HIGHWAY ROAD SIGN MEMORIAL PROGRAM

House Bill 4740

Sponsor:  Rep. Neal Nitz

Committee:  Transportation

Complete to 5-31-05

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4740 AS INTRODUCED 5-5-05

House Bill 4740 would amend the Michigan Memorial Act to require the Department of Transportation to install a memorial sign at a location where a person died in an automobile accident on a Michigan highway if an immediate family member makes a written request.  The memorial sign would remain in place for five years.  The department would be required to approve a uniform design for memorial signs and would be responsible for maintaining the signs.  These provisions would apply to memorial signs erected after October 1, 2005.

Private memorial signs erected before October 1, 2005, would remain in place for five years if the department determined they were not a road hazard.  After the five-year period elapsed, the department would be required to hold the private memorial signs for 14 days to allow family members to retrieve them.  If, however, the department determined a sign was a road hazard, the department would immediately remove the sign and hold it for 14 days to allow family members to retrieve it.

A memorial road sign erected after October 1, 2005 without following the required procedure would be removed by the department and held for 14 days to allow family members to retrieve it.

MCL 250.2076

FISCAL IMPACT:

Section 2 of the Michigan Memorial Highway Act says, "The state transportation department shall only provide for the erection and maintenance of suitable markers at the approach of any of the highways described in this act when sufficient private contributions are received to pay the cost of erecting and maintaining those markers."  If this provision applies to individual memorial signs, there would not appear to be any fiscal impact.

                                                                                          Legislative Analysts:   E. Best/Chris Couch

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.