OFFICER MASON SAMBORSKI MEMORIAL HIGHWAY
House Bill 5664 as reported from committee
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Wittenberg
Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure
Complete to 3-9-18 (Enacted as Public Act 217 of 2018)
SUMMARY:
House Bill 5664 would amend the Michigan Memorial Highway Act to designate the portion of highway I-96 in the city of Howell as the “Officer Mason Samborski Memorial Highway.”
Proposed MCL 250.1051a
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
According to committee testimony and information from the National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Murderers, Oak Park Public Safety Officer Mason Samborski was murdered by a 16-year-old offender on December 28, 2008. After making a routine traffic stop, Officer Samborski noticed that the driver had no driver’s license or other ID. Deciding not to take the offender to jail, Officer Samborski drove him to a nearby apartment building where the offender said a parent would be. But it was a ruse: there was no parent, and the offender attempted to flee. In the ensuing struggle, they both tumbled down a stairway, shattering a plate glass window. As Officer Samborski lay dazed or unconscious from the fall, the uninjured offender grabbed his service revolver and fired the fatal shot. (The offender was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life without parole in 2010.)
Dedicating a portion of Highway I-96 to Officer Mason Samborski would be an appropriate tribute to a dedicated law enforcement officer and a way to honor his life, his service, and his ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Section 2 of the Michigan Memorial Highway Act indicates that the state transportation department shall provide for the erection of suitable markers indicating the name of the highway only “when sufficient private contributions are received to completely cover the cost of erecting and maintaining those markers.” As a result, the bill has no state or local fiscal impact.
POSITION:
The Michigan Department of Transportation has no position on the bill. (3-6-18)
Fiscal Analyst: William E. Hamilton
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.