MLC Insider Intelligence: June 5, 2026
Michigan Legislative Consultants
Weekly Recap: The House and Senate held their typical Tuesday through Thursday session schedule. Committees met throughout the week.
Budget Update: The House and Senate have each passed their versions of the state budget. Several areas of difference are continuing to be negotiated between the chambers and the executive office.
Committee Advances Housing Proposal: The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee reported legislation creating a Michigan Housing Opportunity Credit, aiming to increase the supply of guaranteed affordable housing in Michigan. Currently, Michigan has 200,000 low-income households unable to find affordable housing.
Key Points: Introduced by Senator Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), the new credit would pair with the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), which is the main financing tool for developing affordable housing projects. The additional financing would cover funding gaps, enabling developers to make use of federal dollars to invest in the building of over 2,5000 new homes every year. By enacting this credit, Michigan would join a majority of states that offer a state-level supplement to the federal LIHTC.
Importance: “Housing costs are crippling family budgets and making it harder for young people to find a future in our state,” said Senator Irwin, Chair of the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee. “This legislation will mean more housing, leading to more options and affordability.”
Senate Moves on Free School Meals: The universal free school meals program would be codified into law under legislation reported by the Senate Education Committee. The program provides free school breakfast and lunch to all pre-K to 12 students in Michigan. The state first appropriated funds for the program in the annual budget during the 2023 – 2024 Fiscal Year. It fully funded the program again in the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year budget.
Key Points: Introduced by Senator Dayne Polehanki (D-Livonia) the legislation guarantees the program would continue, as the current process of putting it into the state budget only guarantees the program for one fiscal year. The legislation would also expand the program to include students up to the age of 26, who are enrolled in special education programs. It also sets requirements schools would need to fulfill to be eligible to participate in the program. Currently, the state appropriates $200 million per year for the program.
Importance: “This proven-effective program reduces food insecurity, lowers household costs, and improves outcomes for kids and families. That’s why I’m fighting to put it into state law — to keep Michigan students fed and healthy for generations to come,” said Senator Polehanki.
Senator Given Committee Assignments: Newly elected Senator Chedrick Greene (D-Saginaw) was assigned to committees this week by Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids). Senator Greene won a special election last month to fill the vacant 35th Senate District seat. He took the oath of office on May 21 to begin serving the residents of his district, which includes portions of Saginaw, Bay, and Midland counties. Prior to his election, Senator Greene was a firefighter and Marine for three decades.
Committees:
Labor
Regulatory Affairs
Transportation and Infrastructure
Veterans and Emergency Services
Importance: “With my new roles on the Senate Veterans and Emergency Services and Labor committees, I get to draw from my 30-year public service career to help make our state a better place for our service members, emergency crews, and workers — and the families that depend on them. In my other posts, I will fight to protect consumers and cut burdensome red tape for small businesses and make sure we all have smoother, safer roads and bridges to drive on.”
Governor Unveils Poverty Task Force Report: Governor Gretchen Whitmer highlighted the 2026 Poverty Task Force Report this week, highlighting the scope of poverty’s impact across Michigan and providing recommendations to lift people out of poverty. Additionally, the report details how to best connect families throughout the state with economic opportunity, improve quality of life and outcomes, and create change. In 2024, a Michigan family of four with two adults and two children in childcare needed $78.216 annually to cover basic expenses. 40% of those in Michigan lived at or below that threshold. Of those households, 26% earned more than the federal poverty level.
Key Points: Among other recommendations, the report includes seven directly from the Anti-Poverty Strategies Report. This includes eliminating full family sanctions and lifetime bans to create a more stable safety net for children, reducing requirements that go beyond federal standards and allowing more time for compliance so that families can gain stability, and prioritizing families under 200% of the federal poverty line for all TANF-funded programming. Additionally, the report calls for more staff at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to allow for more time for processing cases, interviewing, trust-building, and assessing barriers.
Michigan Poverty Task Force: It works to identify and coordinate efforts within state government to lift Michigan families out of poverty and help put them on a path to prosperity. They work across state government to find ways to strengthen, broaden, coordinate, and streamline the efforts.
Spotlight On Representative Ken Borton: Representative Borton (R-Gaylord) is serving his third term in the Michigan House of Representatives and is the Republican caucus chair. He began his life in public office serving on the Otsego County Board of Commissioners for ten years, including serving a portion of that time as chair. Before public service, he worked in real estate and property management.
District: He represents the 105th House District, which includes Crawford, Missaukee, Otsego, and Roscommon counties and portions of Antrim, Kalkaska, and Oscoda counties.
Committees:
Appropriations
Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources Subcommittee, chair
Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Subcommittee, vice chair
State and Local Transportation Subcommittee
School Aid and Department of Education Subcommittee
We asked Representative Borton a few questions to learn more about him:
What’s your favorite travel destination outside of Michigan?
A – Western US. I love the mountains and national parks.
What’s your favorite hobby other than politics?
A – Walking in the woods, looking for and taking pictures/videos of wildlife.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
A – A baseball player, I was pretty decent until I was injured in high school.
What’s your favorite game to play or sport to watch and/or play?
A – Baseball. I’ve been a Tigers fan all my life.
Next Week: The House and Senate are scheduled to hold their typical Tuesday – Thursday session schedule.
Thank you to our clients for joining us this week for our MLC Live! with Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids). She spoke on relevant topics such as working under divided government, a look at this year’s midterm election, and completing the state budget. During the remainder of the legislative term, the Senate Democratic caucus is prioritizing addressing affordability, including healthcare and prescription drug costs and housing, among others.
Leading up to the August 4 primary, we are highlighting key races shaped by voter demographics in the district. Candidate websites and professional backgrounds are listed when available.
74th House District Primary Election Overview: After serving four terms in the House, Democratic Representative Kara Hope opted not to run for reelection this year. The district has a 68% Democratic base, making that race key to who will represent this district next term.
District Overview: The district includes south Lansing and Delhi Township.
Democratic Candidates:
Aaron Iturralde – High school social studies teacher.
Harold Pope – Army Veteran, former leader of the NAACP Lansing Branch
TyJuan Thirdgill
78th House District Primary Election Overview: After two terms in the House, Republican Representative Gina Johnsen decided to run for a seat in the Michigan Senate. This open seat has a 62.2% Republican base, which makes that primary race the key to who will be elected to represent this district next term.
District Overview: The district includes portions of Kent, Ionia, Barry, and Eaton counties.
Republican Candidates:
Terence Frewen – Ionia County Commissioner, real estate broker, and small business owner.
Kaleb Hudson
Miguel Pilar
Brandon Strong – Educator