Highways: bridges; Mackinac Bridge; designate as a key facility. Amends sec. 552c of 1931 PA 328 (MCL 750.552c).
SB 71 amends Michigan’s criminal trespass law for “key facilities” to add the portions of the Mackinac Bridge that are not open to or intended for public use to the list of protected facilities. The bill keeps the existing framework that makes it a crime to intentionally and without permission enter or remain in a key facility that is fully enclosed by a physical barrier and posted with warning signs meeting specified size and placement requirements.
The bill also retains the current list of covered facilities, which includes chemical plants, refineries, electric and natural gas utility facilities, water treatment and intake structures, fuel terminals, transportation facilities, pulp and paper mills, pharmaceutical plants, hazardous waste sites, telecommunications facilities, and similar high-risk sites. A violation remains a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, a fine of up to $2,500, or both. The bill expressly preserves lawful assembly and peaceful petitioning, including labor-related activity, and clarifies that it is not a defense that a barrier is open during normal business hours.
The bill would expand the scope of MCL 750.552c by specifically designating nonpublic portions of the Mackinac Bridge as a key facility, thereby subjecting unauthorized entry or remaining in those areas to the statute’s felony trespass penalties. In practical terms, it strengthens criminal protections for bridge infrastructure and aligns the bridge with other critical infrastructure already covered by the key-facility statute. It does not change the penalty structure, signage requirements, or the statute’s protections for lawful protest and assembly.
The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill, with unanimous or near-unanimous committee approval and a 36-0 Senate passage on third reading. That pattern indicates the measure was generally viewed favorably and as a targeted public-safety or infrastructure-protection bill rather than a controversial policy change. No committee transcripts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate significant opposition in the materials supplied.
The main substantive issue is the balance between protecting critical infrastructure and preserving public access, protest activity, and lawful assembly. The bill addresses that concern by expressly stating that peaceful and orderly petitions for redress of grievances, including labor disputes, are not prohibited. Another potential point of concern is the breadth of the key-facility definition, which already covers a wide range of energy, transportation, communications, and industrial sites; however, the bill itself narrows its immediate change to the Mackinac Bridge’s nonpublic areas. The inclusion of signage and enclosure requirements also suggests an effort to limit enforcement to clearly marked, secured areas.