MEMORIAL HIGHWAYS                                                                                 H.B. 6025:

                                                                               SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL

                                                                                                         IN COMMITTEE

House Bill 6025 (as passed by the House)

Sponsor:  Representative Tommy Brann

House Committee:  Transportation and Infrastructure

Senate Committee:  Transportation

Date Completed:  12-12-18

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Michigan Memorial Highway Act to do the following:

-- Name the portion of Highway US-131 in the City of Wyoming between exits 80 and 81 as the "PFC Nicholas H. Blodgett Memorial Highway".

-- Name the portion of Highway US-131 in the City of Wyoming between exits 79 and 80 as the "CPL Ross A. Smith Memorial Highway".

-- Name the portion of Highway US-131 in the City of Wyoming between exits 78 and 79 as the "SPC Eric T. Burri Memorial Highway".

The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.

Proposed MCL 250.1003b                                                                                          

BACKGROUND

Army Private First Class Nicholas H. Blodgett was killed at age 21 on July 21, 2004, in Abdalluyah, Iraq, when his patrol vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED). He was from Wyoming, Michigan, and graduated from Grand Rapids Central Catholic High School in 2002. He played trumpet in the school band, and practiced tae kwon do. After enlisting in May 2003, PFC Blodgett was assigned to the 1^st Squadron, 4^th Calvary Regiment, in Schweinfurt, Germany. He first trained as a driver, then as a dismounted scout, before his unit was deployed to Iraq.

On February 9, 2006, Marine Corporal Ross A. Smith, age 21, was killed by an IED while conducting combat operations near Fallujah, Iraq. A native of Wyoming, Michigan, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp before graduating from Wyoming Park High School in 2002. He was assigned to the 3^rd Battalion, 5^th Marine Regiment, 1^st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California, and attached to the 2^nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Army Specialist Eric T. Burri was killed at age 21 on June 7, 2005, when an IED detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq. He was from Wyoming Michigan, and graduated from Kelloggsville High School in 2003. He was assigned to the 623^rd Quartermaster Company, 1^st Corps Support Command, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On September 11, 2008, the 824^th Quartermaster Company dedicated building number 8124 on Joint Base Balad (now Balad Air Base) as the "Eric Burri Rigging Facility". 

Legislative Analyst:  Stephen Jackson

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:  Michael Siracuse

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.