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Michigan State Senate
| Michigan State Senate | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Upper house |
| Term limits: | 2 terms (8 years) |
| 2012 session start: | January 11, 2012 |
| Website: | Official Senate Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Brian Calley, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Randy Richardville, (R) |
| Minority leader: | Gretchen Whitmer, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 38 |
| Democratic Party (12) Republican Party (26) | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Art IV, Sec. 2, Michigan Constitution |
| Salary: | $79,650/year + expenses |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 2, 2010 (38 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 (38 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Michigan Legislature has control |
Meeting place: | |
Contents |
Senators are elected at the same time as the governor and serve four-year terms concurrent with the governor's term of office. Senate and gubernatorial elections are offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 2000 and 2004, gubernatorial and senate elections were in 2002 and 2006). Terms for senators begin on January 1, following the November general election. Senators who have not served more than half of someone else's Senate term are eligible for two full terms (i.e. - eight years).
Sessions
Article IV of the Michigan Constitution establishes when the Michigan Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 13 of Article IV states that the legislature is to convene on the second Wednesday in January of each year. Section 13 gives the Legislature the power to determine its date of adjournment through concurrent resolution.
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the Senate will be in session from January 11 though a date yet to be determined.
Major issues
For the first time in years, legislators are anticipating an estimated $1 billion surplus. They are expected to consider proposals regarding autism, concealed weapons, elder abuse, mining and ending the personal property tax. Controversial "right-to-work" legislation may also be on the table.[3]
2011
In 2011, the Legislature will be in session from January 12 through mid December. A specific date is yet to be decided by the Legislature. [4] The 348 calendar days that the Michigan Legislature is in session during 2011 is the longest legislative session in the country.[5]
Session highlights
In the 2011 session, Michigan was a key battleground on corporate taxes. Governor Rick Snyder had made promises during his campaign to eliminate the “Michigan Business Tax,” which was costly and difficult to calculate. Governor Snyder delivered, replacing the tax with a flat 6 percent corporate income tax. The state will recover the $1.8 billion in lost business tax revenues with $1.5 billion in higher personal income tax revenues. Current Michigan law requires the state income tax to drop to 3.9 percent by 2015. Governor Snyder's measure keeps the income tax rate at its current 4.35 percent until January 1, 2013, when it will drop to 4.25 percent. During 2011, Michigan also became the first state in more than 50 years to cut state-level unemployment benefits. [6]
2010
In 2010, the Senate convened its session on January 13th, and it remained in session throughout the year.[7]
Elections
2010
- See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Michigan Senate were held in Michigan on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was May 11, 2010 and the primary election day was on August 3, 2010.
Members eligible for 2010 re-election
| District | Representative | Party | Residence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Tupac Hunter |  Democratic |
Detroit |
| 6 | Glenn Anderson | Democratic |
Westland |
| 13 | John Pappageorge |  Republican |
Troy |
| 17 | Randy Richardville | Republican |
Monroe |
| 19 | Michael Nofs | Republican |
Battle Creek |
| 23 | Gretchen Whitmer | Democratic |
East Lansing |
| 27 | John Gleason | Democratic |
Flushing |
| 28 | Mark Jansen | Republican |
Gaines Township |
| 32 | Roger Kahn | Republican |
Saginaw Township |
In 2010, the candidates running for state senate raised a total of $16,309,515 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [8]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Senate Republican Campaign Cmte of Michigan | $2,652,845 |
| Michigan Senate Democratic Fund | $808,605 |
| Wenke, Lorence | $415,100 |
| Trebesh, Michael Frederick | $353,093 |
| Mridha, Debasish | $344,773 |
| Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association | $198,846 |
| Michigan Chamber of Commerce | $169,110 |
| Michigan Education Association | $163,425 |
| Michigan Bankers Association | $149,150 |
| Michigan Association of Realtors | $123,450 |
Qualifications
Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."
Vacancies
Whenever a vacancy occurs in the Senate, it is up to the Governor to call for a special election. A special election must be held during the next scheduled general election[9]. If the vacancy happened after the statewide primary, leaders of the respective party organizations within the Senate district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. A vote must be held no later than 21 days after the vacancy[10].
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years.
The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.[11]
Senators
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2011, members of the Michigan Legislature are paid $71,865/year. Legislators can use up to $10,800/year for expenses.[12]
The $71,865/year that Michigan legislators are paid as of 2011 is a decrease from a salary of $79,650 from the 2010 session, which was the same as they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem is also the same.[13][14]
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
| Party | As of May 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 12 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | |
| Total | 38 | |
Leadership
The Lieutenant Governor serves as the presiding officer of the Senate, known as the President of the Senate. The president can only vote when there is a tie. In the absence of the President, the President Pro Tempore presides. The President Pro Tempore, Assistant President Pro Tempore, and Associate President Pro Tempore are elected by a vote of a majority of the Senators.[15][16]
Current leadership
List of current members
Standing Senate Committees
The Michigan Senate has twenty (20) standing committees:
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Banking and Financial Institutions
- Economic Development
- Education
- Energy and Technology
- Families, Seniors and Human Services
- Finance
- Government Operations
- Health Policy
- Insurance
- Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
- Judiciary
- Local Government and Elections
- Natural Resources, Environmental and Great Lakes
- Redistricting
- Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing
- Regulatory Reform
- Transportation
- Veterans, Military Affairs and Homeland Security
Decommissioned committees
- Homeland Security and Emerging Technologies (decommissioned)
- Campaign and Election Oversight (decommissioned)
External links
- Michigan State Senate
- Michigan Votes, a website that tracks votes of the Michigan state senators.
- Project Vote Smart - State Senate of Michigan
- Michigan Senate Democrats
- Michigan Senate Republicans
- Michigan State Senate election results
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ Detroit News, "Michigan Legislature sets priorities in new session," January 12, 2012
- ↑ Michigan State Legislature Sessions Schedule
- ↑ South Carolina Policy Council "50 State Legislative Session Interactive Map," February 2011
- ↑ Stateline.org, States balance budgets with cuts, not taxes, June 15, 2011
- ↑ 2010 session dates for Michigan legislature
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Michigan Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Michigan Legislature "Michigan Election Law"(Referenced Statute 168.178, Michigan Compiled Laws)
- ↑ Michigan Legislature "Michigan Election Law"(Referenced Statute 168.634 (1)-(2), Michigan Compiled Laws)
- ↑ State legislative term limits
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
- ↑ Michigan State Senate Rules - Chapter 1 Section 1: Senate Organization
- ↑ [1]
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