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Senate bill would designate Mackinac Bridge a key facility; proponents cite prosecution gaps and copycat trespasses
Summary
Senate Bill 71 would add the Mackinac Bridge to the state's list of key facilities, increasing penalties for trespassing and enabling prosecutors to seek stiffer sanctions. Bridge officials and the senator argued the change is necessary after high‑profile trespass incidents and limits in current prosecution options.
Senator Curtus (Senator Demuse) and officials from the Mackinac Bridge Authority testified in support of Senate Bill 71, which would add the Mackinac Bridge to the state's statutory list of key (critical) facilities and raise penalties for unauthorized access.
"This is a bill to add our beloved Mackinac Bridge to our state's official list of critical infrastructure," the senator said, describing past incidents including a bridge closure for a bomb scare and an individual who climbed the bridge and posted photographs on social media. He said investigators found that because the bridge was not on the key facility list, prosecutors had limited tools for harsher penalties.
Kim Nowak, director of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, recounted a November 2020 intruder who accessed the underside and climbed the suspended spans and towers; prosecutors pursued misdemeanor trespassing because the judge in the local prosecution found the key‑facility standard had not been met. "We were left with trying this person as a misdemeanor trespassing incident," Nowak said. She said the existing misdemeanor penalties led to copycat incidents and argued the statute should enable felony penalties in serious cases to deter future trespassing.
Max Aulbach, legislative liaison for MDOT, said the department supports the bill and commended the senator's work. Committee members asked practical questions about enforcement and exemptions: Representative Brock asked about boating near bridge piers; bridge officials said the Coast Guard and the authority already patrol and use signage and fences to deter access. Representative Koontz asked whether judges would still retain discretion for inadvertent or minor violations; the sponsor and witnesses confirmed prosecutorial and judicial discretion remains.
Lawmakers also asked about permitted public uses. Director Nowak said areas of the bridge open to the public (for example during Labor Day walk events) would not be affected by the key‑facility trespass provisions; authorized workers and contractors already undergo background checks and clearance for maintenance activities.
No committee vote was taken on SB 71 at the hearing. Supporters urged the committee to move the measure forward to provide stronger deterrence and prosecution options for serious or repeated trespassing incidents.
Ending: Committee members thanked bridge staff and acknowledged the bridge's maintenance needs; several members expressed broad support for designating the structure a key facility.
