, said Michigan may see minimal movement this year unless there is a property tax deal.

"We may, in fact, really not see much movement other than a budget all this year, unless we see a deal on property taxes," Sellek said.

High costs for housing and other living expenses have made property tax reform a top priority for several lawmakers, including House Speaker Matt Hall of Richland Township. But he has not yet introduced a plan, and public comments suggest the forthcoming proposal will be complicated.

Hall has defended the minimal lawmaking in Lansing, arguing quality matters more than quantity. In a statement, he told Bridge Michigan he is optimistic the Legislature can get a property tax cut deal done this year.

The debate over property tax relief has taken center stage in the last three months. Whitmer proposed a property tax refund of up to 10% for Michigan seniors 65 and older as part of her recent state budget pitch.

Hall floated a plan to eliminate a state property tax in February and has suggested paying for it through new service taxes, but he has not yet introduced any bills.

The Democratic-controlled Senate is looking at lowering property taxes through bills to expand access to the homestead property tax credit, which helps cover the cost of property taxes for people who qualify.

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids told Bridge Michigan she is open to the concept of property tax relief but said it should be directed toward working people, not corporations and the super wealthy. Brinks added she would be happy to review the Speaker's proposal once he gets around to introducing it.

The Legislature's slow pace follows a contentious budget process last year, the first since Republicans won back the state House to end a short-lived Democratic trifecta. Lawmakers blew past a July 1 budget deadline written into state law and then missed an Oct 1 deadline mandated by the state Constitution, passing a stopgap spending measure to avoid the first state government shutdown in 16 years.

Among other initiatives facing an uncertain future in the politically polarized Capitol include a medical debt relief plan approved by the Democratic-led Senate, funding for a new runway and infrastructure upgrades at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base approved by the Republican-led House, and a potential business incentive deal that Whitmer and Hall teased last year.

What has been signed into law so far this year includes two bills to ban smartphones from public school classrooms, a long-running effort of lawmakers from both major parties. Two bills dealing with death certificates streamlined the certification process and require certificates be filed within 48 hours of a death.

A bill to renew an interstate medical compact Michigan participates in kept 8,000 doctors licenses from expiring in the process. Both chambers wanted to renew, but the legislation stalled for months amid a political debate over which lawmakers would get credit.

A measure allowing Harsens Island in St Clair County to utilize tax incremental financing for downtown development purposes was approved as part of a deal on the medical compact bill. Most recently, a bill to designate the wood duck as Michigan's first official state duck was signed into law.

Hall claimed credit for personally negotiating deals to ban cellphones in classrooms and for renewing Michigan's participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact which stopped an estimated 8,000 medical licenses from lapsing in late March.

Brinks said there is certainly more that can be done in terms of bill movement, adding that if the speaker is interested in passing policy, there are hundreds of bipartisan Senate bills currently sitting in his chamber.

Brinks pointed to laws Democrats passed in 2023 when they were still in charge, including elimination of the so-called retirement tax and expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit for lower-income residents. But there is certainly more we can get done this year, Brinks said.

Other top priorities for her caucus include lowering child care costs and prescription drug prices. Brinks told Bridge Michigan she certainly hopes to have willing partners in the House on all of those things.

Asked about the prospects for legislative action this year, Brinks pointed to laws Democrats passed in 2023 when they were still in charge. But there is certainly more we can get done this year, Brinks said.

While lawmakers are off on their legislative spring break this week, both chambers will be back in the Capitol on Tuesday.

The slow legislative pace contrasts sharply with the urgent needs facing Michiganders. The median age of a first-time homebuyer has risen to an all-time high of 40, according to Whitmer. Tariffs have added about $17,000 to the cost of building a home, she said.

Kent County needs an estimated 33,914 housing units by 2029 to meet projected demand, according to a 2025 housing needs assessment by Bowen National Research. About 65% of those units would be owner-occupied, with the remainder needed for rental housing.

State Rep Kristian Grant D-Grand Rapids is among a group of bipartisan state lawmakers who have introduced a nine-bill package that aims to encourage housing development by reforming zoning laws and reducing red tape. The bills address factors such as minimum lot sizes for single family homes, prohibiting parking requirements of more than one space per home and capping minimum dwelling size requirements at 500 square feet.

The Michigan Municipal League opposes those changes. John LaMacchia, director of state and federal affairs at the Michigan Municipal League, said the changes that would be made under the package should be decided at the local level, not by state lawmakers.

"We firmly believe local leaders are best positioned to do that, and those decisions should be made closest to the people," LaMacchia said.

Asked about pushback the zoning changes have generated, Whitmer said it is understandable. But at the end of the day, it is absolutely undeniable that we need more affordable housing options for people all across the state, Whitmer said.

Grant said the proposed policies do not eliminate local control but instead strengthen community input while preventing outright bans that block housing before it can be considered.

"What it does is just say that there cannot be complete bans on things like duplexes or that parking cannot absolutely deny a housing project before it even begins," Grant said.

Brinks also highlighted efforts in the Senate to create a Michigan Housing Opportunity Credit, which would help generate funding for additional low-income housing units. She said the tax credit would provide about $42 million to help fund an estimated 2,500 additional housing units. Legislation for the tax credit is expected to be introduced this spring.

"It is simply a way that provides matching dollars at the state level and allows us to draw down a lot more federal dollars that enable people to get into about 2,500 more housing units," Brinks said.