A bill to amend 1931 PA 328, entitled “The Michigan penal code,” by amending section 136b (MCL 750.136b), as amended by 2020 PA 49.
The bill delineates child abuse into four degrees, with the first degree being the most severe, subject to life imprisonment or a term of years, and the fourth degree the least severe, with penalties of up to 1 year in prison for a first offense and up to 2 years for subsequent offenses. It clarifies that reasonable discipline by a parent or guardian remains permissible and introduces an affirmative defense for reasonable responses to domestic violence. The bill specifies "serious physical harm" as injuries severely impairing a child's health or well-being, including brain damage and severe cuts, among others. It also details exceptions for treatments of medically verifiable disorders of sex development and conditions not primarily for gender transition.
Co-sponsored by Reps.
Referred to the Committee on Criminal Justice
