Committee hears competing testimony on bills to change resentencing for 19–20‑year‑olds; prosecutors, victims and defenders clash

Representative Lightner introduced House Bills 4506, 4507 and 4508, a package aimed at modifying resentencing procedures for individuals who committed degree murder at ages 19 and 20 and who are subject to resentencing following recent court decisions.

Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Gedding, speaking on behalf of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, said proponents want to preserve life without parole as an available sentencing option in appropriate cases, to provide realistic timeframes for prosecutors to decide when to seek life without parole, and to permit consecutive sentences when multiple victims are involved. "This package of bills continues, that as an option," he told the committee, and he argued the bills center victims and…