Criminal Justice

HB 4261 creates the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund within Michigan's trust fund system. It establishes the fund using money from the general sales tax (Section 25 of 1933 PA 167), donations, and investment earnings, with funds permanently staying in the account instead of lapsing to the general fund. Starting September 30, 2026, the state treasurer will distribute the fund’s revenues: 2% to health services for community violence intervention grants, 2% to crime victim funds, and the remainder based on each city/village/township’s violent crime rate (with a 5% reduction for areas not meeting crime reduction targets). This directly affects local governments receiving funds, the Department of Health and Human Services (administering grants), and crime victim programs.

HB 4018 clarifies when juveniles aged 16-17 can be transported with adults during custody. The bill specifies that juveniles may only be transported with an adult who is 25 or younger if both were taken into custody simultaneously for the same offense or occupied the same vehicle during the offense. It requires juveniles to be separated from adults "at the earliest available time" after arrival. This directly affects law enforcement and juvenile justice systems handling cases involving older juveniles (16-17) and young adults (under 25) who commit offenses together. The amendment updates Michigan's Probate Code to provide clear, specific conditions for this exception to standard juvenile detention rules.