Whitmer signs bills addressing firearm safety, mental health
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of bills Wednesday on a range of topics intended to help increase safety at schools and within communities, her office announced.
"I'm proud to sign these 19 commonsense bills that will keep Michigan families and neighborhoods safe from gun violence and other violent crimes," the Democratic governor said in the announcement.
New stipulations among the list of 19 bills include the following:
- Requiring information about the safe storage of firearms to be distributed to parents of students. State officials estimate 150,000 Michigan children live in homes where there is an unsecured firearm; and also cited statistics that more than 70% of school shootings involve a firearm owned by a family member and taken by the shooter.
- Ensuring the Michigan State Police destroy all firearms that were turned in via a gun buyback program. "This legislation ensures when we destroy a firearm, our current practice of destroying all parts of the firearm will remain the standard now and for the future," said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP.
- Creating a standard response wording and terminology for schools to use during emergency situations. The goal is to help first responders answer emergency calls "quickly and efficiently," the announcement said.
- Creating the School Safety and Mental Health Commission within the MSP. The goal is to focus on improving mental health outcomes among school-age youths, including a reduction in suicide rates.
- Expanding the definition of a hate crime, to include amending the sentencing guidelines. The goal is to "help keep Michiganders of all backgrounds safer in their communities."
- Extending the time limit in which sexual assault charges can be filed. Under the new law, an indictment on a charge of criminal sexual conduct in the second or third degree can be filed by the victim's 42nd birthday, regardless of when the incident happened.
- Allowing Medicaid to cover the cost of community violence intervention services. The goal is to help prevent violent events before they occur.
"Students and educators need to feel safe in our schools, and these bills are an important step to helping ensure that," Chandra Madafferi, President and CEO of the Michigan Education Association, said in the announcement. "By making sure families are aware of the best ways to keep guns stored safely, schools can be part of the solution in preventing firearms from falling into the wrong hands."