Medical amnesty legislation banning ticketing minors at hospitals awaits approval
It could be illegal for minors to be ticketed if in possession of alcohol at a hospital now that midterm elections are over.
Michigan’s medical amnesty bill aims to reduce incidence of minors being too afraid to send sick friends or themselves to the hospital if care is needed. The bill passed through the state House in October 2009, but has since sat in the state Senate awaiting a vote.
“The election has interfered with the movement of bills both in the House and the Senate,” said state Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing. “My hope is we get it done during lame duck.”
Meadows introduced the bill and it common sense.
He said the language of the bill has been satisfactory for everyone, including prosecutors and police.
“We’d rather see them saved than die,” Meadows said.
Harper Woods senior Becca Pollard said she is in favor of the medical amnesty bill and does not think it rewards bad behavior.
Pollard said a friend of hers had to be taken to the hospital with alcohol issues while she was a minor.
“The entire time she was in the hospital she was more worried about getting an MIP,” Pollard said.
Mount Pleasant Police would not have to substantially change any of their practices if the law is approved, said Public Information Officer Jeff Browne.
He said they write MIPs at the hospital “less than a percent” of the time and only in extreme situations.
“The only time that happens is if someone’s causing a significant amount of problems and we have to have them monitored,” Browne said.
A similar bill for drug amnesty is in the works, but Meadows said it has been harder agreeing on a common set of language for it, because narcotics are illegal for all citizens, not just minors.
Meadows said while he hopes the bill is approved before new legislators take office, he will still push for its approval.
“I don’t see any problems with reintroducing it,” Meadows said. “It’s not a controversial bill.”
