Terms Used In Michigan Laws 4.61

  • Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
  • Majority leader: see Floor Leaders
  • Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
  (1) As a part of the organization of the house of representatives on the first day of the first regular session of each legislature, the clerk shall allocate the seats in the hall of the house between the political parties whose members were duly elected to the office of state representative at the immediately preceding general election.
  (2) The majority leader of the house of representatives shall assign each member of the majority caucus to a seat. The minority leader of the house of representatives shall assign each member of the minority caucus to a seat.
  (3) If any member is not assigned a seat under subsection (2), the majority leader of the house of representatives shall assign that member to a seat.
  (4) The assignments to a seat under this section must be printed in the house journal.
  (5) This act does not apply if section 54 of article IV of the state constitution of 1963 is repealed or is amended after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this subsection.