Lansing Marathons: A Deep Dive Into the 66-Bill Budget Package and Key Business Wins 

The Michigan Legislature concluded an intensive, 24-hour voting session on July 3, finalizing the state budget alongside a sweeping package of 66 enrolled policy bills. Of those bills, several critical measures were passed that will boost regional competitiveness, expand housing options, and secure the talent pipeline.  

Below is a comprehensive analysis of the priority legislation supported by the Detroit Regional Chamber, followed by a full registry of the 66 bills passed during the marathon session. View the Chamber’s analysis of the budget here.  

The legislative package included several vital economic development tools that provide long-term predictability for local municipalities and private investors: 

• Senate Bill 723 expands the transformational brownfield program, allowing approved projects to retain up to $3.2 billion statewide in future tax revenues, such as sales and income taxes generated on the property, to offset the costs of environmental remediation and redevelopment. Securing this transformational brownfield expansion was a top priority for the Chamber during this legislative session, an issue that the Chamber’s Public Policy and Business Advocacy team has been lobbying for since 2025. These statutory updates are essential for driving complex, large-scale revitalization projects across the region, specifically clearing a path for the renovation of the Renaissance Center in Detroit.   

• Senate Bill 721 and Senate Bill 722 extend both the commercial property tax-abatement program and the commercial rehabilitation property-tax exemption program through 2035. Both bills allow applicants to correct administrative errors without losing the original certificate’s effective date, protecting businesses from costly technical forfeitures.  

Senate Bill 966, House Bill 5806, and House Bill 5807 collectively authorize the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to administer a new state low-income housing tax credit program.

Modeled after the successful federal credit, this program caps aggregate tax credits at $42 million annually. Qualified investors and developers in eligible low-income housing projects can claim a nonrefundable state income tax credit beginning in 2027, with the ability to carry forward unused credits for up to 10 years. Crucially, House Bill 5807 ensures that out-of-state insurers investing in these projects can utilize the credit against the retaliatory insurance tax, maximizing the influx of out-of-state capital into Michigan neighborhoods.

House Bill 6043 permanently establishes the MI Tri-Share Child Care Program in state law. By splitting childcare costs equally among the state, the employer, and the employee, this program represents a predictable, public-private approach to removing barriers to employment, aiding employer retention efforts across the region.  

House Bill 5646 directly addresses foundational talent development by requiring universities and teacher-training programs to provide comprehensive instruction in the “science of reading” as part of the teacher certification curriculum, beginning in fall 2027. The curriculum will mandate training in phonics, literacy screenings, and multi-tiered support systems, aligning with previous state efforts to improve early childhood literacy outcomes. 

Senate Bill 301 creates a nonrefundable tax credit for employers that provides up to 12 weeks of fully paid leave to employees who donate an organ. Unused credits can be carried forward for three years, offering a tangible incentive for businesses to support life-saving employee health decisions. 

The logistical efficiency of the state commerce network requires strict security protocols for major transit arteries. Senate Bill 71 designates the Mackinac Bridge as critical infrastructure, making trespassing in restricted areas of the structure a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, a $2,500 fine, or both. 

While the Chamber remained neutral on the remaining components of the package, the following list details the remaining bills passed by the Legislature during the July 2 and July 3 budget session, organized by bill number.  

House Bills 

• House Bill 4023: Authorizes the state to sell 0.29 acres of surplus property in Eaton County to the Michigan Police Equipment Company for fair market value.  

• House Bill 4062: Prohibits lawmakers whose terms begin in 2027 or later from registering as a lobbyist for two years after leaving office.  

• House Bill 4063: Establishes a two-year lobbying ban for former governors, lieutenant governors, and department directors starting in 2027.  

• House Bill 4064: Prohibits sitting legislators from receiving outside compensation to lobby government officials.  

• House Bill 4100: Designates a portion of M-50 as the Animal Control Officer Darrian Young Memorial Highway.  

• House Bill 4101: Authorizes Michigan to join the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact.  

• House Bills 4103–4104: Enters Michigan into the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact. Updates occupational therapy licensing laws to recognize practitioners using the interstate compact and sets a $75 annual compact fee.  

• House Bill 4187: Temporarily reduces deposits into the Renew Michigan Fund by $15 million annually for three years to balance the FY27 budget.  

• House Bill 4189: Designates the bridge over I-96 as the LCpl Michael W. Hanks Memorial Bridge.  

• House Bills 4207–4208: Excludes limited or supplemental coverage classified as excepted benefits from the definition of a health benefit plan. Applies the identical excepted benefits exclusion to the broader definition of a health insurance policy.  

• House Bill 4309: Enacts a licensure compact allowing occupational therapists and physician assistants to practice across member states.  

• House Bill 4350: Permitting individuals to feed wildlife and birds within 300 feet of a residence, capped at two gallons of feed.  

