LANSING, MI (WNEM) -
A series of bills concerning arson penalties has passed the Michigan House of Representatives.
Rep. Stacey Erwin Oakes of Saginaw said the house passed four bills Wednesday that would revise provisions related to arson.
There would be an increase in penalties and changes to sentencing guidelines.
The new law is a response to data from 2011 that shows arsons and suspicious fires account for one in every three fires in the state. There were more than 10,500 arson and suspicious fires set in Michigan in 2011.
The legislation is especially important to Erwin Oakes, as the city of Saginaw had 135 arsons in 2011. Flint actually led the nation for number of arson fires in 2011, at 287.
If you would like to read a summary of House bills 5692 to 5695, head to the hotlinks section of WNEM.com.
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