Civil rights: disabilities discrimination; protections against harassment by an educational institution; provide for. Amends secs. 401, 402 & 606 of 1976 PA 220 (MCL 37.1401 et seq.) & adds secs. 402a, 402b, 402c & 606a.
HB 5555 amends Michigan's Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act to strengthen protections against disability-based harassment in educational settings. It directly affects public and private schools, colleges, and vocational programs (defined as "educational institutions" in the bill) by requiring them to prevent and address harassment of students or staff with disabilities. Key provisions include defining harassment as unwelcome conduct based on disability (including electronic communications), mandating comprehensive prevention policies, and requiring institutions to respond promptly when harassment occurs. The bill adds new sections (402a-c and 606a) that detail how schools must publicize policies, train staff, and remedy harassment, while clarifying that institutions must exercise "reasonable care" to prevent such incidents.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 19, 2026
Last action Feb 24, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Feb 19, 2026
Committee
referred to Committee on Government Operations
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Introduced
introduced by Representative Rep. Laurie Pohutsky
lower
1 primary · 12 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Laurie Pohutsky
DDemocratic
Co
Carrie Rheingans
DDemocratic
Co
Emily Dievendorf
DDemocratic
Co
Erin Byrnes
DDemocratic
Co
Jason Hoskins
DDemocratic
Co
Jaz Martus
DDemocratic
Co
Jimmie Wilson
DDemocratic
Co
Matt Longjohn
DDemocratic
Co
Natalie Price
DDemocratic
Co
Penelope Tsernoglou
DDemocratic
Co
Reggie Miller
DDemocratic
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