SAFETY BELT USE - S.B. 335 (S-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 335 (Substitute S-2 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Senator Bill Bullard, Jr.
Committee: Transportation and Tourism
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to do the following:
-- Provide that the Code's safety belt requirements could be enforced only as a secondary action if, after December 31, 2005, the Office of Highway Safety Planning certified that there had been less than 80% compliance with the requirements during the preceding year.
-- Require each driver and passenger of a motor vehicle to wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt. (The Code currently requires each driver and front seat passenger to wear a seat belt.)
-- Require all children under four years of age in a motor vehicle to be secured properly in a child restraint system. (Currently, any child under the age of one must be in a child restraint system, any child at least one but under four must be in a child restraint system when in the front seat of a vehicle, and any child at least one but under four must be in a child restraint system or secured by a safety belt when in the rear seat.)
-- Require the Secretary of State to engage an independent organization to conduct a three-year study to determine the effect of the primary enforcement of the safety belt requirements on the number of incidents of police harassment of drivers, and report to the Legislature by June 30, 2001, and each year thereafter.
-- Require the Secretary of State to conduct a study, with contributions from the Departments of State Police, Community Health, and Transportation as well as the Insurance Bureau, to analyze any monetary savings resulting from the bill, and require the findings of the study to be reported to the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Fiscal Agency by May 1, 2000.
-- Specify a legislative intent that enforcement of the safety belt requirements "be conducted in a manner calculated to save lives and not in a manner that results in the harassment of the citizens of this state."
MCL 257.710d & 257.710e - Legislative Analyst: L. Arasim
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would require the Department of State to engage an independent organization to conduct a study to determine the effect of primary enforcement on incidents of police harassment of drivers. This requirement would impose contractual costs on the Department.
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the Department of State Police or on local government.
Date Completed: 3-16-99 - Fiscal Analyst: E. Limbs
- B. Baker
floor\sb335 - Analysis available @ http://www.michiganlegislature.org
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.