New Criminal Laws in 2013

I. New Crimes and Procedure

A. Accident Reports.

1. Restricted Access. 2013 PA 218. Effective Jan. 1, 2013. Restricts access to motor vehicle accident reports for 30 days unless the person making the request signs a statement that they won’t use the report to solicit the accident victim. MCL 257.503.

a. The penalty for a first offense is a fine of up to $30,000.

b. The penalty for a second or subsequent offense is up to one years in jail, a $60,000 fine, or both.

2. Solicitation. 2013 PA 219. Effective Jan. 1, 2013. Makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally solicit a person, or a family member of a person, who suffered a personal injury in a motor vehicle accident within 30 days of the accident. MCL 750.410b.

a. The penalty for a first offense is a $30,000 fine.

b. The penalty for a second or subsequent offense is up to 1 year in jail, a $60,000 fine, or both.

B. Bail. 2013 PA 54. Effective June 11, 2013. Allows an electronic monitoring device to be ordered as a bail condition for an assaultive crime (MCL 770.9a). MCL 765.6b.

C. Blight. 2013 PA 188. Effective March 14, 2014. Creates criminal penalties for failure to pay civil blight fines of $1,000 or more within 30 days. MCL 117.4q(20).

1. A first offense is a civil infraction, punishable by a a $500 fine.

2. A second offense is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 93 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both.

3. A third offense is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year in jail, a $500 fine, or both.

D. Controlled Substances. 2013 PA 203. Effective March 19, 2014. Amends Offense Variable 15 to score 50 points when a person travels from another state or country to Michigan with the intent to deliver drugs in Michigan. MCL 777.45.

E. Financial Transaction Devices.

1. Skimming Devices. 2013 PA 212 & 216. Effective April 1, 2014. Makes it a felony to use a skimming device to obtain personal identifying information. MCL 750.411. It is an E felony under the sentencing guidelines. MCL 777.16t.

a. A skimming device is any combination of devices or methods that are designed to adapted to be placed on the physical property of another person to obtain the personal information or personal identifying information of another, or any other information that allows access to a person’s financial accounts.

2. Illegally Recording Personal Information Identifying Information. 2013 PA 213-215. Effective April 1, 2014.

a. Increases the penalty from a misdemeanor to a felony punishable by up to 5 years, a $25,000 fine, or both, to secretly capture or record personal identifying information. MCL 750.539k(5)(a). It is an E felony under the guidelines. MCL 777.16aa.

b. A second offense is a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $50,000 fine, or both. MCL 750.539k(5)(b). It is a D felony under the sentencing guidelines. MCL 777.16aa.

c. A third offense is a felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $75,000 fine, or both. MCL 750.539k(5)(b). It is a C felony under the sentencing guidelines. MCL 777.16aa.

F. Hunting.

1. Taking Protected Game. 2013 PA 175-176. Effective Feb. 25, 2014. Increases the fines and restitution amount for taking protected game.

a. The fine for illegally taking game increases to $250-$750 for a first offense. MCL 324.73110(2). And to $500-$1,500 for a second offense. MCL 324.73110(4).

b. The restitution to the state for taking an antlered deer is $1,000, plus $500 for each point on an 8,9, or 10 point deer, and $750 for each point above 10. MCL 324.4011.

2. Wildlife. 2013 PA 37. Effective May 28, 2013. Allows for Michigan license suspension for out of state wildlife violations. MCL 324.1616.

G. Indigent Defense. 2013 PA 93 & 94. Effective July 1, 2013. This Act creates the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission.

H. Non-public records. 2013 PA 149. Effective 1, 2014. Gives the Department of Corrections access to non-public records. MCL 600.1076, MCL 769.4a, MCL 750.350a, MCL 600.1209, MCL 333.7411, MCL 650.430.

I. Sex Offender Registry.

1. Annual Registration Date. 2013 PA 149. Effective April 1, 2014. Requires an annual registration fee of $50, with a maximum total of $550. MCL 28.725a(6). Establishes annual registration dates based on the offender’s birthdate. MCL 28.725a(3).

