$100 Fine for Panhandling: 5 Things Michigan Officials Said

BIRMINGHAM, MI – A pair of bills making aggressive panhandling a crime with a $100 civil penalty will be debated by the full Michigan House of Representatives after clearing the House Criminal Justice committee Tuesday.

The bills — HB 5103 and HB 5104 — now move to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

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The bill’s primary sponsor, State Rep. Mike McCready, R-Birmingham, told the Detroit Free Press that panhandling has gotten out of hand on the Woodward Avenue corridor, and that it exceeds the boundaries of constitutionally protected activities.

Below, from the Detroit Free Press report, are five things that McCready, other legislators and a lobbyist for the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said about the panhandling legislation.

McCready:

• “Instead of giving them money, donate to shelters or centers where they can go if they really need the help. By just handing them the money, you may feel good about it, but you’re only helping them buy the vices that put them into this situation. More mothers have talked to me about getting out of their cars at the Kroger (near downtown Birmingham) and being approached. They don’t like it. They’re very uncomfortable with it.”

Shelli Weisberg, legislative director for the ACLU of Michigan, who criticized the legislation as unfairly targeting a single class of people:

• “There are many people on the street who may approach you in an aggressive manner, but we’re only singling out panhandlers with this,” she said. “Because it’s a civil infraction, poor people will be charged with a $100 fine. I’m not sure what happens when they can’t pay that fine.”

State Rep.Vanessa Guerra, D-Bridgeport:

• “What prevents prosecutors from charging someone with other types of crime, like assault. I feel as though we already have laws to deal with this.”

State Rep. Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth:

• “This at least establishes some boundaries.”

State Rep. Gary Howell, R-North Branch, whose wife was approached for money at a grocery store:

• “It was a very intimidating situation, particularly being continually solicited after declining to give.”