A QPQ Tracker study · Michigan · 2023–2026
Michigan: who paid for the data centers and what the state decided
DTE gave $1.08M through its state PAC and treasury, Consumers Energy $792,480. The four caucus committees are the largest recipients. Consumers’ treasury also gave $65,000 to the ballot committee opposing the 2026 ban on utility donations. Oracle, OpenAI, Amazon and Meta have no Michigan contributor rows.
The Legislature passed the data center sales and use tax exemption in two acts in the December 2024 lame-duck session, 23-12 and 22-13 in the Senate. It runs to 2050, and to 2065 on brownfields. The sponsors’ votes and payer money are on their cards below.
The appointed Public Service Commission approved DTE’s 1,383-megawatt contracts for the Oracle–OpenAI campus in Saline Township without a contested hearing on December 18, 2025. The township had denied the rezoning 4-1 in September, was sued two days later and signed a consent judgment in October. Repeal and cost bills sit in committee.
Who paid
Each company's direct giving from its treasury and employee PAC, as filed in Michigan. Executives' personal cheques, super PAC spending and lobbying are different kinds of money and are not added here.
| Payer | Class | Direct giving in Michigan | Filings (every state the payer files in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DTE Energy | Utility | $1,084,100 | |
| CMS / Consumers Energy | Utility | $792,480 | |
| ITC Holdings | Utility | $207,450 | |
| AEP | Utility | $33,000 | 6 filer rows →
|
| Hyperscaler | $20,070 | ||
| Walbridge | Trade group, developer, pipeline or investor | $50 | Filings and recipients → |
Who took it
The Michigan officeholders and candidates who received the most from the payer set, and what each did on the state's data center measures: the votes they cast, the bills they authored, the orders they signed. A yea is a vote for the measure as titled.
2 measures voted on
- NayHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- NaySB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on
- YeaSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
- YeaHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on
- NayHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- NaySB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on
- YeaHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- YeaSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on · 1 action on a measure
- advocated forSB 1047 and HB 6135: bills to create a large-load rate class for data centersIntroduced
- YeaHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- YeaSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on
- YeaHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- YeaSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on · 2 actions on measures
- advocated forSB 1047 and HB 6135: bills to create a large-load rate class for data centersIntroduced
- advocated forSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
- YeaSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
- YeaHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on
- YeaHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- YeaSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on
- YeaHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- YeaSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
2 measures voted on · 2 actions on measures
- advocated forSB 1047 and HB 6135: bills to create a large-load rate class for data centersIntroduced
- advocated forHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- YeaHB 4906: sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Enacted
- YeaSB 237: use tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 181 of 2024Enacted
No recorded vote or action on a tracked measure.
No recorded vote or action on a tracked measure.
The 12 largest recipients of any kind, committees included
| # | Recipient | Kind | From the payer set |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | House Republican Campaign Committee (Michigan) | PAC or committee | $188,150 |
| 2 | Michigan Senate Democratic Fund | PAC or committee | $183,000 |
| 3 | Michigan House Democratic Fund | PAC or committee | $179,100 |
| 4 | Senate Republican Campaign Committee (Michigan) | PAC or committee | $152,500 |
| 5 | Business Leaders For Michigan PAC II (Superpac) | PAC or committee | $85,000 |
| 6 | Powering The Economy (Superpac) | PAC or committee | $65,050 |
| 7 | Protect MI Free Speech | PAC or committee | $65,000 |
| 8 | Aric Nesbitt | person | $57,400 |
| 9 | Winnie Brinks | person | $53,950 |
| 10 | Matt Hall (Michigan) | person | $49,725 |
| 11 | Joe Tate | person | $44,900 |
| 12 | Sean McCann (Michigan) | person | $32,000 |
What they decided
Every Michigan bill, regulator's order, executive action and election the study tracks, with its result, its recorded vote and the people and companies on the record for it. Each links to the official document.
Michigan9 measures
- Regulator's orderEnactedOct 1, 2026
- BillIntroducedJun 18, 2026
- Regulator's orderEnactedDec 18, 2025
- BillIntroducedDec 17, 2025Jim Runestad (Michigan) advocated for
- Regulator's orderEnactedNov 6, 2025
- Court rulingDecidedOct 15, 2025
- BillFailedSep 10, 2025
- BillEnactedJan 17, 2025House last roll 5–1 among 6 loaded members, Nov 13, 2024Senate last roll 3–2 among 5 loaded members, Dec 12, 202411 votes loadedHB 4906 (Michigan, 2023-24): sales tax exemption for enterprise data centers, Public Act 207 of 2024Joey Andrews advocated for; Gretchen Whitmer shaped
- BillEnactedDec 30, 2024House last roll 5–1 among 6 loaded members, Sep 25, 2024Senate last roll 3–2 among 5 loaded members, Dec 12, 202411 votes loadedKevin Hertel advocated for; Gretchen Whitmer shaped
How to read this page
The money is corporate-treasury and employee-PAC giving reported in Michigan’s own filing system, the MiTN contribution exports, from January 2023 to the latest filing loaded (1,689 contributions, January 2023 to August 2026). Transfers between a politician’s own committees, conduit memo lines and gifts from the opposing side are left out. Executives’ personal cheques, super PAC spending, 527 transfers and lobbying are different kinds of money. The report keeps them apart, and the written part of this page names them as such. Nothing on this page adds across kinds.
The votes are the legislature’s own roll calls, loaded for the members the study follows. A yea is a vote for the measure as titled. The measures are the bills, commission orders, executive actions and elections the study identified; each links to its official record.
Every payer total was reconciled against the payer’s own reports where the state publishes them. The checks are in the report’s verification log. Figures on this page were last recomputed on October 31, 2026. Correlation is not proof of causation; the record shows what was paid and what was decided.