[NFBMI-Talk] Bill Alert on Vulnerable Roadway Users

[J.J. Meddaugh]

The following is taken from the League of Michigan Bicyclists but applies
to blind people as well. This would increase penalties for pedestrians and
others that are hit.

Please contact your representative and ask them to:
1. Press House leadership for an immediate floor vote.
2. Support passage of HB 4334, tie-barred with SB 217.
Why this matters
This bipartisan, bicameral legislation closes a gap in Michigan law. Right
now, prosecutors face a bad choice: charges that are too light, or charges
that are too severe. This bill gives them a proportionate option.
The bill protects vulnerable roadway users — including people who walk,
bike, ride horses, or use wheelchairs. These road users carry traffic risk
without the protection of a steel frame, just like road workers or farmers
on tractors.
A six-year effort
LMB and its partners have pushed this legislation since 2023. Sen. McCann,
Sen. Klinefelt, Rep. Rogers, and Rep. Schuette introduced the original
bills — SB 617, SB 618, HB 5223, and HB 5224 — that October. Both chambers
passed them with strong bipartisan votes in 2023. But the legislation
stalled in 2024, missing a final reading before recess.
Rep. Rogers reintroduced the bill as HB 4334. SB 217 was subbed in as its
Senate companion, tie-barred so both become law together. The bill keeps
the same protections as the original package. Yesterday, HB 4334 passed
House Judiciary Committee. It's now ready for a floor vote — the last step
before it can become law.
What the law does
Twelve states already have VRU laws on the books. Michigan law currently
makes it a felony — up to 15 years in prison and/or a $7,500 fine — to
cause a death through a moving violation against someone operating "an
implement of husbandry" (farm equipment). This bill extends that same
protection, with a 10-year maximum, to all vulnerable roadway users. It
also creates a new felony — up to 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine — for
causing serious injury (inpatient hospital or rehab care) to a vulnerable
roadway user.
Today, many Michigan drivers who kill a cyclist face only a misdemeanor. As
former LMB board member Bryan Waldman wrote in 2017, "given the current
state of Michigan law, when a motorist injures or kills a bicyclist, the
prosecutor is left with an almost impossible decision regarding the
appropriate charge for the crime and it is damn near impossible to obtain a
meaningful conviction."
Michigan already protects road workers and police officers with enhanced
penalties. This bill extends that same principle to everyone who bikes or
walks. Please ask your representative to support it — and to push for a
floor vote now.

NOTES
"12 states – Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maine,
Maryland, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington – have VRU laws
that define a set of road users as vulnerable and provide specific
processes and penalties for actions directed at those users." Source:
https://bikeleague.org/bike-laws/model-legislation/model-vulnerable-user-law/
"Vulnerable roadway user" is defined as a pedestrian; a person using roller
skates, inline skates, a nonmotorized scooter, a nonmotorized skateboard,
or a wheelchair; a person riding a horse (or other equine, such as a donkey
or mule) or driving or riding a carriage; or a person on a bicycle,
electric bicycle, electric skateboard, or electric personal assistive
mobility device. The Senate bill also added U.S. Postal Service workers.
Note using the link below will also give your contact info to LMB. If you
would rather, you can write your rep directly.

https://ujoin.co/campaigns/3079/actions/public?action_id=3828&emci=14110a02-1ab4-f111-a6a7-0022482a9a8d&emdi=bb478492-ebc7-f111-bf5b-000d3a4fbe83&ceid=15825202