Michigan House adopts conference report on House Bill 4706, advancing state budget

Lansing — The Michigan House of Representatives adopted the conference report for House Bill 4706 on the state budget on Oct. 2, 2025, with a roll-call vote of 101 yeas and 8 nays, clearing the measure for the next steps in the legislative process.

The conference report, read into the record before floor debate, was the product of a committee of conference described on the floor as signed by Representatives Bollin, Maddock and Farhat and by Senators Anthony, McCann and Bumstead. The chamber suspended Joint Rule 9 to take up the report immediately.

Representative Jeremy Farhat urged colleagues to support the report, saying the package "works for Michigan," citing provisions he said protect health care, SNAP food assistance and include measures such as eliminating taxes on tips and on overtime. Farhat said the budget also includes a 20% pay increase for state troopers and a $24,000,000 appropriation for Selfridge International Air Base. "This budget is the outcome of days and weeks of compromise and negotiations," he said on the floor.

Representative Bolin characterized the measure as the product of a line-by-line review intended to cut waste and increase transparency. Bolin said the budget eliminates what he described as about 2,000 "phantom" positions and prevented authorization of roughly 900 additional positions, and that general fund expenditures were reduced by about $800,000,000 (approximately 5%). He said the budget comes in at "under $80,000,000,000." On the floor, Bolin said new process changes will make office spending and specific uses of funds more visible to taxpayers.

Clerk announcements following the roll call recorded 101 aye votes and 8 nay votes; the chair declared the conference report adopted. The adoption followed procedural motions to read the conference report and to suspend rules to consider it.

The floor debate cited a mix of priorities the majority described as included in the package: road funding described as a long-term plan, targeted increases in public safety pay, and measures aimed at improving administrative transparency and reducing unfilled position authorizations. The adopted conference report was described on the floor as preserving funding for key programs while providing tax relief on tips and overtime; the text of the conference report itself was read into the record during the session.

The House’s adoption of the conference report does not by itself enact all budget provisions; the conference report reconciles House and Senate differences and advances the package under legislative rules. The clerk’s announcement ended with the chamber going at ease at the call of the chair.

Votes and formal steps recorded on the floor included the reading of the committee of conference report, a motion to suspend Joint Rule 9 to take up the report, floor remarks in support, and the recorded roll call that adopted the conference report.

Acknowledged conferees (as read into the record) were Representatives Bollin, Maddock and Farhat and Senators Anthony, McCann and Bumstead.

Next formal steps for the budget measure were not specified on the floor beyond adoption of the conference report and the chamber standing at ease following the vote.