Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, vowed Monday to swiftly put up police funding bills for a vote when lawmakers return from their spring break, building fresh momentum in Lansing for a top policy priority of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan that languished in the previous legislative session.
Supporters of the bipartisan legislation characterize the proposed funding as a way to tackle violent crime in Michigan.
House Bills 4260 and 4261 would dedicate a portion of Michigan’s sales tax revenue for a new Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund that would provide a boost for police departments, specifically targeting communities confronting high rates of violent crime.
The proposal initially would distribute $72 million in funding to local police departments, with money allocated to communities based on their violent crime rates. Places with higher crime rates would receive more funding. In subsequent years, places that don’t see a reduction in their violent crime rates would see their funding cut.
“If you don’t get results, you’re not going to get the money in the future,” Hall said Monday during a press conference at the Detroit Police Headquarters.
Under the proposal, $1.5 million also would go to the state health department to administer local grants to Michigan counties and municipalities for public health and Community Violence Intervention Initiatives. Another $1.5 million would go to a state fund for crime victims. Any additional funds available would go to county sheriff’s offices based on the size of their police forces.
In the last legislative session, Democrats passed a state budget that included $75 million for a Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund, but lawmakers never finished the job to create the fund. The Michigan House and Senate passed different versions of the bills to set up the fund, leading the policy to die at the end of the year when Democratic infighting and a Republican boycott derailed the final days of the previous legislative session.
“We had the funds, but unfortunately too many House members decided to put political games ahead of the safety of our communities. I am pleased that these bills will finally be taken up and look forward to the Governor’s signature,” former state House Speaker Rep. Joe Tate, D-Detroit, said in a statement Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, noted in a statement Tuesday that the Senate passed the legislation in the last session and highlighted Senate Democrats’ legal battle with Hall over stalled bills from the previous session, including a measure to increase public employer contributions to employees’ health care cost. “Senate Democrats take public safety extremely seriously, and the speaker could show his commitment to men and women in uniform by immediately lowering police and fire health care costs,” she said.
Duggan told lawmakers during the last legislative session that the proposed fund would help tackle violent crime in the places where it’s rising. “There, I don’t think, is any priority greater for government than keeping our residents safe. And if you don’t feel safe in your home and in your neighborhood, nothing much else matters in your life,” Duggan said during a June 21, 2023, hearing on legislation that was introduced last session. Duggan joined Hall Monday to champion the legislation once again, and also called on lawmakers to pass it during his State of the City address last month.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said the funding would allow his fellow chiefs to hire more officers and invest in mental health and Community Violence Intervention efforts which seek to reduce violent crime through local outreach. Hall also mentioned police departments may purchase new equipment using the funds.
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Under the legislation, police departments would have wide discretion over how to spend the money. But they could not use it to obtain large vehicles designed for tactical use, facial recognition technology or chemical weapons.
Duggan commended Hall for coming to Detroit to discuss the police funding legislation.
“I’ve dealt with Lansing for a lot of years. And for many years, you would rarely see a Republican leader in the City of Detroit,” Duggan said Monday. Duggan — a longtime Democrat — has decided to run for Michigan governor as an independent candidate.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan bills to boost to police funds in high-crime places