The Michigan Senate on a single floor day advanced a large group of bills and adopted two resolutions, passing a maternal-health omnibus package and several social- and health-related measures while approving ceremonial resolutions recognizing community colleges and linemen.

Senators adopted Senate Resolution 28 to designate April 2025 as Community College Month and Senate Resolution 26 to designate April 18, 2025, as Lineman Appreciation Day. The chamber also approved a multi-bill maternal-health package (Senate bills 29–34 and 36–39, and related bills) and enacted bills on foster-care financial protections, food law and several insurance, criminal-procedure and public-health changes.

Why it matters: the maternal-health package was described by supporters as a broad set of reforms intended to improve prenatal and perinatal outcomes and to create reporting and accountability tools for biased or unjust care. Senator Irwin framed Senate Bill 18 as a measure to preserve income for foster youth. Senator Runstead explained his no vote on the Open Meetings Act change as a concern about permitting remote attendance without stronger verification of serious disability.

Major actions and outcomes (selected items)

- Senate Resolution 28 (Community College Month): Adopted. Sponsor: Senator Anthony. Vote: adopted by voice vote when called; remarks recorded in the journal. Senator Anthony said the resolution recognizes “our 28 community colleges and 3 tribal colleges” and that “Community colleges are leading the way in preparing Michiganders for in demand careers in healthcare, manufacturing, IT, skilled trades, and more.” (See transcript segments at introduction and adoption.)

- Senate Resolution 26 (Lineman Appreciation Day, April 18, 2025): Adopted. Sponsor: Senator Huitinga. Senator Huitinga urged support to honor linemen after recent storm response; the resolution was adopted by voice vote.

- Senate Bill 129 (amend Open Meetings Act): Final passage recorded. Vote tally announced by the secretary: 20 aye, 16 no, 1 excused; therefore the bill passed. Senator Runstead offered a recorded explanation for his no vote, saying in part that the bill as written “is allowing a person to just simply say, I have some kind of a disability and thus can go remote and not have to face the public.” He asked that his remarks be printed in the journal.

- Senate Bill 93 (amend food law): Final passage recorded as 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused; bill passed.

- Senate Bill 18 (amend Foster Care and Adoption Services Act): Final passage recorded as 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused; bill passed. Senator Irwin urged support and said the measure “rights a long standing wrong” by reserving income that foster youth receive so it can be available for their needs while in care or when they age out.

- Maternal-health omnibus package (Senate bills 29–34 and 36–39 and related measures): Multiple bills in this package were reported and passed during the floor session. Sponsor remarks (Senator Geiss) described the package as the Michigan maternal-health omnibus that “works to improve prenatal and perinatal health outcomes in Michigan through requiring the DHHS to include studies and reports on biased or unjust perinatal care” and as creating tools for patient self-reporting of obstetric racism and expanding midwifery coverage and Medicaid reimbursements. Individual final-passage tallies reported on the floor included:
• SB29: 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
• SB30 (creates the Biased and Unjust Care Reporting Act): 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
• SB31: 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
• SB32: 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
• SB33: announced as 19 aye, 17 no, 1 excused — bill passed (as announced on the floor).
• SB34: 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
• SB36: 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
• SB37: 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
• SB38: 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
• SB39: 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused — bill passed.
(Transcript records show the bills were reported by committee and advanced to final passage; supporters urged the package as a set of reforms on perinatal care, reporting, insurer data collection and Medicaid/midwifery coverage.)

- A set of insurance, probate, criminal-procedure and social-welfare bills also passed, with final tallies recorded on the floor. Examples include SB32 (insurance code change) and numerous other calendar bills that the secretary announced as having passed with the tallies noted above.

- Introductions and referrals: At the start of the day the chamber read a block of first readings and referred numerous bills to standing committees for consideration. Notable introductions included Senate Bill 212 (to amend the State School Aid Act of 1979; referred to Appropriations), Senate Bill 213 (to amend the Michigan Strategic Fund Act; referred to the Committee on Economic and Community Development), Senate Bill 214 (also relating to the Michigan Strategic Fund Act; referred to Economic and Community Development), and additional bills addressing consumer protection, vehicle code, mental-health code, the Michigan penal code, and other subject areas. The secretary announced each bill’s title and committee referral on the record.

Discussion vs. decision: Most final-passage actions on the calendar were taken with little or no floor debate; where members spoke, their remarks were placed in the journal. The record shows substantive floor statements on the maternal-health package (Senator Geiss), foster-care income protections (Senator Irwin), and a public-explanation for a no vote on SB129 (Senator Runstead). Resolutions recognizing community colleges and linemen were presented with sponsor remarks and adopted by the chamber.

What to watch next: Bills referred to committees will advance through committee hearings and votes before returning to the floor for further action; sponsors requested printed remarks on several items and the journal will carry those statements. The maternal-health package will move to the next legislative steps following its passage in the Senate; related implementation and rulemaking steps will depend on administrative agencies (DHHS, Department of Insurance and Financial Services) as specified in the enacted language.

Ending: The Senate adjourned and the journal will include the sponsors’ printed remarks; the president set the next convening for Tuesday, April 22, at 10 a.m.