SENATE BILL No. 259

 

 

March 6, 2003, Introduced by Senators LELAND, CROPSEY, PRUSI, BERNERO, SCHAUER, EMERSON, CHERRY, JACOBS, CLARK-COLEMAN, THOMAS, PATTERSON, CASSIS, GARCIA, TOY, GOSCHKA, CLARKE, OLSHOVE and BRATER and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1961 PA 236, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Revised judicature act of 1961,"                                           

                                                                                

    by amending sections 4706 and 8733 (MCL 600.4706 and 600.8733),             

                                                                                

    section 4706 as added by 1988 PA 104 and section 8733 as added by           

                                                                                

    1994 PA 12, and by adding section 2974.                                     

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 2974.  A motor vehicle seized by the state or a local                  

                                                                                

2   unit of government that is subject to forfeiture under a law of             

                                                                                

3   this state or an ordinance of a local unit of government shall be           

                                                                                

4   returned to the owner within 7 days and any forfeiture fees or              

                                                                                

5   fees for impounding the vehicle shall be waived, if 1 of the                

                                                                                

6   following occurs:                                                           

                                                                                

7       (a) The owner is arrested or detained because of                            

                                                                                

8   circumstances related to the seizure of the motor vehicle and is            

                                                                                

9   released without being charged with a crime, civil infraction, or           

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   civil violation.                                                            

                                                                                

2       (b) If the owner is charged with committing a crime because                 

                                                                                

3   of circumstances related to the seizure of the motor vehicle, the           

                                                                                

4   owner is acquitted of the crime.                                            

                                                                                

5       (c) If the owner is charged with committing a civil                         

                                                                                

6   infraction or civil violation because of circumstances related to           

                                                                                

7   the seizure of the motor vehicle, the owner is found to be not              

                                                                                

8   responsible for the civil infraction or civil violation.                    

                                                                                

9       Sec. 4706.  (1) Except as otherwise provided by law, personal               

                                                                                

10  property seized  pursuant to  under section 4703 shall be                   

                                                                                

11  returned to the owner, or a lien filed against real property                

                                                                                

12  under section 4703 or against a motor vehicle under section 4705,           

                                                                                

13  shall be discharged  ,  within 7 days after the occurrence of any           

                                                                                

14  of the following:                                                           

                                                                                

15      (a) A warrant is not issued against a person for the                        

                                                                                

16  commission of a crime within 7 days after the property is seized            

                                                                                

17  or, if the property is real property, within 7 days after the               

                                                                                

18  lien is filed.                                                              

                                                                                

19      (b) All charges against the consenting legal owner relating                 

                                                                                

20  to the commission of a crime are dismissed.                                 

                                                                                

21      (c) The consenting legal owner charged with committing a                    

                                                                                

22  crime is acquitted of the crime.                                            

                                                                                

23      (d) In the case of multiple defendants, all persons charged                 

                                                                                

24  with committing a crime are acquitted of the crime.                         

                                                                                

25      (e) Entry of a court order  pursuant to  under this chapter                 

                                                                                

26  for the return of the property or the discharge of the lien.                

                                                                                

27      (2) Section 2974 also applies to a motor vehicle that has                   


                                                                                

1   been seized under this chapter.                                             

                                                                                

2       Sec. 8733.  (1) An authorized local official may seize and                  

                                                                                

3   impound a vehicle operated in the commission of a trailway                  

                                                                                

4   municipal civil infraction.  Upon impoundment, the vehicle is               

                                                                                

5   subject to a lien, subordinate to a prior lien of record, in the            

                                                                                

6   amount of any fine and costs and any expenses described in                  

                                                                                

7   subsection (2) that the defendant may be ordered to pay under               

                                                                                

8   section 8727.  and any expenses described in subsection (2) that            

                                                                                

9   the defendant may be ordered to pay under section 8727.  The  If            

                                                                                

10  the defendant or a person with an ownership interest in the                 

                                                                                

11  vehicle  may post with the court  posts a cash or surety bond in            

                                                                                

