Michigan House Bill HB4623

Michigan 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 6/10/25
• Refer: 6/10/25

Caption

Businesses: partnerships; certain references in the uniform partnership act; make gender neutral. Amends sec. 6 of 1917 PA 72 (MCL 449.6). TIE BAR WITH: HJR F'25

Summary

House Bill 4623 amends section 6 of Michigan’s Uniform Partnership Act to make the statute’s language gender-neutral. The bill replaces references to “husband and wife” with “spouses” in the definition of a partnership and in the provision recognizing certain spousal partnerships as valid. It also makes corresponding wording changes for clarity and modern usage without changing the basic rule that a partnership is an association of two or more persons carrying on a business for profit. The bill also retains existing exclusions and applicability rules, including the provision that associations formed under other statutes are not treated as partnerships under this act unless they would have qualified as partnerships under prior Michigan law. The bill continues to state that the act applies to limited partnerships except where inconsistent with the limited partnership statutes. In addition, the bill is tie-barred to a proposed constitutional change, meaning it would not take effect unless the referenced joint resolution becomes part of the Michigan Constitution.

Impact

If enacted and triggered by the related constitutional amendment, HB 4623 would update Michigan’s partnership statute by revising outdated gendered terminology in the Uniform Partnership Act. The practical legal effect is limited: it does not materially alter who may form a partnership or the substantive rules governing partnerships, but it modernizes statutory language and ensures the law reflects same-sex and opposite-sex spouses equally. The bill would affect the interpretation and drafting of partnership-related legal documents and the statutory text in MCL 449.6.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill is largely noncontroversial and technical in nature, focused on modernizing statutory language rather than changing partnership law in a substantive way. The caption describes the measure as making certain references in the Uniform Partnership Act gender neutral, which typically indicates a cleanup or conforming amendment. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no evidence of recorded opposition or debate in the materials supplied.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is not the partnership amendment itself, but the bill’s tie-bar to HJR F (or the corresponding Senate joint resolution), which means the bill’s effectiveness depends on a separate constitutional change. Any disagreement would likely center on the linked constitutional resolution rather than the gender-neutral wording in the partnership statute. The bill otherwise appears to be a narrow terminology update with little substantive policy dispute.