New Distracted Driving Law Anticipated Impact on Penal Fine Revenue

Michigan’s new distracted driving law could create an increase in Penal Fines for Michigan’s public libraries. Public Acts 39, 40, and 41 of 2023 amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to prohibit, holding or using a cell phone or other mobile device while operating a motor vehicle, beginning June 30, 2023.

According to legislative analysis from the House Fiscal Agency, the legislation, "would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on the state and on local units of government that would depend on the number of individuals ordered to pay a civil fine. The majority of the revenue would increase funding for public and county law libraries, which are the constitutionally designated recipients of those revenues.”  View the fiscal analysis.