State Senate: Democratic majority
State House: Democratic majority
Governor: Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Attorney General: Dana Nessel (D)
Summary:
Democrats control the governor’s mansion and AG’s office and hold small majorities in both legislative chambers in this purple state. Governor Gretchen Whitmer gained national notoriety for her particularly harsh covid measures, and AG Nessell was aggressive in her censorship efforts surrounding vaccine and election information social media. The legislature has moved legislation relating to AI-generated sexual images and restrict the use of generative AI in elections, the latter of which became law at the end of 2023.
Key Policymakers:
Legislative Activity:
HB 5973 (2022): Would create the Social Media Censorship Prevention Act, to define large social media platforms with over 50 million users as common carriers and prohibit them from blocking or discriminating against certain communications. Introduced by Rep. Ryan Berman [R] and Rep. Richard Steenland [D] in March 2022 but did not progress.
HB 5597 (2021): Would create the Justice Abolishing Corporate Kneecapping Act, to require social media platforms to provide a method for users to identify as candidates, to prohibit a social media platform from willfully deplatforming a candidate, and to allow a candidate to bring a civil action for a violation of the act. Republican-only bill introduced by Rep. Beau LaFave [R] in December 2021 but did not progress.
HB 5569: Creates the Protection from Intimate Deep Fakes Act, to establish civil and criminal liability for the nonconsensual creation or dissemination of deep fake sexual images of an identifiable individual under certain circumstances. Introduced by Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou [D] in March 2024, and passed the House nearly unanimously in June 2024.
HR 324 (2022): A resolution to condemn antisemitism and urge Michigan leaders to prevent, report, and address incidents of antisemitism. Introduced by Rep. Shri Thanedar [D] in June 2022 but did not progress.
SR 86 (2021): A resolution to condemn the U.S. Department of Justice memorandum on intimidation and harassment against school board members for inhibiting parents’ constitutional right to free speech and to urge the State Board of Education to refrain from participating in any actions that will further limit that right. Republican-only resolution introduced by Sen. Lana Theis [R] in October 2021, reported favorably out of committee but did not advance further.
HR 300 (2022): A resolution to urge the federal government to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security’s Disinformation Governance Board and to respect free speech. Republican-only resolution introduced by Rep. Steve Carra [R] in May 2022 but did not progress.
HB 5141 (Signed into Law): Would restrict the use of artificial intelligence and manipulated media in political campaigns and would generally require campaign advertisements and other political media to disclose the use of artificial intelligence systems. Introduced by Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou in November 2023, passed both chambers along partisan lines, and became law on December 31, 2023.HB 5788: Introduced in June 2024 by Rep. Kara Hope [D] and received unanimous approval out of committee.