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HB-6009, As Passed House, June 24, 2026
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HOUSE BILL NO. 6009
A bill to regulate certain provisions in certain public
employment contracts; to limit severance payments to certain public
employees and public officers; and to require the disclosure or
publication of certain public employment contracts.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 1. This act may be cited as the "state employment 1
contract regulation act". 2
Sec. 3. As used in this act: 3
(a) "Severance pay" means compensation that is both of the 4
May 21, 2026, Introduced by Reps. Roth, DeBoyer, Schuette, St. Germaine, Beson, Mueller,
Harris, Woolford, Hoadley, Johnsen, Kunse , Green, Herzberg and Greene and referred to
Committee on Government Operations.
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following: 1
(i) Payable or paid upon or after the termination of 2
employment. 3
(ii) In addition to any of the following: 4
(A) Wages or benefits earned. 5
(B) Generally applicable retirement benefits. 6
(b) "State employee" means an individual employed in the 7
executive or legislative branch of government of this state. State 8
employee does not include an employee in the state classified civil 9
service. 10
(c) "State officer" means an individual who is elected or 11
appointed to an office created by law in the executive or 12
legislative branch of government of this state. 13
Sec. 5. (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) or 14
(3), this state shall not do either of the following: 15
(a) Enter into an employment contract with a state employee if 16
any of the following conditions apply: 17
(i) The employment contract provides for severance pay to the 18
state employee in an amount that is greater than an amount equal to 19
12 weeks of the state employee's normal wages. 20
(ii) The employment contract prohibits the state employee from 21
disclosing any of the following: 22
(A) Factual information about an alleged violation of law, 23
including, but not limited to, discrimination and sexual 24
harassment, in the state employee's workplace. 25
(B) The existence of the employment contract. 26
(C) A portion of or the full text of the employment contract. 27
(iii) The employment contract does not state that the employment 28
contract represents the complete and exclusive agreement between 29
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the parties to the employment contract. 1
(b) Pay to a state employee severance pay in an amount greater 2
than what is authorized under subdivision (a)(i). 3
(2) For a state employee in the executive branch, if the 4
attorney general determines that severance pay for the state 5
employee in an amount greater than what is authorized under 6
subsection (1)(a)(i) is necessary to serve the best interests of 7
this state based on the risk of litigation and the need to minimize 8
the expenditure of public funds, this state may, subject to 9
subsection (4), do either of the following: 10
(a) Enter into an employment contract with the state employee 11
that provides for severance pay to the state employee in an amount 12
greater than what is authorized under subsection (1)(a)(i) if the 13
employment contract releases, to the extent allowed by law, all 14
claims the state employee may have against this state. 15
(b) Pay to the state employee severance pay as provided for in 16
the employment contract described in subdivision (a). 17
(3) For a state employee in the legislative branch, if the 18
legal counsel for the public body that employs the state employee 19
determines that severance pay for the state employee in an amount 20
greater than what is authorized under subsection (1)(a)(i) is 21
necessary to serve the best interests of this state based on the 22
risk of litigation and the need to minimize the expenditure of 23
public funds, this state may, subject to subsection (4), do either 24
of the following: 25
(a) Enter into an employment contract with the state employee 26
that provides for severance pay to the state employee in an amount 27
greater than what is authorized under subsection (1)(a)(i) if the 28
employment contract releases, to the extent allowed by law, all 29
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claims the state employee may have against this state. 1
(b) Pay to the state employee severance pay as provided for in 2
the employment contract described in subdivision (a). 3
(4) If this state enters into an employment contract with a 4
state employee or state officer that provides for severance pay to 5
the state employee or state officer in an amount equal to or 6
greater than an amount equal to 6 weeks of the state employee's or 7
state officer's normal wages, the public body that employs the 8
state employee or in which the state officer serves shall, not 9
later than 28 days after the employment contract is entered into 10
and to the extent allowed by law, make the full text of the 11
employment contract available to the public on the public body's 12
website. 13
Sec. 7. (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) or 14
(3), this state shall not do any of the following: 15
(a) Enter into an employment contract with a state officer if 16
any of the following conditions apply: 17
(i) The employment contract provides for severance pay to the 18
state officer. 19
(ii) The employment contract prohibits the state officer from 20
disclosing any of the following: 21
(A) Factual information about an alleged violation of law, 22
including, but not limited to, discrimination and sexual 23
harassment, in the state officer's workplace. 24
(B) The existence of the employment contract. 25
(C) A portion of or the full text of the employment contract. 26
(iii) The employment contract does not state that the employment 27
contract represents the complete and exclusive agreement between 28
the parties to the employment contract. 29
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(b) Pay severance pay to a state officer. 1
(c) Enter into a nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement 2
with a state officer regarding the performance of the state 3
officer's official duties, unless confidentiality is required by 4
law. 5
(2) For a state officer in the executive branch, if the 6
attorney general determines that severance pay for the state 7
officer is necessary to serve the best interests of this state 8
based on the risk of litigation and the need to minimize the 9
expenditure of public funds, this state may, subject to subsection 10
(4) and section 5(4), do either of the following: 11
(a) Enter into an employment contract with the state officer 12
that provides for severance pay to the state officer if the 13
employment contract releases, to the extent allowed by law, all 14
claims the state officer may have against this state. 15
(b) Pay to the state officer severance pay as provided for in 16
the employment contract described in subdivision (a). 17
(3) For a state officer in the legislative branch, if the 18
legal counsel for the public body in which the public officer 19
serves determines that severance pay for the state officer is 20
necessary to serve the best interests of this state based on the 21
risk of litigation and the need to minimize the expenditure of 22
public funds, this state may, subject to subsection (4) and section 23
5(4), do either of the following: 24
(a) Enter into an employment contract with the state officer 25
that provides for severance pay to the state officer if the 26
employment contract releases, to the extent allowed by law, all 27
claims the state officer may have against this state. 28
(b) Pay to the state officer severance pay as provided for in 29
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the employment contract described in subdivision (a). 1
(4) If a determination is made under subsection (2) or (3) 2
that severance pay for a state officer is necessary to serve the 3
best interests of this state based on the risk of litigation and 4
the need to minimize the expenditure of public funds, the public 5
body in which the public officer serves shall, not later than 3 6
days after the employment contract is entered into and to the 7
extent allowed by law, submit by electronic means the full text of 8
the state officer's employment contract to all of the following: 9
(a) The speaker of the house of representatives. 10
(b) The minority leader of the house of representatives. 11
(c) The senate majority leader. 12
(d) The senate minority leader. 13
Sec. 9. This act applies to an employment contract that is 14
entered into, amended, extended, or renewed on or after the 15
effective date of this act. 16