12  the amount of $750.00  .  If such a bond is posted  with the                

                                                                                

13  court, the vehicle shall be released from impoundment.  The                 

                                                                                

14  vehicle shall also be released, and the lien shall be discharged,           

                                                                                

15  if required by section 2974, upon a judicial determination that             

                                                                                

16  the defendant is not responsible for the trailway municipal civil           

                                                                                

17  infraction, or upon payment of the fine, costs, and damages and             

                                                                                

18  expenses.                                                                   

                                                                                

19      (2) In a trailway municipal civil infraction action, an order               

                                                                                

20  under section 8727 may require the defendant to pay 1 or both of            

                                                                                

21  the following:                                                              

                                                                                

22      (a) The amount of damages to any land, water, wildlife,                     

                                                                                

23  vegetation, or other natural resource or to any facility damaged            

                                                                                

24  by the violation of the ordinance.  Money collected under this              

                                                                                

25  subdivision shall be distributed to the governmental entity that            

                                                                                

26  has jurisdiction over the recreational trailway.                            

                                                                                

27      (b) The reasonable expense of impoundment under subsection                  


                                                                                

1   (2)  (1).  Money collected under this subdivision shall be                 

                                                                                

2   distributed to the governmental entity employing the authorized             

                                                                                

3   local official who impounded the vehicle involved in the trailway           

                                                                                

4   municipal civil infraction.                                                 

                                                                                

5       (3) If  the  a court determines that  the  a defendant is                   

                                                                                

6   responsible for  the  a trailway municipal civil infraction and             

                                                                                

7   the defendant defaults in the payment of the fine, costs, or                

                                                                                

8   damages or expenses, or in any installment, as ordered pursuant             

                                                                                

9   to section 8727,  any  a bond posted under subsection (1) shall             

                                                                                

10  be forfeited and applied to the fine, costs, damages, expenses,             

                                                                                

11  or installment.  The court shall certify any remaining unpaid               

                                                                                

12  amount to the attorney for the governmental entity whose                    

                                                                                

13  ordinance was violated.  The attorney for the governmental entity           

                                                                                

14  may enforce the lien by a foreclosure sale.  The foreclosure sale           

                                                                                

15  shall be conducted in the manner provided and subject to the same           

                                                                                

16  rights  as  that apply in  the case of  execution sales under               

                                                                                

17  sections 6031, 6032, 6041, 6042, and 6044 to 6047.  of the                  

                                                                                

18  revised judicature act of 1961, Act No. 236 of the Public Acts of           

                                                                                

19  1961, being sections 600.6031, 600.6032, 600.6041, 600.6042, and            

                                                                                

20  600.6044 to 600.6047 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.                         

                                                                                

21      (4) Not less than 21 days before the foreclosure sale, the                  

                                                                                

22  attorney for the governmental entity whose ordinance was violated           

                                                                                

23  shall by certified mail send written notice of the time and place           

                                                                                

24  of the foreclosure sale to each person with a known ownership               

                                                                                

25  interest in or lien of record on the vehicle.  In addition, not             

                                                                                

26  less than 10 days before the foreclosure sale, the attorney shall           

                                                                                

27  twice publish notice of the time and place of the foreclosure               


                                                                                

1   sale in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which           

                                                                                

2   the vehicle was seized.  The proceeds of the foreclosure sale               

                                                                                

3   shall be distributed in the following order of priority:                    

                                                                                

4       (a) To discharge any lien on the vehicle that was recorded                  

                                                                                

5   prior to the creation of the lien under subsection (1).                     

                                                                                

6       (b) To the clerk of the court for the payment of the fine,                  

                                                                                

7   costs, damages, and expenses that the defendant was ordered to              

                                                                                

8   pay under section 8727.                                                     

                                                                                

9       (c) To discharge any lien on the vehicle that was recorded                  

                                                                                

10  after the creation of the lien under subsection (1).                        

                                                                                

11      (d) To the owner of the vehicle.