House Appropriations panel OKs $320 million public safety plan
(The Center Square) – The Michigan House Appropriations Committee approved a $300 million public safety plan on Wednesday.
House Bill 5522 aims to spend $328.5 million, which would be funded by one-time federal COVID relief and surplus state resources. The revised plan adds more support for firefighters and EMS personnel while focusing on public safety recruitment and retention, community outreach, and equipment upgrades. The package focuses on recruiting law enforcement officers now working in other states to Michigan.
House Appropriations Chair by Rep. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, welcomed the plan.
“This public safety plan is even better and more comprehensive than the one we introduced last month,” Albert said in a statement. “A fundamental duty of government is to keep people safe – and sadly, that job has become more difficult for our community public safety departments. They are crippled by staff shortages and senseless anti-police rhetoric that makes an inherently stressful job even more stressful. This initiative moving through the House of Representatives will help attract and keep high-quality personnel – and give them resources they need to help protect the communities they work in.”
Hundreds of law enforcement positions are open statewide, law enforcement officials say.
Plan details include:
Recruitment and retention:
$57.5 million for a “Move to Michigan” recruitment plan to help local departments recruit officers from other states, as well as allow them to keep retirement benefits already earned in other states.Tuition assistance and grants to help offset expenses will make attending a police academy a more practical, affordable option for local law enforcement and corrections officer candidates. Local departments could receive grants to offer job shadowing and signing bonuses to new hires. Local law enforcement, fire departments, EMS agencies, and corrections departments would get recruitment marketing support.$10 million for public safety personnel who miss work because of COVID-19 could be reimbursed for lost wages and leave time.$7.5 million would support mental health assistance for local law enforcement, firefighters, EMS personnel and other public safety officers.
Strengthening bonds in neighborhoods and schools:
$10 million for school resource officers to work with students and families$10 million in grants would be provided for community policing initiatives. The mix of community policing and mentorship that makes the Police Athletic League successful in Detroit would be expanded to other communities with a $15 million investment.Supplying essential equipment:$11 million for State Police body camera$10 million for riot gear and body armor grants$30 million for communication towers
More resources would be available for body-worn cameras and gear, narcotics team gear, communications equipment upgrades, and other essentials.
The bill introduced in November targeted $250 million in spending but was revised. Now, $37 million added would support firefighter and EMS personnel. Additional resources added include:
support tracking of absconders and to assist extradition efforts ($1 million)address a backlog of gun cases in Wayne County ($2 million),A jail mental health pilot project in Macomb County to evaluate incoming detainees and determine best corrections options ($25 million).
House Bill 5522 now advances to the House floor.
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