Appropriation: |
Federal Revenue: |
$1,841,972[2] |
|
Total: |
$1,841,972 |
Program Description:
This appropriation funds “Occupant Protection” programs. The goal of this program is to increase seat belt use to 90 percent of all vehicle occupants. It includes a variety of components, among them billboards, public relations campaigns, and grants to local police agencies that participate in periodic seat-belt-use enforcement crackdowns. (Michigan’s 1999 “primary enforcement” law authorizes police to stop and ticket drivers if front seat occupants are not wearing seat belts. The law expires at the end of 2005 unless studies can show that 80 percent of motorists are in compliance.) Note: This program does not officially appear in the state budget but remains part of the Highway Safety Planning division of State Police.
Recommended Action:
This program should be eliminated because it diverts limited police resources to a non-core function. More than ever, recent events have highlighted the need for police to focus on their core mission of fighting crime. If they deem it a priority, this unrelated task can be handled by the many private associations and businesses who lobbied for the primary enforcement law. Savings: $1,841,972.
Program: “Mature Driver,” “Fatigued, Aggressive and Distracted Driver,” and “Workplace Safety” Programs (Section 105)
Appropriation: |
Federal Revenue: |
$1,662,817 |
|
Total: |
$1,662,817[3] |
Program Description:
This appropriation funds activities to educate college students about driver fatigue, “educate the general public on the need for lifelong mobility planning,”[4] provide workplace traffic-safety programs, and similar activities. Note: This program does not officially appear in the state budget but remains part of the Highway Safety Planning area of State Police.
Recommended Action:
This program should be eliminated because it diverts limited police resources to non-core functions. They can be handled by private businesses and nonprofit organizations who wish to devote resources to them. Savings: $1,662,817.
Appropriation: |
Special Revenue Funds: |
$1,209,200 |
|
Total: |
$1,209,200[5] |
Program Description:
This appropriation funds grants for emergency planning services, training and preparedness to privately owned nuclear power plants.
Recommended Action:
This program should be eliminated. Other industries, such as chemical producers, provide their own emergency planning and response programs, and the nuclear power industry should do likewise. Nuclear emergency planning is more properly the responsibility of the providers and the communities in which they are located, not of the state. Savings: $1,209,200.