Category: Capitol News

By Mary Pollock Election season means the Michigan House is not likely going to meet for roll call in October and until a couple days after the election for 2025 House leadership elections. The Michigan Senate is not facing elections this year. SCRAP THE CAP UPDATE Actuarial Study — Recall that the Governor signed the Fiscal… Read more

By Mary Pollock Although a full legislative session for September had been scheduled, election obligations are likely going to keep most legislators in their home districts most days in September and October instead of in the Capitol. VOTING PERIOD: SEPTEMBER 26 – NOVEMBER 5, 2024 Because of all the new election laws affecting voting procedures… Read more

By Mary Pollock GOVERNOR SIGNS PENSION COLA STUDY Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 24-25 General Omnibus Appropriations Bill containing a proposed actuarial study about State employee retirees’ defined benefit annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) on Wednesday, July 24. SERA has been working on this effort since 2019. The bill was sponsored… Read more

By Mary Pollock SCRAP THE CAP UPDATE Appropriation Bills Move to Conference Committees — Our five-year effort to Scrap the Cap on the defined benefit annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of $300 hit another milestone this month. The General Government appropriation bills in each chamber with boilerplate language about our actuarial study were adopted and conferees were… Read more

By Mary Pollck SCRAP THE $300 CAP UPDATE Actuarial Study — SERA has agreed that an actuarial study is needed before serious consideration of a bill like Senate Bill (SB) 775 of 2021. Therefore, our efforts in the last few months have been focused on getting language in the appropriations bills to conduct and finance this… Read more

By Mary Pollock The Legislature was on spring break for two weeks in late March and early April. It returns April 9 to face budget decisions in May and June. It will welcome two new House members in early May via special elections on April 16 in Warren and Westland districts. SCRAP THE $300 CAP… Read more

By Mary Pollock SCRAP THE CAP UPDATE Michigan SERA’s effort to Scrap the $300 Cap on defined benefit (DB) State employee retirees’ annual 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is advancing enthusiastically. SERA Legislative Committee Member Cole Bouck’s efforts with SERA chapters and members, departmental Facebook retiree pages, departmental retiree groups, and State unions and State unions’ retiree… Read more

By Mary Pollock The Governor gave her State of the State Address on January 24 to a joint session of the Legislature. In the Governor’s Proposed 2023-2025 Budget Message given to a joint meeting of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in the new Heritage Hall adjacent to the Capitol two weeks later on February… Read more

By Mary Pollock The Legislature returned January 10 for an exciting election year. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver her sixth State of the State Address on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 p.m. The address will be held in the Michigan House Chambers in front of a joint session of the Michigan House of Representatives and… Read more

By Mary Pollock The Michigan Legislature officially adjourned for the year on November 14, but voting was finished on the night of November 9. The early adjournment essentially canceled two to three weeks of session in December but allowed the three-week early presidential primary bill (Public Act (PA) 2 of 2023) to take effect next… Read more