MICHIGAN STATE TROOPER TIMOTHY O'NEILL MEMORIAL HIGHWAY
Senate Bill 960 as reported from House committee
Sponsor: Sen. Peter MacGregor
House Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure
Senate Committee: Transportation
Complete to 12-5-18 (Enacted as Public Act 379 of 2018)
SUMMARY:
Senate Bill 960 would amend the Michigan Memorial Highway Act to designate the portion of highway M-44 in Kent County that begins at its intersection with Rogue River Road and extends northeast to its intersection with Belding Road as the “Michigan State Trooper Timothy O'Neill Memorial Highway.”
The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.
Proposed MCL 250.1021a
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Trooper Timothy O’Neill was born in Royal Oak on November 11, 1988. He was a 2007 graduate of Lapeer East High School and graduated from Western Michigan University. Trooper O’Neill was part of the 126th Trooper Recruit School and joined the Michigan State Police in 2014. He loved animals, had a great sense of humor, and especially enjoyed spending time with family and friends and making them laugh.
On the morning of September 20, 2017, Trooper Timothy O’Neill was on patrol near the intersection of Wolverine Boulevard NE and Belding Road NE, in Plainfield Township. According to news reports, a driver in a pickup truck and Trooper O’Neill were traveling south on Wolverine when the crash occurred. The traffic signal for southbound traffic was changing to red. The pickup truck stopped. Trooper O’Neill did not stop but attempted to avoid a crash. His motorcycle struck the rear driver’s side of the pickup truck, crashed into a curb in the median, and continued into the left lane of northbound Wolverine Boulevard. Trooper O’Neill died of his injuries. He was 28 years of age, a three-year state police veteran who had worked in the Rockford post since he joined in 2014. Dedicating a portion of Highway M-44 to Trooper Timothy O’Neill would be an appropriate was to honor his service and sacrifice to the citizens of Kent County and the State of Michigan.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Section 2 of the Michigan Memorial Highway Act indicates that the state transportation department shall provide for the erection of suitable markers indicating the name of the highway only “when sufficient private contributions are received to completely cover the cost of erecting and maintaining those markers.” As a result, the bill has no state or local fiscal impact.
POSITIONS:
A representative of Michigan State Police testified in support of the bill. (11-27-18)
The Michigan Department of Transportation has no position on the bill. (11-27-18)
Fiscal Analyst: William E. Hamilton
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.