The Michigan House of Representatives, together with the Michigan Senate, comprise Michigan's full-time legislature.
The House of Representatives consists of 110 Members who are elected by the qualified electors of districts having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents. Representatives are elected in even-numbered years to 2-year terms. Legislative districts are drawn on the basis of population figures through the federal decennial census.
The primary purpose of the Legislature is to enact new laws and amend or repeal existing laws. During their two-year tenure, Representatives will introduce, and vote on, over 4,000 bills. An estimated 600 to 800 of these will become law. Legislators and legislative committees spend many hours of work on each bill before the bill is sent to the House floor for consideration.
The presiding officer of the House is called the Speaker. The Speaker is a current member of, and is elected by, the House of Representatives. Currently, Republicans are in the majority and Representative Lee Chatfield is Speaker of the House. The Speaker Pro Tempore and Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore, are also elected by, and from, the House members. They preside when the Speaker is absent or wishes to participate in debate on the House floor.
House sessions are open to the public and are normally held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1:30 PM and on Thursdays at 12:00 PM. On occasion, the House also convenes on Mondays and Fridays. The daily proceedings of the House are published in the House Journal. In addition, the records of committee actions on all bills and resolutions are available for public inspection. The Michigan Legislature web site is an excellent resource for citizens to use regarding past and current legislation.
Representatives in the majority and minority leadership positions have offices in the Capitol building. All other Members and staff of the House of Representatives are located in the Anderson House Office Building, directly across the street from the Capitol at 124 N. Capitol Ave.
