LANSING (WWJ) – In an effort to make Michigan roads safer, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a package of bills aimed at putting more police officers on the roads, as well as helping departments hire and retain more officers and bolster training.
Whitmer’s office announced Tuesday she signed the legislation, which together will increase funding for the Secondary Road Patrol program (SRP), which funds efforts to monitor traffic violations, enforce criminal law, investigate crashes and provide emergency assistance.
The governor signed House Bills 5569, 5732 and 5772. Officials say these bills will increase the SRP fund by $5 million to a total of $15 million per year. The legislation pulls from the state’s liquor revenue, so the SRP fund doesn’t have to rely on fees and general fund dollars. HB 5372 creates a new earmark of $15 million in liquor revenue to go to the program.
HB 5569 adjusts the maintenance of effort for counties to be eligible for SRP funds and HB 5772 redirects a portion of the $40 fee that originally funded the SRP to MCOLES for law enforcement training grants.
“As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority for me,” Whitmer said, per a press release. Her office says this package of bills is her latest effort to increase funding for public safety efforts.
Whitmer says the 50% increase in funding for the SRP program will “also improve law enforcement recruitment and retention by bolstering the funding stream and enabling sheriff departments to give their officers more stability.”
More on today's top stories:
Related
