Michigan Speaker of the House Matt Hall, R-Kalamazoo, announced last week that the newly appointed leaders of the House Judiciary Committee were selected due to their combined vision to rebuild safer communities for Michigan.
The committee is predominantly responsible for issues relating to criminal and civil law, as well as judicial operations.
Rep. Sarah Lightner, R-Springport, was appointed chair. Previously, Rep. Lightner spent her career as a paralegal specializing in criminal defense and family law.
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Rep. Brian BeGole, R-Antrim Township, will serve as vice-chair. BeGole has spent 32 years in law enforcement including six as Shiawassee County Sheriff.
“I picked these two, because they’re strong supporters of our law enforcement. They stand for law and order, and I think they’ll do a great job with our court,” Hall stated while flanked with members of the law enforcement community from across the state.
“The Judiciary Committee plays a critical role in making sure our laws reflect the needs of the people we serve and the officers who put their lives on the line every day,” Rep. Lightner said. “We will prioritize measures that support law enforcement, strengthen public safety, and hold criminals accountable. Our communities deserve to feel safe and protected, and I’m committed to ensuring law enforcement professionals have the support they need to do their jobs effectively.”
Hall announced the plans to eliminate cash bail along with good time and productivity credits, which would allow convicted felons to shorten their sentence with good behavior while incarcerated and participating in vocational or education programs.
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Second look policies, which allows criminals to petition to review their sentence after serving 20 years, will also not be considered said Hall.
House Republicans’ other goals include recruiting and retaining police in communities that lack sufficient resources, restoring funding for school resource officers, working to make the police a profession people want to enter, and bringing public trust and respect back to law enforcement.
“Over the past two years, I feel the committee and the Democrat trifecta in Lansing were pushing legislation that doesn’t work to keep our communities safe, and they were worried more about larger partisan agendas than what the people of Michigan want. The Democrat initiative of coddling criminals and hugging thugs is over. We must stand with victims of crimes and support the men and women who protect and serve, not pursue policies that incentivize people to continue committing crimes,” said Rep. BeGole.
Republicans also slammed their Democratic colleagues after the passage of the School Aid Budget for Fiscal Year 2025,which reduced funding for school safety and mental health. Although the FY 2025 budget included $26.5 million, it is minimal in comparison to the previous year’s fiscal budget of $328 million. The final budget included $598 million in funding that was used to reimbursed schools for payroll costs for a reduction in payroll taxes instead of supporting student mental health, school safety, or educator workforce and academic interventions.