Legislative Updates : 2025-08-06

You might have seen headlines or social media posts covering two big issues at the state Capitol last week: keeping kids focused in the classroom and keeping violent criminals behind bars. Solid plans to do both of those things went down in flames, and people were shocked.

 

Here’s what happened behind the scenes.

 

House Republicans brought forward two commonsense bills that should have passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. The first would have banned kids from using cell phones in classrooms, something parents and teachers across the country are demanding to help kids focus and learn. The second would have extended the deadline for prosecutors to resentence violent murderers who are otherwise scheduled for early release because of a recent court ruling. Both bills addressed real concerns, had strong public support, and should have become law.

 

But Democrats in the state House voted lockstep against both bills, killing them outright.

Now, the Democrats are trying to spin it and point at Donald Trump or the House Republicans as the reason for things not getting done. That’s just not true. House Republicans wrote the bills, brought them to the floor, and voted yes. It was House Democrats who voted no—blocking responsible policy and siding with special interests instead of students, teachers, and the victims of violent crime.

 

Even worse, House Democrats flip flopped on the issues. Multiple House Democrats voted in favor the cell phone ban in committee. One even went on TV and talked at length about how excited he was to vote yes when it came to the floor. The governor made it a highlight of her annual ‘State of the State’ address earlier this year! And they still voted ‘no’ just because they wanted to jam things up for Republicans in the House.

 

The resentencing bill was the same story. A large portion of the murderers set to be released are in Wayne County, an area largely represented by Democrats. Local officials and police there are asking for this bill, but House Democrats voted to let murderers out of prison in their own communities just to spite House Republicans.

 

These bills shouldn’t have been about politics. They are supposed to be about safety, education, and accountability. Banning phones in classrooms would give schools the tools they need to reduce distraction, cyberbullying, and addiction. Giving prosecutors more time would make sure violent offenders aren’t walking free just because of a technicality or a rushed process. These were smart, targeted solutions, but Democrats killed them to avoid giving Republicans a “win,” even on issues the public overwhelmingly supports.

 

House Republicans aren’t backing down. We’re going to keep fighting for families, for schools, and for safer communities. That’s what we’ve always done. That’s what the people of Michigan sent us to work to do.

 

The far left won’t stop us. And we’re going to make sure the public knows who’s really standing in the way of progress.

 

Thank you for standing with us,

 

Rachel Warner

Republican Caucus Services

Regional Member Services Advisor

517-888-4649