Bill > HB4609

This bill updates Michigan's 1981 law regarding married women's property rights by modernizing gender-specific language and clarifying property ownership and contractual rights. The bill replaces gender-specific terms like "husband" with the gender-neutral term "spouse" and reinforces that a married woman has full autonomy over property she acquires before or during marriage through gifts, inheritance, or personal earnings. Specifically, the bill affirms that such property remains the woman's separate property, which she can independently sell, transfer, mortgage, or bequeath without her spouse's involvement. The legislation also explicitly states that a married woman can independently enter into contracts related to her separate property, be personally liable for those contracts, and can act as a surety or guarantor for debts, with any resulting judgments potentially being satisfied through her separate property. Importantly, the bill stipulates that the spouse is not automatically liable for contracts entered into by the married woman unless they specifically act as a co-signor or guarantor. The bill will only take effect if a corresponding constitutional amendment is approved by the Michigan Legislature.

Government Affairs

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-4609