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HB 5684

Crimes: penalties; threats or assaults against department of health and human services designated caregivers; prohibit, and provide penalties. Amends 1931 PA 328 (MCL 750.1 - 750.568) by adding sec. 81f. TIE BAR WITH: HB 5685'26

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Kimberly Edwards and 2 co-sponsors

The bills would elevate threats, harassment, and assaults against DHHS-designated caregivers, employees, and contractors to felonies in certain cases and add these offenses to sent

bill electronically reproduced 03/05/2026
#children:fostercare #crimes:assaultive #crimes:penalties
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Bill Summary · HB 5684

Summary of HB 5684 (2025-2026) – Michigan

Purpose and intent

HB 5684, together with its companion bills HB 5685 and HB 5686, would strengthen penalties for threats, intimidation, harassment, and assaults against individuals associated with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) designated caregivers, DHHS employees, and contractors under contract with DHHS. The package creates new misdemeanor and felony offenses and adds related offenses to the state sentencing guidelines. The measures are designed to deter violence and intimidation against DHHS-designated caregivers (such as foster parents and kinship/adoptive caregivers) and DHHS staff and contractors.

Key provisions and changes

  • HB 5684 (penalties against DHHS-designated caregivers)

    • Creates new misdemeanor offenses when an individual targets a DHHS designated caregiver because of that status:
    • Communicating a threat to physically harm a DHHS designated caregiver.
    • Harassing a DHHS designated caregiver.
    • Intimidating a DHHS designated caregiver.
    • Penalty for these offenses: up to 1 year in jail, up to $1,000 fine, or both.
    • Enhanced penalties for assaults:
    • If the assault or assault and battering causes any physical injury: felony up to 2 years imprisonment, up to $1,000 fine, or both.
    • If the assault results in serious impairment of a body function: felony up to 5 years imprisonment, fined at least $1,000 but up to $5,000, or both.
    • Definitions:
    • DHHS designated caregiver includes foster parents, kinship caregivers, fictive kin, and adoptive parents of children formerly in foster care, whether or not they receive compensation.
    • Harass/intimidate definitions align with the proposal’s language (no protected speech or legitimate conduct excluded).
    • “Serious impairment of a body function” follows the definition used for related offenses in Michigan’s Vehicle Code (58c).

  • HB 5685 (penalties against DHHS employees and contractors)

    • Expands existing penalties to cover DHHS contractors (private agencies under contract with DHHS) in addition to DHHS employees.
    • Prohibits threats, intimidation, and harassment directed at DHHS employees or DHHS contractors.
    • Assault or assault and battery against a DHHS employee or contractor causing physical injury: felony up to 2 years, up to $1,000 fine, or both.
    • Assault or assault and battery causing serious impairment of a body function: felony up to 5 years, fine up to $5,000 (or more than $1,000 but not more than $5,000), or both.
    • Overall, strengthens protection for both DHHS staff and contractors.

  • HB 5686 (sentencing guidelines)

    • Adds the new offenses to the Michigan sentencing guidelines:
    • Assault on a DHHS designated caregiver causing physical injury: Class G felony (maximum 2 years).
    • Assault on a DHHS designated caregiver causing serious impairment of a body function: Class E felony (maximum 5 years).
    • Assault and battery of a DHHS employee or contractor causing physical injury: Class G felony (maximum 2 years).
    • Assault and battery of a DHHS employee or contractor causing serious impairment of a body function: Class E felony (maximum 5 years).
    • These offenses would be treated as offenses against a person, with corresponding sentence ranges.
    • The enactment of HB 5686 is contingent on both HB 5684 and HB 5685 passing.

Who would be affected

  • Individuals who threaten, harass, or intimidate DHHS designated caregivers (foster parents, kinship/fictive kin, adoptive parents of children formerly in foster care).
  • DHHS employees and private contractors operating under contract with DHHS.
  • The measures are designed to provide enhanced protections for those connected to DHHS in roles related to care, reporting, or service delivery.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Enactment timeline:
    • Each bill (5684, 5685, 5686) includes a 90-day effective date after enactment.
    • HB 5686’s effective date is conditional on enactment of both HB 5684 and HB 5685.
  • Legislation status:
    • Introduced and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
    • As of the latest update, the bills are in the committee stage (no final passage noted in the provided materials).

Fiscal impact

  • The House Fiscal Agency notes an indeterminate fiscal impact on the state and local government.
    • Potential costs from increased misdemeanor and felony convictions (jail, probation, prison, and parole costs) and court handling.
    • Specific cost estimates for prison and parole are provided only for context (e.g., average annual prison cost around $48,100 per inmate and parole costs around $5,400 per supervised offender in 2025), but a precise aggregate cost impact cannot be determined without data on anticipated violations.
  • Local government costs would depend on changes to jail, probation, and court caseloads.

Bottom line

  • HB 5684/HB 5685/HB 5686 collectively aim to deter threats, harassment, intimidation, and assaults against DHHS-designated caregivers and DHHS staff/contractors by elevating misdemeanors to felonies in certain cases and by incorporating these offenses into sentencing guidelines. The measures would expand protections and establish clearer penalties for crimes linked to individuals’ roles with DHHS, with an effective date set 90 days after enactment and contingent on companion bills.

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

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