• House Bill 4396: Permits researchers to access juvenile records from courts, subject to strict data protection agreements.  

• House Bill 4415: Increases the competitive bidding threshold for county road commissions from $15,000 to $75,000 for large purchases.  

• House Bill 4471: Allows certain retired county employees, including sheriff and prosecutor staff, to return to work without forfeiting retirement benefits.  

• House Bill 4517–4518: Permits radio and television stations to broadcast missing-child reports such as AMBER Alerts. Requires the Michigan State Police to issue an AMBER Alert for missing children with special needs or those in imminent danger.  

• House Bill 4644: Authorizes the operation of golf carts on streets and county roads within specific municipalities.  

• House Bill 4724: Permits the sale or transfer of the former Michigan State Police post property in Rockford, with proceeds sent to the General Fund.  

• House Bill 4746: Mandates the replacement of magnetic strips on food assistance cards with chip-enabled technology to combat fraud.  

• House Bill 4750: Prohibits the state from using foster youth benefits to cover care costs, requiring at least half of the funds to be saved for the youth.  

• House Bill 4779: Requires certain health facilities to implement surgical smoke plume evacuation systems during specific medical procedures.  

• House Bill 4805: Allows up to 8% of the Children’s Trust Fund’s average balance over 12 quarters to be spent annually for child-abuse prevention.  

• House Bill 4807–4808: Renames the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board to Children Trust Michigan. Authorizes the Children Trust Michigan Board to hold electronic or hybrid meetings under any circumstances.  

• House Bill 4824: Amends the Michigan Liquor Control Code to adjust legal definitions surrounding brands and brand extensions.  

• House Bill 5232–5233: Aligns local government military leave laws with the newly created Military Leave for First Responders Act. Provides eligible full-time police officers and firefighters in the military reserves with at least 26 paid military leave days annually.  

• House Bill 5249: Establishes an adaptive care license for community-based basic life support ambulance services to operate at limited advanced levels.  

• House Bill 5570–5571: Relaxes code requirements to allow certain multi-family apartment buildings up to four stories to feature a single exit stairway. Permits multi-family housing units of four to six stories to use a single interior exit stairway under strict conditions.  

• House Bill 5995: Prevents points from being added to driver records for construction-zone and school bus violations caught by automated cameras.  

• House Bill 6074: Restricts for-profit corporations owning more than 100 single-family homes from purchasing additional residential stock unless adding new units.  

Senate Bills 

• Senate Bill 18: Mandates the state notify foster youth of benefit applications, track funds, and return remaining balances upon exit from care.  

• Senate Bill 52: Grants port authorities expanded financing flexibility to engage in tourism, housing, and entertainment developments.  

• Senate Bill 81: Expands the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission’s system to include legal defense for low-income youth in juvenile cases.  

• Senate Bill 105: Modifies standard payment methods and processing fee structures for dental benefit reimbursements.  

• Senate Bill 106: Establishes a specialized fundraising license plate for spay and neuter services.  

• Senate Bill 133: Allows insurance agents to apply for up to four hours of active professional association participation toward continuing education credits.  

• Senate Bill 205: Permits healthcare providers to ask patients if they require information regarding organ, tissue, or bone marrow donation.  

• Senate Bill 293–294: Requires defendants in animal cruelty cases to post a cost-of-care bond or forfeit the animal. Prohibits repeat animal cruelty offenders from reclaiming seized animals.  

• Senate Bill 415: Mandates Michigan Medicaid coverage for evidence-based group prenatal care services.  

• Senate Bill 418: Allows insurance agents to apply professional trade association hours toward continuing education credits.  

• Senate Bill 421: Updates the name used on the Children’s Trust fundraising license plate to reflect the board’s new title.  

• Senate Bill 423: Restores programs letting local units reduce delinquent property-tax debts for specific low-income homeowners to prevent foreclosure.  

• Senate Bill 456: Establishes a Silver Alert public notification system for missing elderly individuals.  

• Senate Bill 501: Enacts the physical therapy state licensure compact to streamline interstate practice.  

• Senate Bill 585: Requires a licensed appraisal before a court approves the sale of a protected person’s property.  

• Senate Bill 586: Mandates court approval and legal representation safeguards before a guardian can permanently relocate an incapacitated person.  

• Senate Bill 604: Increases the per-case fees paid to vendors by the Liquor Control Commission to offset delivery and warehousing expenses.  

• Senate Bill 616: Incorporates additional opioid manufacturers into the state Opioid Litigation Act framework.  

• Senate Bill 716: Shortens the state review window for federal controlled substance reclassifications from 91 to 60 days.  

• Senate Bill 903: Implements a 15-year investment plan tying weighted school funding increases to the per-pupil foundation allowance.
  
• Senate Bill 989: Permits superintendents to grant alternative-route interim teaching certificates with special education endorsements.