At the time I’m writing this column, we don’t yet know the official results of Tuesday’s general election.

But what we do know is that the Michigan Legislature’s lame-duck legislative session is coming, no matter the election’s outcome.

For those who are unfamiliar, “lame duck” is the time between the election and the start of the new calendar year, when our newly elected officials take office.

It’s the period when legislators who are term-limited or have lost their elections are able to make their final mark on our state’s public policy prior to the end of their terms.

I’ve observed many lame-duck legislative sessions during my career in Michigan, and it’s not hard to see why they sometimes get a bad reputation. Long days (and nights) filled with complex negotiations pack a lot of anxiety for those of us advocating for positive change.

But it can also be a time for great progress.

Our 102nd Michigan Legislature has an important opportunity ahead of them to put partisanship aside and close out this year tackling the issues that will truly help Michigan’s people.

Here at the Michigan League for Public Policy, we are making a final push for a number of key, people-centered bills that we hope to see make it past the finish line in 2024.

Among the bills we would like to see passed, the Michigan Family Leave Optimal Coverage (MI-FLOC) legislation tops our list.

That bill would establish 15 weeks of paid family and medical leave for Michigan workers to take care of their own health, provide care for a loved one, or welcome a new child without risk of losing their job or income.

We know that a paid leave program would be transformative for the people who make up the backbone of our state’s economy, resulting in stronger economic security and better health outcomes for them and their families.

And, from a business perspective, there is growing evidence that paid leave programs have had “minimal negative and perhaps even positive impacts on the overall business ecosystem,” according to a new report from the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions. Additionally, a recent poll presented by Progress Michigan shows that 71% of Michiganders support a paid family and medical leave program.

There are also several bills related to tenants’ rights we would like to see make it to the governor’s desk yet this year, including a legislative package that would prohibit Michigan landlords from discriminating against tenants based on their source of income and a bill that would ensure a statewide right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.

Additional bills would provide for the sealing and expungement of eviction records in certain circumstances and limit the use of criminal history information in the tenant screening process. That legislation would not only help remove barriers to safe and affordable housing for Michiganders, but would also ensure more families are able to keep a stable roof over their heads.

That is especially important for the future well-being and educational outcomes of children in Northeast Michigan, given that almost 600 K-12 students in the Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona and Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle intermediate school districts experienced homelessness in 2022, according to our latest Kids Count data.

The League is also in strong support of an unemployment reform bill package that, among other things, would increase the maximum number of weeks that Michiganders can receive unemployment insurance benefits and raise the weekly benefit amount. That legislation would modernize Michigan’s unemployment insurance program and bring it up to speed with the majority of other states in our country.

Ensuring workers who live in areas where jobs are less plentiful — including rural areas — have adequate time to find the best work opportunities available to them, as well as a weekly benefit that more sufficiently covers the cost of housing and other basic necessities, would go a long way in strengthening Michigan families.

Also included on our list of lame duck priorities for 2024 are several other bills that seek to advance economic security, health and healthy equity, juvenile justice, child well-being, immigrant rights, and improved data collection here in Michigan.

To see our full list of priorities, visit mlpp.org.

We hope that legislators who will be departing their offices at the end of December consider the legacy they’ll leave behind and take action now to ensure our state is a stronger, better place for all of their constituents.

Michigan’s workers, families and children deserve to be at the heart of legislative decisions in these next couple months.

Monique Stanton is president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy.