Each month, The Michigan Daily publishes a compilation of bills in the Michigan Legislature for students at the University of Michigan to know about.
The following article explains five bills that have been introduced, passed or signed into law by the Michigan Legislature or Gov. Gretchen Whitmer throughout the month of April 2026.
1. Requiring social media platforms to set use limits for minors
Status: Passed in the Senate
Senate Bills 757, 758, 759 and 760 — introduced by state Sens. Darrin Camilleri, D-Brownstown Township; Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores; Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit; and Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, respectively — were passed by the Michigan Senate April 29. The bills would place restrictions on minors’ exposure to addictive content on social media platforms and prevent them from using artificial intelligence capable of reacting to users’ emotions. The package — widely referred to as “Kids Over Clicks” by members of the legislature — is seen as an effort by state Senate Democrats to protect Michigan’s young population from the emerging dangers of social media.
The bills focus on preventing social media platforms from using consumer data to build algorithms that produce addictive content without parental consent. Senate Bill 757, the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation Act, or SAFE for Kids Act, prevents notifications from social media platforms on school nights and during the school day. Senate Bills 758 and 759 require platforms to delete minor data immediately after it is used. Senate Bill 760, the Leading Ethical A.I. Development Act, or LEAD for Kids Act, focuses on A.I. and prevents chatbots from encouraging minors to engage in self harm.
Attorney General Dana Nessel is the primary enforcer of the bill package. Social media platforms found to be in violation of the bills may be subject to civil fines up to $50,000. Senate Bill 760 also allows parents to sue platforms directly.
In an April 29 press release, Hertel, who introduced Senate Bill 758, said Big Tech’s algorithms have created a public health crisis that parents are ill-equipped to fight alone.
“Let’s be clear: Big Tech’s exploitative and addictive algorithms have created a public health crisis affecting the mental and emotional well-being of an entire generation of our kids,” Hertel said. “Right now, parents are being asked to fight that battle without the tools they need. All the while, massive tech companies continue to grow their profit at our children’s expense. With our Kids Over Clicks package, we have the opportunity to change that and put parents back in the driver’s seat where they have the power to protect their kids online just as they do in the real world.”
In the same press release, Polehanki, who introduced Senate Bill 760, said the increasing dangers of A.I. must be dealt with.
“Keeping our kids safe from dangerous A.I. chatbots, data privacy abuses, and online exploitation is common sense, and I’m proud of our efforts to get these improved protections through the Senate,” Polehanki said. “As our digital landscape continues to evolve, our internet safety parameters need to continue evolving as well.”
The bills now head to the Michigan House for further consideration.
2. Overhaul of Michigan’s manufactured housing laws
Status: Introduced in the Senate
A bipartisan package of six bills introduced in the Michigan Senate April 29 aims to overhaul the state’s manufactured housing laws and strengthen protections for the roughly 174,459 licensed manufactured home sites across Michigan. The package would rebuild the state’s licensing system for mobile home park operators, establish new tenant protections around leases and utility billing, strengthen eviction safeguards and create financial tools to help residents purchase the parks they live in.
The primary enforcer of the package is the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, which can refer cases to the attorney general for civil action.
Senate Bill 934, introduced by state Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint, rebuilds the existing licensing system for mobile home park operators by requiring financial capacity and compliance history checks before a license is issued. The bill also creates a public database of licensed parks and their owners. Senate Bill 935, introduced by Joseph N. Bellino Jr., R-Monroe, aims to protect tenants by requiring annual inspections of parks and requires parks to offer leases of at least one year. Senate Bill 936 and 937, introduced by Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, and Rosemary Bayer, D-West Bloomfield, focus on eviction protection and state leases must not be terminated without cause. They also state landlords must provide notice to residents if they are selling park property. Senate Bill 938, introduced by state Rep. Roger Hauck, R-Mount Pleasant, creates a 15% income tax credit for park owners who sell to residents. Senate Bill 939, introduced by state Sen. Rick Outman, R-Six Lakes, authorizes the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to administer a revolving loan fund for residents who want to buy their park land.
In an April 30 press release, Cherry said the package will improve the lives of residents in his district and across Michigan.
“For too long, the laws governing these communities have not kept up with the realities residents face on the ground, from water shutoffs and rising lot rents to their entire community being sold out from under them,” Cherry said. “Our package takes a comprehensive approach, tackling these issues head-on by strengthening market integrity, establishing a fair playing field for responsible operators and finally giving residents the tools necessary to protect the homes they have worked their whole lives to own.”
The bill now heads to the Housing and Human Services committee for further consideration.
3. House Budget cuts to UMich and MSU
Status: Passed in the House
House Bill 5630, introduced by state Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton, would significantly reduce state funding for Michigan’s public universities, including the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. This functions as part of a broader $76 billion spending plan, which increases K-12 funding while cutting funds across most state departments. The bill was passed in the House April 22.
