Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed 9 bills at the center of a yearslong legal battle between legislative Democrats and Republicans, bringing the contentious issue to a close.

The bills, which were passed at the end of the 2024 legislative session while Democrats were still in control of the chamber, were not transmitted to Whitmer in time before Republicans took over.

The decision by House Republicans not to transmit the bills to the Governor sparked a legal battle waged by Senate Democrats, who sued the House.

The bills included measures to exempt public benefits from debt collections and a requirement that the state pay a higher portion of state employees health insurance premiums.

Whitmer justified her decision to veto the Democrat-backed bills on the grounds that their passage would prolong expensive legal battles, and that the bills would have to be implemented retroactively.

“Implementing these bills retroactively would impose an insurmountable administrative burden on the state and all Michiganders affected,” Whitmer wrote. “It would give rise to endless litigation. It would overwrite law that has since gone into effect. Many of these bills have statutory deadlines that have long since passed.”

Still, Whitmer’s veto angered key Democratic allies such as the Michigan AFL-CIO and UAW, who condemned the decision in a joint press release.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s veto of these nine bills, following a long legal battle waged by leaders in her own party, betrays democratic values and abandons the very people who have supported her in office,” a joint statement read. 

Michigan Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp. gave his “sympathies” to Democrats who negotiated with him and went through a protracted legal battle to get the bills to Whitmer’s desk, just for them to be vetoed.

“My sympathies to the Democrats that they went through all of this work just for the bills to end up vetoed”, he said.

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