New Year, New Michigan Laws!

It's a new year and there are plenty of NEW STATE LAWS that go into effect!

We've got a link to the Michigan Public Acts Table so you can see everything that your lawmakers passed in 2017.

From WLNS:

One that started on Jan. 1 gives underage drinkers a bit of a break.

The law changes the charge of minor in possession of alcohol from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction.

That means if someone under 21 gets caught drinking their punishment went from up to 90 days in jail to only a $100 fine.

Speaking of law enforcement, a couple of the new laws focus on the police force.

One of them has been referred to as a “crack down” on “bad cops.”

It requires law enforcement agencies to keep records of officers who were fired, and make sure those records are available to other agencies that could hire them.

That law takes effect Jan. 15.

Another has to do with police and body cameras. The new law exempts body cam footage from a public records request in certain cases.

For example, if the officer was inside a “private place,” then that recording would not be considered public.

However, the video can be obtained if you’re in the recording, if you’re are a parent or guardian of an underage person in the recording, if your property was seized or damaged in a crime and the recording was related, or if you’re an attorney for a person in any of those situations.

Another new law in 2018 requires high school coaches to undergo a concussion awareness training program every 3 years.

This law aims to protect young athletes, and takes effect on Jan. 24.