Senate introduces and refers bills on natural resources, Diwali holiday, foster care, housing and land division

The Michigan Senate on 2025-01-22 conducted first and second readings for a package of introductory bills and referred each to the appropriate standing committee.

Senators read the titles on the floor and referred the measures as follows: Senate Bill 16 (to amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act) was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture; Senate Bill 17 (to designate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, as a state holiday) was referred to the Committee on Regulatory Affairs; Senate Bill 18 (to amend the Foster Care and Adoption Services Act) and Senate Bills 19 and 20 (bills addressing estates and amending the Truth in Renting Act) and Senate Bill 21 and 22 (additional amendments to the Truth in Renting Act and landlord-tenant rental agreements) were referred to the Committee on Housing and Human Services; and Senate Bill 23 (to amend the Land Division Act) was referred to the Committee on Local Government.

Each bill received a formal first reading on the floor and was recorded for referral; the floor record contains the bill numbers and the committee referrals but provides only the bill titles as read and does not include bill text, fiscal notes, or summaries on the floor. No roll-call votes were associated with these introductions during this session.

Senators who offered the bills on the floor included Senator Daley (Senate Bill 16), Senator Weber (Senate Bill 17), Senator Erwin (Senate Bill 18), Senator Anthony (Senate Bills 19–22), and Senator Hertel (Senate Bill 23). The president of the Senate and floor staff announced the referrals for the record.

Because the floor reading consisted of title readings and automatic referrals, the Senate did not debate the measures' merits on the floor during this session; any committee hearings, fiscal analyses, or public comment will take place in the committees to which the bills were referred.