Lansing-area renters gained new protections Monday, Sept. 21, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed four bills into law with immediate effect.

"There's nothing more frustrating than trying to pay a bill online only for companies to raise the price at the last second with additional fees," Whitmer said, according to a news release from her office.

The package includes Senate Bill 22, sponsored by state Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. Her bill allows a security deposit that was submitted electronically to be returned by direct deposit or online transfer, rather than requiring a mailed check.

"Modernizing the rental security deposit return process reduces hurdles and headaches for renters and landlords alike," Anthony said in a news release, according to WLNS.

A second renter-focused measure, Senate Bill 373, requires every lease to include at least one rent-payment method that carries no extra fee. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford Township, also bars landlords from writing fee-only payment options as the sole choice in a lease, WWMT reported. Cavanagh said in a statement that the measure aims to ensure unnecessary fees do not price families out of housing.

Two other bills rounded out the signing. Senate Bill 1013, sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Bloomfield, bans insurance companies from setting rates based on a customer's willingness to pay more, a practice known as "price optimization." The measure codifies a 2024 statement from the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), according to WLNS. "These strong consumer safeguards will protect Michiganders from unfair practices that are squeezing their paycheck," Moss said, according to the governor's office.

Senate Bill 1052, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, redefines what qualifies as a kickback to exclude federally approved patient supports such as fertility preservation, travel assistance and care coordination, according to WWMT.

All four bills passed with bipartisan majorities. The Democrat-controlled Senate approved them in early June, and the Republican-controlled House followed in late August. Senate Bill 1052 drew the narrowest margin, passing 22-14.

All four laws carry immediate effect under the Michigan Constitution, which lets the Legislature waive the usual 90-day waiting period with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. That means the renter protections in Senate Bills 22 and 373 apply to security deposit returns and lease terms dated Sept. 21 or later.