HJR U Michigan House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Elections: primary; nomination process for secretary of state and attorney general; modify, and provide for gubernatorial appointment of regents, trustees, or board of governors for universities. Amends sec. 21, art. V & sec. 5, art. VIII of the state constitution.

This proposed constitutional amendment would change how the governing boards for the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University are selected. Currently, these board members are elected by the public, but the bill would replace them with a system where the governor appoints nine members for each university. The new boards would include four representatives from each major political party, one independent member appointed by the governor, and four additional members chosen from lists of nominees provided by legislative leaders and party chairs. The transition to this new system is scheduled to begin on December 31, 2026, with the first appointments made by the current governor and the remainder by the next governor.

Bill status failed 2 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

May 2026

Committee Review

Jun 2026

House Failed

Jun 2026

Governor

Introduced May 21, 2026 Last action Jun 18, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

House Introduced Joint Resolution → Substitute (H-2) · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten to remove provisions regarding the nomination process for the Secretary of State and Attorney General, which were previously included. The text now focuses exclusively on establishing a new, bipartisan, gubernatorial appointment system for the governing boards of Michigan's three major universities, replacing the previous election-based system.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from modifying multiple constitutional sections (Article V and Article VIII) to only amending Article VIII, specifically removing all changes related to state executive offices.

SCOPE

All text proposing changes to the nomination process for the Secretary of State and Attorney General was deleted.

REQUIREMENT

The composition of university boards was changed from 8 elected members to 9 appointed members, including specific requirements for bipartisan representation and an independent non-partisan appointee.

New requirements were added mandating compliance with state ethics, open meetings, and freedom of information laws for board members.

The ballot question text was updated to reflect the creation of new term-limited boards and the appointment process, removing references to the removed Secretary of State and Attorney General changes.

DEFINITION

A new definition was added clarifying that 'major political parties' refers to the two parties with the largest representation in the legislature.

TIMELINE

The effective date for the new board structure was set to begin on December 31, 2026, with a transition period ending on December 30, 2026.

Floor votes · House Jun 3, 2026

How they voted

53–53

Failed

Total votes 106

Jun 3, 2026

D Democratic48

1 Yea 47 Nay

97% Nay

R Republican58

52 Yea 6 Nay

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jun 18, 2026

Committee

referred to Committee on Rules

lower

Jun 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

substitute (H-2) adopted

lower

Jun 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

motion to discharge committee approved

lower

May 21, 2026

Committee

referred to Committee on Government Operations

lower

May 21, 2026

Introduced

introduced by Representative Rep. Greg Markkanen

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor