MI HB5445

Requires each judicial circuit with more than one judge to permanently assign at least one judgeship to the family division of circuit court, with the number of assignments based on caseload studies conducted by the Michigan Supreme Court

Mandates judges in the family division complete specific training requirements: 40 hours of family law training, 40 hours of children's law training, and 16 hours of domestic violence training before presiding over cases

Requires referees serving in family division to have at least 5 years of combined family law and children's law experience, with 40 hours of additional training required in any area where they lack experience

Establishes that cases involving members of the same immediate family (spouse, parent, child, or sibling) must be assigned to the same judge and referee team rather than being handled separately

Sets implementation deadline of January 1, 2028 for circuit courts to revise family court plans, with the Supreme Court authorized to develop plans for non-compliant circuits by April 1, 2028