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A Student’s Guide to the Legislative Process in Michigan: Geared to high school students, this booklet provides an explanation of how bills are developed and enacted, describes the functions and offices within the Legislature, and suggests classroom and student activities. Also available through the Publications link on the Michigan Legislature website.
Citizen’s Guide to State Government 2023 – 2024: Directory of state legislators and state agency department. Includes contact information for members of Congress.
Michigan Legislature: Use the Bill Content search box to find bills using keywords or select an assigned category from the menu. Use the Bills and Appropriation Bills links on the left sidebar to narrow the search.
Michigan Legislature: The Bill Status and Summary page is a working online file of bill information, updated as it moves through the Legislature. Enter the Bill Number to find a list of bill sponsors, copies of a bill as introduced and as passed by each of the chambers, the enrolled version, analyses or summaries of the bill as introduced and amended, and a record of actions taken as documented in the House and Senate Journals. When a bill has been enacted into law and assigned a public act number, bill information may also be accessed through the Public Act (Signed Bills) link on the left sidebar.
House and Senate Session Schedules: Also accessible from the left sidebar of the Michigan Legislature website.
Notifications: The Notification Service alerts users to changes to bills, statutes, or selected chapters of the Michigan Compiled Laws. Notification of bill sponsorship is also available. The service is free, but registration is required. The Email Notice Sign Up provides notification of both session and committee meetings. Multiple committees may be followed.
Michigan House and Senate Journals: Unlike the federal Congressional Record, the Journals do not provide a transcript of legislative debate, but they do provide a record of actions taken on a bill, and often include the text of amendments and substitute bills, as well as roll call votes. In cases in where legislation is controversial, objections to a bill are sometimes read into the record. The Journals also often provide the text of resolutions.
Committee Bill Records: Lists committee bill records by chamber as well as links to the Bill Status and Summary pages. This may be reached from the left sidebar. The link in the box at the top opens a search box from which to choose other committees.
House Committees: Find a calendar of currently scheduled committee meetings and a list of standing committees and their members. This page also provides a menu to navigate to a specific committee page from which the researcher can find copies of meeting minutes and testimony.
Senate Committees: Select Committees from the menu bar of the Senate website to find committee information, including minutes and testimony.
House and Senate TV: Public coverage of the sessions of the respective chambers as well as select committee meetings. The sessions and hearings are presented live or tape-delayed, are unedited and presented without editorial comment. As Michigan does not transcribe debate, discussion, or comments from Legislative sessions, viewing this footage may be one of the few ways to obtain this type of information.
Most information on legislation in a current session may be found in online. Materials from previous sessions, especially those before 1997 are housed in the State Law Library and the Documents Collections in the Library of Michigan. Newspapers and periodicals that may help to provide historical context or to determine intent are accessible in the Library as well. For assistance, contact LMLawLib@Michigan.gov or call 517-335-1480. For more information, see the Law
Library’s Michigan Legislative History Resources Guide. For biographical information on state legislators, see the Michigan Legislative Biography Database.
*List adapted from A Student’s Guide to the Legislative Process in Michigan, prepared by the Michigan Legislature (July 2019).
Research Guide updated 8/14/201