2005 House Bill 4800 ↩

Senate Roll Call 876: Passed

To eliminate “preliminary examinations” in most felony case, and replace them with probable cause determination hearings that would allow the admission of the “credible” hearsay testimony of a law enforcement officer involved in the investigation, regardless of the whether the person who is the source of the hearsay is availability as a witness. Stricter rules of evidence would apply for crimes punishable by up to life in prison. Reportedly, preliminary examinations impose greater burdens on crime victims, and Michigan is one of a handful of states that still use them.