WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 5717

AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- UNIVERSAL REGULATORY SANDBOX ACT

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Marie Hopkins and 3 co-sponsors

The bill designates two Michigan highways in honor of fallen officers, to be signed only if privately funded, with MDOT placing markers at specified locations.

03/13/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 5717

Summary — HB 5717 (Public Act 166 of 2024): Trooper Joel E. Popp Memorial Highway

Purpose

HB 5717 amends the Michigan Memorial Highway Act to name two specific highway segments in honor of fallen law-enforcement officers: Trooper Joel E. Popp and Officer Leroy Imus. The act formalizes memorial names and specifies sign locations for one of the designations.

Key provisions

  • Adds Section 105a to the Michigan Memorial Highway Act (2001 PA 142, MCL 250.1001 et seq.):
    • Designates the portion of I‑75 in Saginaw County beginning at Willard Road and extending north to Riverview Road as the “Trooper Joel E. Popp Memorial Highway.”
    • Designates the portion of M‑53 in Macomb County beginning at the intersection with 18 Mile Road and continuing north to the interchange with Hall Road as the “Officer Leroy Imus Memorial Highway.”
  • Requires placement of signs marking the Officer Leroy Imus Memorial Highway at:
    • The northbound intersection of M‑53 and 18 Mile Road, and
    • The southern side of the southbound intersection of M‑53 and 20 Mile Road.
  • Repeals Section 30c of the Michigan Memorial Highway Act (MCL 250.1030c), which previously designated M‑53 from 17 Mile Road to Hall Road as the “Officer Leroy Imus Memorial Highway,” effectively shifting the designated start from 17 Mile Road to 18 Mile Road.
  • Sign erection is governed by the Michigan Memorial Highway Act’s funding rule: the State Transportation Department erects markers only when sufficient private contributions cover the cost of erecting and maintaining them.

Who is affected

  • Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT): required to install the specified signs if sufficient private funding is provided.
  • Saginaw County and Macomb County residents and travelers: portions of I‑75 and M‑53 will carry the memorial names.
  • Families, law-enforcement communities, and the public: the designations honor the service and sacrifice of the two officers.

Background

  • Trooper Joel E. Popp (b. 1984) served with the Michigan State Police (enlisted 2020) and was killed on January 24, 2024, while conducting a roadside investigation on I‑75.
  • Officer Leroy Imus (b. 1939) served with the Sterling Heights Police Department and was killed on December 2, 1971, after being struck during a traffic stop on M‑53.

Fiscal and implementation notes

  • Nonpartisan analyses state the bill has no state or local fiscal impact because sign installation is contingent on private funding.
  • Once privately funded, MDOT would erect the required markers at the specified locations.

Procedural history / status

  • Introduced in the House: May 7, 2024 (Rep. Amos O’Neal).
  • House passage (with H‑2 substitute): September 25, 2024.
  • Senate passage: December 4, 2024.
  • Approved by Governor and filed with Secretary of State: December 10, 2024 — enacted as Public Act 166 of 2024.
  • Effective date: Sine die (statute lists “91st day after final adjournment of the 2024 Regular Session”).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.