Act No. 7
Public Acts of 2019
Approved by the Governor
May 9, 2019
Filed with the Secretary of State
May 9, 2019
EFFECTIVE DATE: August 7, 2019
STATE OF MICHIGAN
100TH LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2019
Introduced by Senators Lucido and Bayer
ENROLLED SENATE BILL No. 2
AN ACT to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled “An act to protect and promote the public health; to codify, revise, consolidate, classify, and add to the laws relating to public health; to provide for the prevention and control of diseases and disabilities; to provide for the classification, administration, regulation, financing, and maintenance of personal, environmental, and other health services and activities; to create or continue, and prescribe the powers and duties of, departments, boards, commissions, councils, committees, task forces, and other agencies; to prescribe the powers and duties of governmental entities and officials; to regulate occupations, facilities, and agencies affecting the public health; to regulate health maintenance organizations and certain third party administrators and insurers; to provide for the imposition of a regulatory fee; to provide for the levy of taxes against certain health facilities or agencies; to promote the efficient and economical delivery of health care services, to provide for the appropriate utilization of health care facilities and services, and to provide for the closure of hospitals or consolidation of hospitals or services; to provide for the collection and use of data and information; to provide for the transfer of property; to provide certain immunity from liability; to regulate and prohibit the sale and offering for sale of drug paraphernalia under certain circumstances; to provide for the implementation of federal law; to provide for penalties and remedies; to provide for sanctions for violations of this act and local ordinances; to provide for an appropriation and supplements; to repeal certain acts and parts of acts; to repeal certain parts of this act; and to repeal certain parts of this act on specific dates,” (MCL 333.1101 to 333.25211) by adding section 7521a.
The People of the State of Michigan enact:
Sec. 7521a. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, property may be seized as provided in section 7522 for a violation of this article, but is not subject to forfeiture under section 7521 or disposition under section 7524 unless a criminal proceeding involving or relating to the property has been completed and the defendant pleads guilty to or is convicted of a violation of this article.
(2) A criminal conviction or guilty plea under subsection (1) is not required if 1 or more of the following apply:
(a) No person claims any interest in the property as provided under section 7523 or the owner of the property withdraws his or her claim in the property.
(b) The owner of the property waives the criminal conviction or plea requirement under subsection (1) and elects to proceed with the civil forfeiture proceeding.
(c) A criminal charge has been filed and 1 or both of the following apply:
(i) The defendant is outside this state and cannot reasonably be extradited or brought back to the state for prosecution.
(ii) Reasonable efforts have been made by law enforcement authorities to locate and arrest the defendant, but the defendant has not been located.
(3) If a person withdraws his or her claim under subsection (2)(a), the prosecuting attorney for the county in which the property was seized or, if the attorney general is actively handling a case involving or related to the property, the attorney general, must review the seizure of the property and approve the forfeiture of the property before the property may be forfeited.
(4) Subsection (1) does not prohibit the immediate destruction of property that may not be lawfully possessed by any person or that is dangerous to the health or safety of the public regardless of whether the person is convicted of a violation of this article.
(5) This section applies to forfeiture proceedings that are initiated on or after the effective date of this amendatory act.
(6) This section does not apply to forfeiture proceedings in which the aggregate fair market value of the property and currency seized exceeds $50,000.00, excluding the value of contraband.
Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days after the date it is enacted into law.
Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect unless all of the following bills of the 100th Legislature are enacted into law:
(a) House Bill No. 4001.
(b) House Bill No. 4002.
This act is ordered to take immediate effect.
Secretary of the Senate
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Approved
Governor
Compiler's note: House Bill No. 4001, referred to in enacting section 2, was filed with the Secretary of State May 9, 2019, and became 2019 PA 8, Eff. Aug. 7, 2019.
House Bill No. 4002, also referred to in enacting section 2, was filed with the Secretary of State May 9, 2019, and became 2019 PA 9, Eff. Aug. 7, 2019.