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Bill Summary · SB 202

Summary — SB 202 (introduced April 15, 2025)

Crimes: prohibiting intentional false reports of serious law‑enforcement or medical emergencies; penalties. Amends MCL 750.411a.

Purpose / Intent

SB 202 strengthens criminal penalties and recovery options for people who intentionally place false reports to law enforcement, 9‑1‑1, first responders, or other authorized government recipients — including reports intended to summon an armed response to a private residence — and for those who intentionally make false medical/emergency reports.

Key provisions

  • Amends MCL 750.411a to broaden and clarify prohibited conduct and associated penalties.
  • Prohibited acts (examples):
    • Intentionally making or causing a false report of the commission of a crime to a peace officer, police agency, 9‑1‑1 operator, or other authorized government recipient, knowing the report is false.
    • Knowingly making a false report or threatening to commit certain enumerated offenses (see subsection (2) referencing chapter XXXIII and certain sections).
    • Intentionally making or causing a false report of a medical or other emergency to law enforcement, fire, 9‑1‑1, medical first responder, or other authorized recipient.
  • Graded criminal penalties (selected):
    • False report of a misdemeanor: misdemeanor — up to 93 days imprisonment and/or fine up to $500.
    • False report of a felony: felony — up to 4 years and/or fine up to $2,000.
    • False report made with intent to cause a response: felony — up to 4 years and/or fine up to $2,000.
    • If a false report leads to a response and a person suffers physical injury: felony — up to 5 years and/or fine up to $20,000.
    • If the response results in serious impairment of a body function: felony — up to 10 years and/or fine up to $25,000.
    • If the response results in death: felony — up to 15 years and a fine between $25,000 and $50,000.
  • Subsection (2) — false reports or threats regarding specified offenses: felony penalties; first offense up to 4 years/$2,000, second or subsequent offense up to 10 years/$5,000.
  • Cost recovery: the court may order a convicted person to pay the costs of the emergency response (police, fire, medical, other). Special parental‑payment and installment rules if the offender is a juvenile.
  • Juvenile provisions: courts may order parents to pay outstanding costs in certain circumstances, with procedures for installments, consideration of parent resources, and modification.

Who is affected

  • Individuals who call or otherwise transmit false information to law enforcement, 9‑1‑1, fire/EMS, or other authorized government recipients (including juveniles and their parents).
  • 9‑1‑1 operators, police, fire, EMS and other emergency response agencies (as potential recoverers of response costs).
  • Prosecutors and courts handling related criminal cases.

Enforcement & procedural notes

  • Prosecutions would proceed under amended MCL 750.411a; courts may order payment of response costs under Michigan criminal procedure authority.
  • Juvenile‑related cost orders include procedural protections and ability to seek modification.

Status / Next steps

  • Introduced April 15, 2025.
  • Referred to the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety (current status).

Potential practical effects (neutral framing)

  • Strengthens criminal deterrence against hoax 9‑1‑1 and false emergency calls and creates clearer, tiered penalties tied to harms caused by the emergency response.
  • Enables cost recovery for public emergency responses, which could offset municipal expenses but may raise administrative and fairness questions in juvenile or ambiguous‑intent cases.

If you’d like, I can: (1) extract the exact statutory subsections being changed (redline style), (2) map how penalties differ from current law, or (3) draft a one‑page memo on likely enforcement and municipal fiscal impacts. Which would be most helpful?

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

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