LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Michigan House has approved a measure that would make it a crime to intentionally block a public road, highway, or sidewalk, moving the offense from a civil infraction to a misdemeanor. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Alicia St. Germaine (R–Harrison Township), passed 61–42 and now heads to the Senate.
House Bill 4664 would allow penalties of up to 93 days in jail and a $5,000 fine for anyone who “obstructs, impedes, or otherwise interferes with the normal flow of traffic” during an unauthorized gathering.
The language in the bill would create a new criminal penalty for ‘obstructing a road that would apply when an individual, blocking, obstructing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the normal flow of vehicular, streetcar, or pedestrian traffic on a public street or highway, using a barricade, object, device, or their body participates in an assembly on a highway.’
“Whether it be a group of people protesting or a hundred people throwing a party on a major freeway, it’s a safety issue. People have gotten hurt, and we can’t allow that to continue,” St. Germaine said. “You have the right to free speech, but you don’t have the right to hold somebody hostage in their car and make them fear for their life.”
Civil-liberties groups, including the ACLU of Michigan, oppose the plan, warning that its language is too broad. The bill penalizes anyone who “participates in an assembly on a highway” that interferes with traffic, but does not define what qualifies as an assembly. Some Democratic lawmakers argued the measure could turn constitutionally protected protest into a crime with jail time and could be applied selectively.
St. Germaine rejected that criticism, saying the legislation is about safety, not silencing dissent.
“This is about public safety on all sides. In no way is this an attempt to limit free speech,” she said. “Even on social media, most people agree this legislation is the right thing to do.”
The proposal now moves to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where its fate remains uncertain.
