25-03-2025
House Reps. introduce plan to finalize boost to public safety spending
State Reps. Mike Harris (R-Waterford) and Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn). Michigan House photo.
With Michigan Speaker of the House Matt Hall (R-Richland) announcing in January that House Republicans would focus on recruiting, retaining and supporting police, two lawmakers have crafted a bipartisan plan to create a fund focused on public safety after a previous effort failed to reach the governor's desk.
Reps. Mike Harris (R-Waterford) and Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) introduced House Bills 4260 and 4261 last week, which will deposit a portion of the state sales tax revenues into a new Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund to distribute to local law enforcement agencies — projected to be more than $100 million annually — focused on communities with higher rates of violent crime.
The funding would go toward local public safety initiatives, such as officer recruitment and retention, equipment purchases, and department operating expenses with the bills requiring local governments use the new public safety funding to expand support for public safety, as opposed to replacing existing police funding and freeing up resources for unrelated programs.
'This is a national model for keeping neighborhoods safe,' Farhat said in a statement. 'We're putting record funding into hiring more police officers, mental health services, and empowering local communities to reduce violent crime. Michigan has some of the highest rates of violence in the country. This fund directly supports the work of grassroots community violence intervention groups which has proven to reduce these rates.'
While the Legislature previously allocated $75 million for a public safety trust fund in the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget, members of the House and Senate did not approve identical versions of the bills to create the fund in state law.
According to a statement from Harris' office, 96% of the the first $75 million in the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund will be allocated to public safety efforts in cities, villages and townships based on their violent crime rates, with future funding calculated based on results. Of the remaining 4%, half will go to the Crime Victim's Rights Fund and the other half will be used for grants to public health programs aimed at preventing community violence. Any excess funds beyond $75 million will be distributed to county sheriff's offices.
Both bills were referred to the House Committee on Government Operations, where Harris serves as majority vice chair.
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