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Committee adopts H‑1 substitute for bill creating elective firearm safety program in schools; reported out with recommendation
Summary
The House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism adopted an H‑1 substitute and reported House Bill 4285, which creates an elective firearm safety program for Michigan schools, after brief discussion and sponsor explanations of timing and hour‑requirement flexibilities.
The House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism adopted an H‑1 substitute and voted to report House Bill 4285, a measure that would create an elective firearm safety program for Michigan schools, at a committee hearing.
Representative Vanderwall introduced changes captured in the H‑1 substitute, telling the committee the amendment moves the program's implementation date from June 1 to Sept. 1 to allow more lead time and gives flexibility for the Department of Natural Resources to change class-hour requirements without the statute locking in a precise number of hours.
"A couple changes ... just to move the date of implementation since June 1 is just a couple days away, to September 1," Vanderwall said. He added the substitute allows flexibility on class hours so the state is not "locked into exact hour requirements." The committee adopted the H‑1 substitute by roll call (14 yeas, 0 nays, 2 pass). The committee then voted to report HB4285 as H‑1 (14 yeas, 0 nays, 2 pass).
Why it matters: The measure creates an elective firearm-safety option for schools; sponsors and committee members framed the amendments as timing and technical changes rather than policy changes to the program's substantive elements. The department referenced by the bill—the Department of Natural Resources—was discussed in the context of being able to set class requirements under the substitute.
Roll calls and outcome: The clerk recorded the substitute-adoption roll call and the subsequent motion to report the bill; in both votes the clerk announced "14 yeas, 0 nays and 2 pass," and the committee chair declared the substitute adopted and the motion to report prevailed.
Ending: The bill was forwarded with the committee's recommendation; committee discussion focused on implementation timing and administrative flexibility and there was no further substantive debate recorded at this hearing.
