The Overview

The board working to protect Michigan's kids from abuse and neglect can now get its work done without everyone being in the same room. Michigan's HB 4808, now Public Act 63 of 2026, lets the state's Children Trust Michigan board, created under the child abuse and neglect prevention act, meet electronically by telephone or video in any circumstances. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed it July 21, 2026, and the act's full text lists an effective date of July 23.

The law does this by adding the board to a short list in Michigan's Open Meetings Act of public bodies that can meet by phone or video no matter the circumstances. Michigan's Children's Trust Fund says the board has 15 members and works to prevent child abuse and neglect and to support programs meant to strengthen families. Remote meetings must still meet existing requirements: two-way communication, a notice posted on the body's website at least 18 hours ahead if it maintains an official internet presence, and an agenda posted at least two hours before the meeting.

Rep. Bryan Posthumus is the bill's primary sponsor, with cosponsors Nancy DeBoer, John Fitzgerald, Angela Rigas, Tom Kunse, Ken Borton, Matt Bierlein, and Steve Frisbie. Enforcement follows the existing rules of the Open Meetings Act, with no new mechanism added.

The Demo

Michigan has about 10.08 million residents across roughly 4.08 million households, according to 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates. About one in five of those residents is under 18, based on the adult population count in the same estimates. Statewide, 13.2 percent of residents of all ages live below the poverty line and 14.3 percent have a disability, and those rates are not specific to children.

The Debate

The House passed the bill Jan. 14, 2026, 100 to nine on a motion for passage with immediate effect. The Senate passed a substitute version July 3, 2026, 22 to 14, with two members excused. The House concurred the same day, 100 to eight, with two members not voting, and the bill was ordered enrolled.

The governor's office listed HB 4808 among bipartisan legislation signed to support the Children Trust Michigan board. Amy Tattrie Loepp, chair of the Children Trust Michigan board, submitted committee testimony on the bill.

What's Next

The board's authority to meet remotely has been in effect since July 23, provided that the companion bills (Senate Bills 418 and 421 and House Bill 4805) were also enacted, as required by the act's enacting section. A Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency analysis of House Bills 4805 through 4808 found no fiscal impact on state or local government.

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