Under the bill, the University of Michigan’s $362.5 million state appropriation and Michigan State University’s $396.8 million appropriation would face cuts of approximately 62% to their states operations funding, amounting to reductions of about $222 million and $199 million respectively. Every public university and community college in Michigan faces the same treatment. However, the bill preserves student-facing programs including Michigan Achievement Scholarship at $300 million, Michigan Reconnect at $42 million and tuition incentive and veteran tuition grant programs.
In an April 23 press release, Bollin said Michigan families deserve a government that is just as careful with money as they have to be in order to keep up with inflation.
“Right now, families are stretching every dollar just to keep up,” Bollin said. “They expect their government to be just as careful with their money. … We took a responsible approach that covers every priority while reining in state government to ensure that taxpayers aren’t asked to pay more just to sustain the massive growth of state government we’ve seen over the last eight years.”
In a speech to the House April 22, state Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, said the reductions could significantly impact students and broader state services.
“These cuts will raise tuition, putting our two public universities further out of reach for Michigan students, making Michigan a brain-drained state,” Morgan said. “This budget practically asks students to leave. It asks talented researchers and entrepreneurs to leave, meaning fewer of them will build their lives and invest in our great state.”
The bill now heads to the Michigan Senate for further consideration.
4. Tax overhaul package
Status: Introduced in the House
A package of eight House bills introduced April 22 aims to fundamentally restructure Michigan’s tax base by eliminating three existing taxes and replacing the lost revenue with a new excise tax on services. House Bills 5873 through 5880 would repeal the state education tax, the state real estate transfer tax and the personal property tax, while introducing a new service-based excise tax to cover the revenue loss.
House Bill 5873, introduced by state Rep. Steve Frisbie, R-Pennfield, eliminates the state education tax, a statewide property tax used to fund schools. House bill 5874, introduced by state Rep. Rylee Linting, R-Wyandotte, repeals the state real estate transfer tax, which taxes all home sales and commercial real estate transactions. House Bills 5875, 5876 and 5877, introduced by state Reps. Karl Bohnak, R-Deerton; Tom Kuhn, R-Troy; Ron Robinson, R-Utica, respectively, lay the groundwork for repealing taxes. House Bill 5878, introduced by state Rep. Josh Schriver, D-Oxford, eliminates the personal property tax, currently levied on business equipment and machinery. House Bill 5879, introduced by state Rep. Jamie Thompson, R-Brownstown, functions as consumer protection ensuring businesses don’t pocket tax savings.
House Bill 5880, introduced by state Rep. Luke Meerman, R-Coopersville, introduces a new excise tax on service in order to offset lost tax revenue. It is unclear which services will be taxed at this time. The proposed excise tax would be implemented and enforced by the Michigan Department of Treasury.
In an April 22 press release, Frisbie said the tax restructure plan aims to offset rising home prices.
“Homeownership used to be a realistic goal for working families,” Frisbie said. “That’s no longer the case for too many people. We’re seeing young families struggle to buy their first home, parents unable to upgrade as their families grow and seniors afraid to move because they know their property taxes will jump.”
In a different press release, Robinson said action needs to be taken in order to make Michigan affordable.
“If we are serious about making Michigan affordable again and making homeownership the rule, not the exception, we need to take a hard look at the costs standing in the way,” Robinson said. “High property taxes, add-on fees at closing, and energy bills that are through the roof are all driving up costs for Michigan families. This plan tackles those issues head-on.”
The bill has been referred to the Government Operations committee for further review.
5. Ban on foreign-produced election equipment
Status: Passed in the House
House Bill 4720, sponsored by state Rep. Rachelle Smit, R-Martin was passed in the Michigan House April 14 and prohibits electronic voting machines purchased on or after Jan. 1 from containing any parts or equipment produced by companies on the Federal Communications Commission’s list, a watchlist that primarily targets Chinese telecommunications firms.
The bill amends Michigan’s existing election law, adding the foreign technology ban as a new requirement. Machines already in service are not affected and can still be used in the upcoming midterm elections.
The Board of State Canvassers, which approves all voting equipment used in Michigan, are the primary enforcers of the new requirement.
In an April 14 press release, Smit said the bill is necessary to protect Michigan’s elections.
“Across the world, foreign adversaries and state-controlled companies are looking for opportunities to infiltrate our country, including our election systems,” Smit said. “My plan would require state election officials to ensure any new election equipment does not contain parts from foreign companies of concern.”
In the same press release, Smit said protecting elections from foreign influence is straightforward when the federal government has already done the legwork.
“The federal government is already doing much of the work by maintaining a comprehensive list of companies that pose national security risks,” Smit said. “This requirement is a common-sense measure to protect our elections from foreign influence.”
The bill was referred to the Government Operations committee for further consideration.
Daily Staff Reporter Jonah Feldman can be reached at jonahfel@umich.edu.
