Chair Schmidt opened discussion of House Bill 47‑20, saying the measure would "prohibit new voting systems in our state from including any parts or equipment from foreign companies that would pose an unacceptable security risk." The sponsor told the committee the bill would use the Federal Communications Commission's supplier watch list as a guide and "essentially codify" that list for Michigan election systems to better protect against foreign influence.

The proposal would apply the FCC's determinations about communications suppliers to voting equipment, the sponsor said, arguing that "if these companies on the federal watch list are deemed national security risk for communication equipment, Michigan should also recognize them as a security risk for our election equipment." She said the bill aims to "fix any weak links and close any open gaps" in election infrastructure.

Committee members questioned implementation and operational risks. Representative Wooden noted the FCC list is updated by national security agencies without a public notice period and asked whether a late designation "a day before the election" could force jurisdictions to hand‑count ballots if equipment already installed or logic‑tested included parts from a newly flagged supplier. Wooden cited studies and instances he said showed hand counts can have higher error rates than machine counts.

The sponsor responded that hand counting remains a backup and that the greater risk would be leaving equipment in use that national security officials had flagged: "I would argue that if there was a country of concern or somebody that was added to this list, that would be far more concerning than actually having to hand count the ballots at the jurisdiction." Members also raised procurement questions: representatives asked whether parts such as chips or steel would be affected and whether American suppliers could meet demand by planned contract renewals in 2026–2027. The sponsor said the bill targets only suppliers on the FCC list and that some components for major voting‑equipment vendors already come from outside the U.S.

There was no formal committee vote on the bill during the hearing; testimony and questions were recorded and the committee moved on to other bills. Sherry Ritchie of Pure Integrity Michigan Elections submitted a witness card noting opposition to bill 47‑20.

The committee did not adopt statutory language during the hearing and did not take a final vote on the measure.