Michigan cop’s mistake leads to $320,000 deal with Japanese man wrongly accused of drunken driving
Ryohei Akima blew a 0.02 on the test, but it was mistakenly read by the Fowlerville officer as 0.22 — nearly three times over Michigan’s blood-alcohol limit for driving.
Read more at NBC News
Michigan’s third grade reading law ends with few kids getting held back
Michigan will no longer require school districts to hold back third graders who score too low on reading tests. In March 2023, the Democrats in control of state government threw out the third grade reading law, which went into effect in 2016 under Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration. The repeal went into effect this week.
Read more at Wood TV8
Gun, abortion, energy reform among 142 Michigan laws taking effect Feb. 13
Nearly half of the laws passed by the Democratic-majority Legislature last year are set to take effect this week, including sweeping overhauls to the state’s energy and election policies, repeals of Republican-backed labor laws and abortion restrictions and firearm safety measures long sought by gun control advocates.
Read more at Bridge Michigan
Each month, The Michigan Daily publishes a compilation of bills in the Michigan legislature for students at the University of Michigan to know about
Read more at The Michigan Daily
A new Michigan law will automatically enroll newly released prisoners to vote, making it the first state to require this. The law won't take effect until June of 2025. However, the Department of Corrections has already been working to help register this population. This law will make this effort a requirement.
Read more at WZZM13
Three unregulated gambling websites have been ordered to cease operations by Michigan sports betting and gaming regulators. The Michigan Gaming Control Board, in a press release, said PredictionStrike, Stake.us and VGW have been illegally taking bets without licenses, diverting revenue away from the state and putting customers at risk.
Read More at Legal Sports Report
Court ruling could mean freedom for hundreds serving life sentences in Michigan
More than 250 people serving life prison sentences will get an opportunity for shorter terms after a major decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
A 2022 ruling that bars automatic life sentences for people who were 18 at the time of a murder can be applied retroactively to prisoners who are already in custody, including some who have been locked up for decades, the court said.
Read more at Detroit Free Press
In Michigan, a series of gun safety bills will go into effect in 2024. The bills include an expansion of background checks, requirements to store guns away from children and a new red flag law. Legislation was also signed in November to temporarily ban people convicted of domestic violence from possessing and purchasing firearms and ammunition.
Read more at USAToday
