LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, sued House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, on Monday for not advancing nine bills that passed the state Legislature last term to the governor's desk for potential signatures.

Brinks and the Democrat-controlled Senate filed the suit in the Michigan Court of Claims, labeling the case an "urgent state constitutional matter." The suit escalates a weeks-long debate in the Capitol over what duties Hall had to fulfill once he became the House leader on Jan. 8.

The lawsuit, believed to be unprecedented in modern Michigan history, could test the court's willingness to get involved in a dispute between two equal chambers of the Legislature.

The litigation comes 33 days into the new legislative term, in which Democrats hold the Senate and Republicans control the House. The lawsuit will likely determine the fate of bills that would increase how much government agencies pay toward their employees' health care and that would allow corrections officers into the Michigan State Police's hybrid pension plan.

All nine bills in question passed the Senate and House during the 2023-24 term, when Democrats held majorities in both chambers, but weren't transferred to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature or veto before Republicans took control of the House in January. Usually, the act of moving the bills to the governor is an automatic, administrative task.

"Speaker Hall is refusing to send them to the governor, and in doing so, he has failed us," Brinks said Monday. "He has failed Michigan teachers, firefighters, law enforcement and corrections officers. He has failed to fulfill his responsibilities as an elected official."

The lawsuit filed by the Michigan Senate lists Hall, the House of Representatives and House Clerk Scott Staff as plaintiffs. The document, submitted by lawyer Mark Brewer, former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, argued, "The anti-democracy conduct of the House cannot stand."

The Michigan Constitution says each bill "passed by the Legislature shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor."

In response, Hall spokesman Greg Manz said the House speaker is "carrying out a thorough, comprehensive legal review of an entirely unprecedented situation to ensure the House acts constitutionally."

Hall announced the legal review on Jan. 9, telling reporters he would make decision after it was over.

Manz also criticized the Michigan Senate on Monday for not taking action to alter new minimum wage standards and earned sick leave requirements that are expected to take effect Feb. 21 in Michigan, after a Michigan Supreme Court decision last year.

"Sadly, Sen. Brinks’ inaction on tipped wage and earned sick time legislation is jeopardizing 50,000 family-sustaining jobs," Manz said. "She hasn't even read the bills into committee two weeks after they passed the House. She should be focused on helping those people in need, not rushing to the courts."

It hasn't been clear why the bills weren't delivered to Whitmer while former House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, was still in charge.

Among the bills in limbo is one to alter a law that Republican former Gov. Rick Snyder signed in 2011 to limit what public employers can pay toward their workers' health care.

"Getting these currently unsustainable costs under control now helps ensure Michigan's long-term future and allows us to all move forward together," Snyder said at the time.

The Snyder policy allowed public employers to choose between inflation-adjusted caps on contributions or a maximum 80% contribution. The new bill would boost the caps by about 7% and make the 80% contribution level the floor instead of the ceiling.

The bill would have a direct impact on police officers, firefighters and teachers who are facing rising health care costs, Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, said Monday.

"It is crystal clear that this problem must be solved for the individuals who step up to take these jobs, for their families and for our communities who depend on them to be on the job," Hertel said. "We need to get this done."

Another bill that has remain stalled would allow Detroit's Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Museum to seek a property tax millage in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

On Jan. 22, the Michigan Senate authorized its Democratic leader to pursue legal action against the Republican-led Michigan House for failing to send nine bills to Whitmer.

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(Staff writer Beth LeBlanc contributed to this story.)

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