Michigan Senate passes new versions of nine bills held up in House, vetoed by Whitmer

The Michigan Senate passed new versions of nine bills Thursday that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed earlier this year, hours after the state Supreme Court had ordered House Speaker Matt Hall to transmit the original versions to her desk. Whitmer said she'd sign fresh versions before her term ends in December, and Senate Democrats now hope to hold her to it.

The bills would aid first responders, teachers and corrections officers with retirement benefits, healthcare costs and debt-collection protections. Hall has tied their movement to his own stalled property tax overhaul, telling the Advance Democrats had two years to negotiate and 'chose to pull a campaign stunt' instead.

The underlying saga began when the bills sat untransmitted after the 2024 lame-duck session, with no explanation offered by the House or the administration, before the Michigan Supreme Court's 6-1 ruling forced the issue and Whitmer's veto followed within hours, prompting unions to accuse her of betrayal.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.