2. New Public Registry Offenses. 2013 PA 2. Effective June 1, 2013. Places the following Tier 1 offenses on the public Sex Offender Registry.

a. Possessing child sexually abusive materials.

b. Aggravated Indecent exposure if the victim was a minor.

c. Unlawful imprisonment if the victim was a minor.

d. Video surveillance of an unclothed minor.

e. Any similar offense under the law of another state or country.

J. Trespassing. 2013 PA 230. Effective Dec. 26, 2013. Exempts process servers from the trespass act when attempting to serve process on the owner, lessee, agent, or occupant of the property. MCL 750.522.

II. Children

A. Child Safety Seats. 2013 PA 35. Effective August 20, 2013. Gives the court the discretion to waive fines for not having an appropriate child safety seat if the offender presents proof of purchasing one. MCL 257.907(12).

B. Juvenile Criminal History Information. 2013 PA 152. Effective Nov. 5, 2013. Limits juvenile criminal history to law enforcement. MCL 28.242a.

C. Student Safety Act. 2013 PA 183. Effective Dec. 13, 2013. Creates the Student Safety Act, which establishes hotline for anonymous reporting of potential acts of school violence.

III. Elder Abuse

A. Felony Murder. 2013 PA 39. Effective June 4, 2013. Makes 1st or 2nd degree vulnerable adult abuse predicate offenses for felony murder. MCL 750.316.

B. Financial Exploitation. 2013 PA 34. Effective May 21, 2013. Allows the judge to impose a consecutive sentencing for financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. MCL 750.174a.

IV. Vehicles

A. Angle Parking. 2013 PA 247. Effective Dec. 26, 2013. Allows the Michigan Department of Transportation to authorize angle parking on state trunk line highways. MCL 257.675.

B. Autocycles. 2013 PA 177. Effective Nov. 26, 2013. Eliminates the motorcycle endorsement requirement to operate an autocycle. MCL 257.312a.

C. Insignias. 2013 PA 158. Effective Nov. 5, 2013. Repeals the prohibition on placing insignias or logos on a motor vehicle. MCL 430.53.

D. Operating While Intoxicated.

1. BAC of .08. 2013 PA 23-24. Effective May 9, 2013. Continues Michigan’s .08 blood alcohol concentration through Oct. 1, 2018. MCL 257.625.

2. OWI/Sobriety Court Interlock Program. 2013 PA 226-227. Effective Dec. 26, 2013. Removes the Dec. 31, 2014. sunset on the OWI/sobriety court interlock program. MCL 600.1084.

V. Miscellaneous

A. Amber Alert. 2013 PA 91 & 92. Effective June 28, 2013. Allows an income tax check off for the amber alert fund. MCL 206.435.

B. County Budgets. 2013 PA 172. Effective Nov. 18, 2013. Establishes procedures for county elected officials to challenge the serviceability of their budget in the Court of Appeals. MCL 141.436 & MCL 141.438.

C. Courts.

1. Court of Claims. 2013 PA 164. Effective Nov. 12, 2013. Transfers the Court of Claims to the Court of Appeals. MCL 600.6404.

2. Court Records. 2013 PA 199 & 201. Effective Dec. 18, 2013. Authorizes courts to receive and maintain digital records. MCL 600.832.

3. Mental Health Courts. 2013 PA 274-277. Effective Dec. 30, 2013. Allows District and Circuit courts to form mental health courts. MCL 600.1090.

D. Firearms. 2013PA 3. Effective Dec. 18, 2012. Changes the definition of federally licensed firearm under the Concealed Pistol Law. MCL 28.422a(7).

E. Fireworks. 2013 PA 65. Effective June 19, 2013. Allows local units of government to regulate the discharge the fireworks. MCL 28.457.

1. Ordinances in municipalities of 50,000 or more in population or that are located in counties with a population of 750,000 or more can prohibit the discharge of fireworks between midnight and 8am on the day before, the day of, and the day after a national holiday. On New Years day the time runs from 1am to 8am.

2. Ordinances in municipalities under 50,000 in population or located in counties with a population under 750,000 can prohibit the discharge between midnight and 8am on the day before, the day of, and the day after a nation holiday.

F. Medical Marijuana. 2013 PA 268. Effective Dec. 30, 2013. Allows the sale of pharmaceutical grade marijuana if the federal government reschedules it to schedule 2-5. MCL 333.1104.

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