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Lawmakers debate raising school design threshold as engineers warn of safety risks
Summary
A Michigan House committee considered House Bill 5033 to raise the dollar threshold requiring licensed architects or engineers on K–12 projects from $15,000 to as high as $5 million; school officials urged savings and local control while engineering groups warned the change could reduce life‑safety protections.
Representative Kelly brought House Bill 5033 to the House Regulatory Reform Committee, proposing to raise the state threshold that triggers mandatory design by a Michigan-licensed architect or professional engineer from $15,000 to $5,000,000. The sponsor said the change would reduce unnecessary costs, preserve local taxpayer dollars, and allow locally elected school boards to decide when specialized design professionals are needed.
John Prescott, introduced by the sponsor as a superintendent, told the committee that two small projects in his district required $65,000 in required professional oversight, money he said would have been better spent for students. "That $65,000 could have assisted us in getting a hallway to our newer buildings," Prescott said, urging the panel to consider the local impact of the current threshold.
Eric Hopstock, superintendent at the Berrien Regional Education Service Agency, said the proposed change would give districts flexibility to spend less on professional fees for routine projects but stressed that districts would still use engineers or architects for student safety, ADA compliance, and complex mechanical systems. "Even with this flexibility ... there are projects where we need that expertise," Hopstock said.
Opposing testimony came from Ron Brinke, executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies—Michigan, who said the current law (Public Act 306) and licensed professionals protect against structural loads, means of egress, mechanical and electrical safety, and other life‑safety concerns. Brinke cautioned that raising the threshold to $5,000,000 "would allow school construction, additions, reconstruction, and remodeling projects costing up to $5,000,000 to proceed without a Michigan licensed professional engineer involved in the design," and warned of potential safety and liability consequences.
In committee questioning, members pressed the sponsor on how the $5,000,000 figure was chosen. Representative Kelly acknowledged the number "might be a bridge too far" and said $1,000,000 could be a more appropriate target; he said the original $15,000 figure dates to 1937 and that inflation suggests a substantially higher modern equivalent.
The committee did not take a final vote on HB 5033 during the hearing. Supporters asked the committee to consider a higher threshold or an indexed cap to reduce routine compliance costs, while engineering groups and other witnesses urged a far more cautious approach to protect student safety.
What happens next: The bill faces follow-up at the committee level and the sponsor and engineering stakeholders said they would work together to find a more moderate threshold or an indexing approach.
