HB 4359 MI Became Law
Elections: local; term of office for elected officials; modify. Amends secs. 4, 5 & 13, ch. II & sec. 3, ch. V of 1895 PA 3 (MCL 62.4 et seq.).
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Summary
Michigan HB 4359 modifies the terms of office for elected village officials under Michigan's 1895 village government law, effective June 22, 2026. The bill specifies that village presidents, clerks, and treasurers serve two-year terms, while village trustees serve either four-year terms with three elected biennially, or two-year terms with all six elected at each biennial election if the village adopts an ordinance choosing that option. The bill establishes that terms of office begin on December 1 following election and qualification. The bill also clarifies procedures for filling vacancies, including that vacant trustee or president positions are filled by council appointment until the next regular election, and establishing a special election process when council membership falls below a quorum or when all village officers and trustees leave office with no successors. The bill provides that individuals elected to fill vacancies cannot take the oath of office until the election results have been certified by the board of canvassers.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Pat Outman Republican · primary
32 coauthors / cosponsors
- Penelope Tsernoglou Democratic · cosponsor
- Stephen Wooden Democratic · cosponsor
- Reggie Miller Democratic · cosponsor
- Mike Hoadley Republican · cosponsor
- Carol Glanville Democratic · cosponsor
- Natalie Price Democratic · cosponsor
- Joey Andrews Democratic · cosponsor
- Jason Morgan Democratic · cosponsor
- Sharon MacDonell Democratic · cosponsor
- Matt Koleszar Democratic · cosponsor
- Carrie Rheingans Democratic · cosponsor
- Regina Weiss Democratic · cosponsor
- Noah Arbit Democratic · cosponsor
- Erin Byrnes Democratic · cosponsor
- Mike McFall Democratic · cosponsor
- Kara Hope Democratic · cosponsor
- Jennifer Conlin Democratic · cosponsor
- Cynthia Neeley Democratic · cosponsor
- Jimmie Wilson Democratic · cosponsor
- Dylan Wegela Democratic · cosponsor
- Stephanie Young Democratic · cosponsor
- John Fitzgerald Democratic · cosponsor
- Julie Brixie Democratic · cosponsor
- Laurie Pohutsky Democratic · cosponsor
- Morgan Foreman Democratic · cosponsor
- Tonya Phillips Democratic · cosponsor
- Mai Xiong Democratic · cosponsor
- Matt Longjohn Democratic · cosponsor
- Gina Johnsen Republican · cosponsor
- Tom Kunse Republican · cosponsor
- Angela Rigas Republican · cosponsor
- Brian BeGole Republican · cosponsor
Action history (30)
- Apr 22, 2025 introduced by Representative Rep. Pat Outman · lower
- Apr 22, 2025 read a first time · lower
- Apr 22, 2025 referred to Committee on Election Integrity · lower
- Apr 23, 2025 bill electronically reproduced 04/22/2025 · lower
- Jul 15, 2025 reported with recommendation without amendment · lower
- Jul 15, 2025 referred to second reading · lower
- Sep 3, 2025 read a second time · lower
- Sep 3, 2025 placed on third reading · lower
- Sep 3, 2025 placed on immediate passage · lower
- Sep 3, 2025 read a third time · lower
- Sep 3, 2025 passed; given immediate effect Roll Call #183 Yeas 105 Nays 0 Excused 0 Not Voting 5 · lower
- Sep 3, 2025 transmitted · lower
- Sep 9, 2025 PASSED BY HOUSE WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT · upper
- Sep 9, 2025 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS AND ETHICS · upper
- May 20, 2026 DISCHARGE COMMITTEE APPROVED · upper
- May 20, 2026 PLACED ON ORDER OF GENERAL ORDERS · upper
- Jun 10, 2026 REPORTED BY COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FAVORABLY WITHOUT AMENDMENT(S) · upper
- Jun 11, 2026 PLACED ON ORDER OF THIRD READING · upper
- Jun 10, 2026 RULES SUSPENDED · upper
- Jun 10, 2026 PLACED ON IMMEDIATE PASSAGE · upper
- Jun 10, 2026 PASSED; GIVEN IMMEDIATE EFFECT ROLL CALL # 115 YEAS 32 NAYS 1 EXCUSED 5 NOT VOTING 0 · upper
- Jun 10, 2026 INSERTED FULL TITLE · upper
- Jun 10, 2026 RETURNED TO HOUSE · upper
- Jun 10, 2026 returned from Senate without amendment with immediate effect and full title · lower
- Jun 10, 2026 full title agreed to · lower
- Jun 10, 2026 bill ordered enrolled · lower
- Jun 16, 2026 presented to the Governor 06/11/2026 03:00 PM · lower
- Jun 23, 2026 approved by the Governor 06/20/2026 01:06 PM · lower
- Jun 23, 2026 filed with Secretary of State 06/22/2026 01:42 PM · lower
- Jun 23, 2026 assigned PA 18'26 with immediate effect · lower
Text versions (10)
The published texts of this bill as it moves through the legislature. Each links to the official document on the state legislature site. Data from OpenStates.
