LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Michigan’s House of Representatives returned to work Tuesday after a three-week recess, moving quickly on a pair of bills focused on government transparency and the security of one of the state’s most iconic landmarks.
Lawmakers are aiming to complete a slate of priorities before adjourning for the Christmas break on Dec. 18.
The first vote of the day advanced House Bill 4822, sponsored by Rep. Parker Fairbairn (R-Harbor Springs). The bill would require the state’s Natural Resources Commission to livestream all of its public meetings, post links at least 24 hours in advance, and maintain an online archive searchable by date and topic.
Fairbairn said the change would give residents better access to decisions affecting hunting, fishing, and conservation policy.
“The natural resource space is a very big part of our economy in Michigan, and we wanted to have transparency in the process,” Fairbairn said. “They’re making these decisions for wildlife, for fisheries, so we wanted to make it so people can see their meetings anywhere in the state of Michigan.”
Next up was House Bill 4470, sponsored by Rep. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River), which would designate nonpublic areas of the Mackinac Bridge as a “key facility” under state law. That status would elevate trespassing violations from misdemeanors to felonies and extend existing drone-interference penalties to the bridge’s restricted zones.
Prestin said the change is needed to strengthen security and prevent dangerous trespassing incidents on the structure, which connects Michigan’s two peninsulas.
“Critical infrastructure is nuclear power plants, things that have strategic importance for the country, and I don’t think anybody can dispute the fact that Mackinac Bridge has a strategic importance not only for the Upper Peninsula and Lower Michigan, but for international commerce.” Prestin said. “If we lost it, it would be an incredible disruption to the Upper Peninsula, its value to the state, and to Canada and commerce and everything. It just can’t be overstated. It moves so much stuff moves, not only just people, just tons and tons of commerce on top of it.”
A third bill dealing with school librarian licensing requirements was pulled from the schedule and did not receive a vote. Rep. Kelly, the bill’s sponsor, has said reducing credential requirements could help districts staff their libraries more easily or let teachers take on the role without additional training.
With session days running short, lawmakers say they plan to focus on transparency measures and economic development legislation before breaking for the rest of the year.
