Bill > HB4628

This bill aims to update the Michigan Revised Judicature Act by making language gender-neutral and replacing outdated gendered terms with more inclusive terminology. Specifically, the bill modifies several sections of the law to replace phrases like "husband and wife" with "spouses" and "person" with "individual" across multiple contexts, including civil procedures, bankruptcy exemptions, property rights, and legal witness testimony. The changes affect areas such as spousal witness privileges, judgment liens, property exemptions, and legal communications between spouses. For instance, in sections related to spousal testimony, the bill removes gender-specific language while maintaining the underlying legal principles about when spouses can or cannot testify against each other. The bill also makes some technical corrections, such as updating references to the Internal Revenue Code. Importantly, the bill will only take effect if a corresponding constitutional amendment is approved, as specified in the enacting section. The primary goal appears to be modernizing legal language to be more gender-inclusive while preserving the substantive legal provisions.

Government Affairs

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-4628