LANSING – State Representative Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing) today announced that the House has passed his bill that will make it illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle for an extended period of time.
"Every year, many children suffer injuries or even die as a result of being left unattended in vehicles," Meadows said. "Dangers include abduction and heat stroke, and if a guardian leaves for even a short period of time, a child can accidentally put a vehicle in motion, causing harm to themselves or to others. These kinds of tragedies are preventable, and hopefully this legislation will help keep them from occurring."
The legislation applies to children less than 6 years old. The penalty for violation of the law would be as follows:
- A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or a fine of not more than $500, or both.
- If the violation resulted in physical harm to the child, a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year and/or a fine of not more than $1,000.
- A violation resulting in serious physical harm to the child would be a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years and/or a fine of not more than $5,000.
- A violation resulting in the death of the child would be a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 15 years and/or a fine of not more than $10,000.
"This bill is about protecting our most precious resource – our children," Meadows said. "Under current law, charges cannot be brought against a guardian who leaves a child unattended unless something happens to that child. That's not right. I call on my colleagues in the Senate to quickly pass this legislation to keep our children safe."