The House and Senate versions of the bill would amend the current law to match the updated Michigan Vehicle Code for each infraction, with an initial civil fine costing no more than $100 — a $75 difference, said John Lazet, chief of staff for state Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, who introduced the Senate bill March 3.

The Senate bill awaits a third reading before a full chamber vote. The House version of the bill awaits a second reading. Lazet said a bill must be read three times before voting.

The fines universities are allowed to levy are much lower than what is allowed under the Michigan Vehicle Code, which was updated in the late 1970s, Lazet said. Although the code was updated then, the law empowering universities to establish traffic and parking regulations was not.

The bills in both legislative bodies have been met with little to no opposition.

“When this law was written for Michigan back in the 1960s, all traffic infractions were criminal,” Lazet said. “We decriminalized traffic law in (1978). We are just trying to get (the old law) updated to current standards and thresholds.”

Steve Webster, MSU’s vice president for governmental affairs, said the on- and off-campus codes are out of sync, and that a change is necessary. Changing the fees from “those very low levels” to ones in line with off-campus infractions is enough incentive for people to park legally, he said.

Webster said MSU has been working closely with the Legislature during the bill’s drafting, as other universities and entities across the state are looking favorably for its passage.

He denied that MSU’s lobbying in support of the legislation is about increased revenues from citations.
Although the law, if passed, would allow initial fines of no more than $100 to be set, such a fine likely would not be standard, Webster said.

“Do we support it? Sure we do,” Webster said. “(MSU’s Board of Trustees) would have the ability to set our ordinances on campus and our own fines for violating those — but not to exceed those (set) fines.”

International relations junior Alex Bradley said he does not think MSU should increase fees.

“It’s ridiculous,” Bradley said. “The amount we’re paying at MSU is already too much.”

State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, who introduced the bill in the House on Feb. 23, said he is advocating the passage of the bill because it is good public policy to bring the outdated law up-to-date.

Although Webster said money is not the motivation, Meadows said additional revenue might be an attractive prospect for MSU.

“It’s a revenue issue for the university — they have very low violation penalties and they are very interested in being able to go higher,” Meadows said. “It would be important to them to at least have the authority (to set fees) — that’s the critical element.”

Representatives from ASMSU declined to take a position on the matter as the undergraduate student government’s assemblies are not in session.

The group likely will take up the issue quickly, they said.

“ASMSU is keeping close track of this bill, and it will most definitely be taken up by the Assembly at the first chance this fall,” said Emily Serkaian, ASMSU’s director of governmental affairs, in an e-mail.