ABANDONED VEHICLES - S.B. 961 (S-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 961 (Substitute S-2 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Bill Bullard, Jr.
Committee: Transportation and Tourism
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to establish an eight-hour deadline for the removal of abandoned vehicles from a State trunk line highway; require a study to be conducted on the impact of this time limit; and, establish a normal length maximum of a single bus be operated on a highway in the State.
Currently, if a vehicle has remained on public or private property for a period of time so that it appears to a police agency that the vehicle is abandoned, the police must determine if the vehicle has been reported stolen and affix to the vehicle a written notice that contains certain information, including the date and time the vehicle may be taken into custody and stored at the owner's expense or scrapped if the vehicle is not removed. If the vehicle is not removed within 48 hours after the date the notice was affixed, the vehicle is considered abandoned and the police agency may have the vehicle taken into custody. The bill would add that if the vehicle were not removed within eight hours after the date the notice was affixed in the case of a State trunk line highway, the vehicle would be considered abandoned and could be taken into custody.
The bill would require the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments to conduct a study in cooperation with the State Departments of Transportation and State Police to evaluate the impact on this change from 48 hours to eight hours, and submit the study's findings and recommendations to the Secretary of State within 12 months after the bill's effective date.
The Code establishes a normal length maximum for vehicles operated on a highway in the State, and prohibits single vehicles in excess of these length limits from being operated on a State highway. Under the bill, the normal length maximum for any single bus would be 45 feet.
MCL 257.252a & 257.719 - Legislative Analyst: L. Arasim
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have a negligible fiscal impact on State and local government. It is assumed that the study required under the bill could be completed with the existing resources of the State Departments of Transportation and State Police and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
Date Completed: 3-2-00 - Fiscal Analyst: B. BakerFloor\sb961 - Bill Analysis @ http://www.state.mi.us/sfa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.