Full text
Full text imported from legislature.mi.gov
Act No. 18 Public Acts of 2026 Approved by the Governor June 20, 2026 Filed with the Secretary of State June 22, 2026 EFFECTIVE DATE: June 22, 2026 state of michigan 103rd Legislature Regular session of 2026 Introduced by Reps. Outman, Tsernoglou, Wooden, Miller, Hoadley, Glanville, Price, Andrews, Morgan, MacDonell, Koleszar, Rheingans, Weiss, Arbit, Byrnes, McFall, Hope, Conlin, Neeley, Wilson, Wegela, Young, Fitzgerald, Brixie, Pohutsky, Foreman, Myers-Phillips, Xiong, Longjohn, Johnsen, Kunse, Rigas and BeGole ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 4359 AN ACT to amend 1895 PA 3, entitled �An act to provide for the government of certain villages; to define their powers and duties; to provide for the levy and collection of taxes, borrowing of money, and issuance of bonds and other evidences of indebtedness by villages subject to this act; to define the powers and duties of certain state and local officers and entities; to define the application of this act and provide for its amendment by villages subject to this act; to validate prior amendments and certain prior actions taken and bonds issued by villages subject to this act; to provide for the disincorporation of villages; and to prescribe penalties and provide remedies,� by amending sections 4, 5, and 13 of chapter II and section 3 of chapter V (MCL 62.4, 62.5, 62.13, and 65.3), sections 4 and 5 of chapter II and section 3 of chapter V as amended by 2012 PA 551 and section 13 of chapter II as amended by 2003 PA 305. The People of the State of Michigan enact: CHAPTER II
Sec. 4. Unless otherwise provided by ordinance, the president, clerk, and treasurer hold their respective offices for the term of 2 years and until their successors are elected and qualified. The term of office for a president, clerk, or treasurer elected at the village�s regular election begins on December 1 after the officer�s election and qualification.
Sec. 5. Except as otherwise provided in this section, 3 village trustees must be elected at each biennial village election for the term of 4 years and until their successors are qualified. As an alternative, if provided by an ordinance adopted by the village, all 6 village trustees must be elected at the biennial village elections for the term of 2 years and until their successors are qualified. The term of office for a trustee elected at the village�s regular election begins on December 1 after the officer�s election and qualification.
Sec. 13. (1) A vacancy occurring in the office of president, trustee, or any other elective office must be filled by appointment by the council, and the appointee shall hold office until the next regular village election. All vacancies in any other office must be filled by the president, by and with the consent of the council. (2) If by reason of removal, death, resignation, or otherwise, the membership of the council is reduced to less than a quorum, the remaining council members shall call a special election for the purpose of filling all vacancies in the office of trustee, if a petition signed by not less than 10% of the qualified voters of the village is filed with the village clerk not later than 10 days after the vacancy or vacancies occur. If a petition is not filed within the time period required under this subsection, then the remaining council members may either call a special election, or may appoint a sufficient number of trustees to constitute with the members in office a quorum of the council, who shall then fill the remaining vacancies as provided in this section. (3) If all the officers and trustees of a village die or move from the village, and no successors have been elected or appointed to fill the vacancies, the township clerk of the township within which the village is situated shall, on petition of 10% of the qualified voters residing in the village, call a special election for the election of the officers and trustees of the village to be held on a regular election date as established under section 641 of the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.641. The township shall perform all of the other duties with respect to the election as the village might have done had the vacancies not existed, including the preparation of ballots, the appointment of election inspectors, the counting and canvassing of the ballots, and the certification of the persons elected to the offices for which the election was held. The expenses of the election must be paid by the village as provided in section 642 of the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.642. (4) Notwithstanding any ordinance to the contrary, an individual elected to fill a vacancy shall not take the oath of office until the results have been certified by the appropriate board of canvassers.
CHAPTER V
Sec. 3. (1) On December 1 of each year, or as soon after that date as possible, the council shall appoint 1 of their number president pro tempore of the council. (2) In the absence of the president, the president pro tempore presides at the council meetings, and exercises the powers and duties of president. In the absence of the president and president pro tempore, the member with the longest current period of continuous service on the council presides unless otherwise provided by council rules. This act is ordered to take immediate effect.
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Secretary of the Senate Approved___________________________________________
____________________________________________________ Governor
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