Business Corporation Campaign & Ballot-Issue Spending Prohibition

Current understanding

HB 6218 of 2026 would amend the Business Corporation Act (1972 PA 284) — specifically secs. 261, 271, 821, 1012 & 1041 — and add sec. 261a to revoke the authority of business corporations to spend money in candidate elections or on ballot issues. It is tie-barred to HB 6216 (LLCs) and HB 6217 (nonprofits), forming a three-bill package that would apply parallel spending prohibitions across Michigan’s principal business-entity statutes. Status: introduced in the 103rd Legislature, 2026 session.

Evidence log

• 2026-07-02 — Businesses: nonprofit corporations; power of nonprofit corporations to spend in elections or ballot issues; revoke. Amends secs. 261, 271, 821, 1012 & 1041 of 1982 PA 162 (MCL 450.2261 et seq.) & adds sec. 261a. TIE BAR WITH: SB 1085’26, SB 1087’26: cross-connection with nonprofit-campaign-spending: SB 1086 (nonprofits) is tie-barred to SB 1085 (business corporations), showing the Senate package mirrors the House package (HB 6217/HB 6218) across corporate forms. (novelty: 3)
• 2026-07-02 — Businesses: business corporations; power of corporations to spend in elections or ballot issues; revoke. Amends sec. 261, 271, 821, 1012 & 1041 of 1972 PA 284 (MCL 450.1261 et seq.) & adds sec. 261a. TIE BAR WITH: SB 1086’26, SB 1087’26: SB 1085 introduced as Senate companion to HB 6218, amending the same Business Corporation Act sections (261, 271, 821, 1012, 1041) and adding sec. 261a to revoke corporate election/ballot-issue spending power; tie-barred to SB 1086 (LLCs) and SB 1087 (nonprofits), mirroring the House three-bill package. (novelty: 3)
• 2026-07-03 — Businesses: other; power of entities to spend in elections or ballot issues; revoke. Amends the state constitution by adding sec. 55 to art. IV.: HJRZ introduced proposing a constitutional amendment (Art. IV § 55) revoking entity election/ballot-issue spending power, providing a constitutional counterpart to the statutory HB 6218 prohibition on business corporations. (novelty: 3)
• 2026-07-03 — Businesses: business corporations; power of corporations to spend in elections or ballot issues; revoke. Amends secs. 261, 271, 821, 1012 & 1041 of 1972 PA 284 (MCL 450.1261 et. seq.) & adds sec. 261a. TIE BAR WITH: HB 6216’26, HB 6217’26: cross-connection with llc-campaign-spending: Tie-barred companion bills within a three-bill package (HB 6216/6217/6218) imposing parallel campaign and ballot-issue spending prohibitions across LLC, nonprofit, and business corporation statutes. (novelty: 3)

Open questions

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