The Michigan Senate is composed of 38 members, each elected from a single-member district with a population of between approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents.

[2] Legislative districts are drawn on the basis of population figures, provided by the federal decennial census.

[4] Each senator must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district they represent.

According to Article IV Section 13 of the State Constitution, a new session of the legislature begins when the members of each house convene, on the second Wednesday of January every year at noon.

A regular session of the legislature typically lasts throughout the entire year with several periods of recess and adjourns sine die in late December.

[5] Members receive a base salary of $71,685 per year, which makes them the fourth-highest paid state legislators in the country, after California, Pennsylvania and New York.

Successful legislation must undergo committee review, three readings on the floor of each house, with appropriate voting majorities, as required, and either be signed into law by the governor or enacted through a veto override approved by two-thirds of the membership of each legislative house.