As many of us are seeking a fresh start in the new year, I can’t help but wish for a do-over when it comes to one thing.

During the Legislature’s lame duck session in December, lawmakers had the opportunity to make meaningful changes for Michiganders, with bills to improve economic security and help people meet basic needs poised to pass.

Yet, as the legislative cycle came to a close, Michiganders were left behind.

While the Michigan Senate did what they could — including a marathon session — to get bills to the governor’s desk, the state House failed to show up at all, leaving critical work undone.

To say we at the League are disappointed is an understatement.

While there were some glimmers of hope, such as the expansion of unemployment benefits and the removal of Medicaid work requirements, some great legislation that would benefit Michiganders didn’t make it across the finish line.

One such bill, which would have ensured competent legal defense for justice-involved youth, fell just one roll call vote short. Unlike adults, children in Michigan’s legal system are not guaranteed adequate constitutional protections for quality defense. That especially harms children from families with low incomes, often leading to harsher consequences.

The legislation, which stemmed from recommendations by the Michigan Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform, would have allowed the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to set minimum defense standards for youth.

The failure to pass that bill was a disservice to kids who deserve those constitutional rights.

Similarly, we saw a failure to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

Michigan’s maternal health care system continues to fail pregnant women, particularly women of color, who face unequal and inequitable access to care.

The “Momnibus” package — a set of bills designed to address systemic racism and other factors that negatively impact health care — offered long-overdue solutions to those critical issues, and we applauded the state Senate’s passage of the bills early in December.

But the state House missed its opportunity to drastically improve health outcomes for moms and babies across the state.

Access to safe, affordable drinking water also remains out of reach for too many Michigan families.

Water bills have become unsustainable for households below 200% of the federal poverty line (about $62,400 for a family of four), forcing some families to deal with water shutoffs. That means they cannot bathe, wash dishes, or even drink from the tap.

A proposed water affordability package would have provided relief by implementing an affordable surcharge on water and sewer bills, ensuring struggling families could keep their water running.

The failure to pass that measure was a missed opportunity to uphold water as a basic human right.

Paid leave for all, a plan that is supported by more than 80% of Michigan voters, was left out. Bills to support tenants’ rights, bills to curb predatory payday lending, and bills to protect youth from accessing tobacco were also abandoned by lawmakers.

Those and many other common-sense bills would have improved lives in every corner of the state.

Unfortunately, the clock ran out, and those opportunities slipped away.

Michiganders deserve better.

We know a do-over isn’t possible at this stage, but, as 2025 begins, the League resolves to fight for those policies and the well-being of Michigan residents in the months and years ahead.

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