LEGISLATIVE SERGEANTS AT ARMS: COMMISSION AS POLICE OFFICERS

House Bill 6016

Sponsor: Rep. Larry Julian

House Bill 6017

Sponsor: Rep. Ken Bradstreet

Committee: House Oversight and

Operations

Complete to 9-29-00

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILLS 6016 AND 6017 AS INTRODUCED 9-27-00

House Bill 6017 would create a new public act to specify that each house of the legislature could commission a sergeant at arms and one or more assistant sergeants at arms as police officers, to enforce rules adopted by that house and the laws of the state as designated by the respective houses. In performing their enforcement activities, commissioned sergeants at arms and assistant sergeants at arms would be vested with the powers, privileges, prerogatives, and immunities conferred upon police officers under the laws of the state. The office of sergeant at arms of each house would be a law enforcement agency of the state.

Each commissioned sergeant and assistant sergeant would have the power to enforce rules adopted by that house and state laws in the Capitol building; buildings in which the offices of legislators are located; locations where either house is holding a session, meeting, or public hearing, including a reasonable time before and after the session, meeting, or hearing; legislative parking areas; and areas immediately adjacent to those previously mentioned.

The Senate could, under its rules, delegate the commissioning of sergeants and assistant sergeants as police officers and the designating of their responsibilities to the Senate Majority Leader, the Secretary of the Senate, or other officers or employees of the Senate. The House, under its rules, could delegate the commissioning of sergeants and assistants and the designating of their responsibilities to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Clerk of the House, or other officers or employees of the House.

House Bill 6016 would amend the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards Act (MCL 28.602 and 28.609a) to include under the definition of "police officer" or "law enforcement officer" the sergeant of arms or any assistant sergeant of arms of either house of the legislature who was commissioned as a police officer by that respective house as provided by law.

The bill would also provide that the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards would have to grant individual certification to a person who was a sergeant or assistant sergeant on the bill's

effective date if that person was commissioned as a police officer within two years after the effective date of the bill.

The two bills are tie-barred.

Analyst: C. Couch