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Committee advances trio of bills to clarify automatic door‑lock authority for childcare facilities
Summary
Senate Bills 96, 97 and 98 were reported to the floor to clarify that standalone childcare facilities may opt to install automatic door locks under the building and fire codes; sponsors characterized the package as voluntary, not mandatory, and said it corrects ambiguity from a 2020 act that applied to schools.
A three‑bill package to clarify that standalone childcare facilities may use automatic door locks under Michigan’s building and fire codes was advanced to the Senate floor by the Senate Committee on Regulatory Affairs.
Committee Chair Moss, who said he sponsored the bills alongside Senator McMorrow and Vice Chair Haug, described the measures as a response to continued concerns about mass shootings and a prior ambiguity in a 2020 law. “A few years ago I believe it was Senator Weber who led a package to allow for the licensing through the fire code and through the building code of automatic door locks in schools in case of an emergency like a school shooting occurs,” Moss said. He said some childcare facilities had assumed they were covered and sought to install locks but faced uncertainty in how the 2020 act applied.
Rob Mass of MyLeap testified that the package clarifies the option for childcare centers and is not a mandate. “The only thing I’ll highlight is that this is not a mandate. It’s not a requirement,” Mass said. “It is just an option for these stand alone childcare centers to have in their toolbox.” Brian O’Connell of Lockout USA submitted a card in support of the bills.
Sponsors said the measures previously passed the Senate unanimously as a three‑bill package but did not pass the House. The committee voted to report SB96, SB97 and SB98 to the floor (recorded as 9‑0 on each motion) with recommendations that they pass; motions to report were made respectively by Vice Chair Paul Henke (SB96), Vice Chair Hauck (SB97), and Senator McCann (SB98).
The bills, as described in testimony, would authorize childcare facilities to install automatic door locks under the building and fire codes as an option to increase emergency response tools. Sponsors and witnesses emphasized the voluntary nature of the measures; no amendments or technical details about installation standards were recorded in the committee hearing. The committee advanced the package to the Senate floor for further consideration.
