Michigan House passes bill to amend Revised School Code; majority seeks immediate effect

The Michigan House of Representatives on Jan. 21 passed House Bill 5154, a measure introduced by Representative Smith to amend the Revised School Code. The bill was considered on third reading with no amendments and was approved by a recorded roll-call vote.

Representative Smith introduced the bill on the floor and the clerk conducted a record vote. The clerk announced the tally for final passage; a majority of members voted in favor and the presiding officer declared the bill passed. Following the passage, the House’s majority leadership moved and secured immediate effect, and members rose in support to order immediate effect.

The session transcript records the bill as taken up for a third reading and passed; the clerk announced the result and the majority’s motion for immediate effect was ordered. The transcript’s vote tally as read contained an apparent transcription error in the wording of the clerk’s announcement (it listed "85 aye votes and 17 aye votes"); the published record and the House action are reported here as 85 ayes and 17 nays as the intended tally format. Details about specific statutory changes in the bill text were not specified on the floor during the recorded third-reading exchange.

Next steps: Because immediate effect was ordered, the bill’s effective date will be determined according to the bill text and state law and any enrollment and presentation to the governor per standard legislative procedures.