Sen. Albert: Michigan’s ‘Lame Duck’ Session Looms

We received the following article from State Senator Thomas Albert.

It is possible that December will be one of the busiest months at Michigan’s state Capitol in quite some time.

That’s because in the November election, Republicans reclaimed the majority in the Michigan House of Representatives for the upcoming 2025-26 legislative session. Democrats will lose their full control over state government in January. In advance of this power shift, Democrats recently introduced dozens of new bills and rushed dozens of others through committees in hopes of getting more laws finalized by the end of the year.

Here is a partial list of issues to watch for in the next few weeks during what is often called the “lame duck” session:

• Wages and sick leave: The Legislature has not acted to address the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling related to minimum wage, sick leave, and the elimination of the tipped wage credit. These court-ordered changes are scheduled to begin taking effect in February. If the Legislature does nothing, many restaurants — and potentially many other businesses — could lay off employees, reduce hours or close entirely. I have introduced legislation to keep the tip system and other current minimum wage and sick leave laws in place. Our current laws sustainably continue to raise the minimum wage, while maintaining workable “time off” policies.
• Corporate welfare: Democrats continue to give away taxpayer money to big corporations without an adequate return on investment to taxpayers. Instead of expanding or rebranding the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) program, I propose eliminating SOAR entirely. We should lower taxes and support growing our economy from the ground up, rather than top-down policies driven by central planners.
• Workers’ compensation and unemployment benefits: In 2011, Michigan made some commonsense changes to the insurance laws that help workers injured on the job. Democrats want to significantly change the system. While some changes to the unemployment claim system may be warranted to make it easier for people to navigate, I am wary of changes that would raise costs and negatively affect employers, employees and customers. Changes leading to higher prices and lost jobs are counterproductive.
• Illegal immigration: We should be getting stricter with issues related to border security, but some lawmakers want to allow immigrants who are not here legally to obtain driver’s licenses. Current Michigan law allows immigrants who are here legally to get licenses, and that is as far as the law should go.
• Election law: As evidenced by the confirmation that a Chinese national who does not have citizenship here was allowed to vote in the November election, it’s clear Michigan has gone too far with election law changes. I oppose any attempt to further weaken our system. I also oppose Michigan joining the National Popular Vote Compact. I believe Michigan voters should have their own voice in the presidential election, and I also am concerned the compact is an attempt to circumvent the U.S. Constitution without going through the proper amendment process.
• Choice in education: Democrats propose adding more hurdles to public charter schools that do not apply to traditional K-12 public schools. Charter schools are an important part of offering educational choice to families, and often provide the only alternative to those living in a failing school district. I oppose legislation that would undermine their ability to operate.
• Sex education: Democrats propose radically expanding how sex education is taught and permitting the distribution of contraceptives in schools. Abstinence would be deemphasized, and schools could teach abortion as a family planning and reproductive health option.
• Public safety: Democrats propose changes that could further erode the principle of ‘truth in sentencing’ by allowing earlier release of criminals for a variety of reasons. We must keep our communities safe and support law enforcement, rather than undermine it at every turn.
• Second Amendment: Legislation that would prohibit guns at the state Capitol and other legislative buildings would have, as originally introduced, also banned CPL holders from carrying in many locations now permitted by state law. We must avoid any changes that would undermine Second Amendment rights.

Dozens more topics could be addressed from housing to public employee benefits to the state’s bottle deposit laws. I will continue to support or oppose legislation based on how the proposal will impact the 18th Senate District and Michigan as a whole. For up-to-date schedules of committee hearings and bill activity, please visit Legislature.mi.gov.

State Sen. Thomas Albert represents the 18th District, which includes Barry County and portions of Allegan, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Kent, and Ionia counties.