HB 4397: Courts: judges; personal information and physical safety protections for judges, their families, and household members; enhance. Creates new act. - Michigan

As Passed by the House → Substitute (H-6) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand the definition of 'immediate family member' to include any familial relative with the same permanent residence, rather than just spouse, child, parent, and other relatives. The definition of 'personal identifying information' was expanded to include Social Security numbers, personal email addresses, tax identification numbers, credit/debit card information, bank account details, vehicle license plate numbers, school/day-care information, and employment location details. These changes strengthen privacy protections for elected officials and their families by covering more types of sensitive data and more family members.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include additional categories of personal identifying information and to broaden the definition of immediate family members who are protected under the act.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'immediate family member' was changed from specific relationships (spouse, child, parent) to include any familial relative sharing the same permanent residence as the protected individual.

New categories of personal identifying information were added, including Social Security numbers, personal email addresses, tax identification numbers, credit/debit card and bank account information, vehicle license plate numbers, school and day-care information, and employment location details.

The definition of 'public body' was expanded to explicitly include employees of the governor or lieutenant governor and to add legislative branch agencies, local governmental bodies, and certain other entities.

REQUIREMENT

A new subsection was added requiring protected individuals to submit written requests on a prescribed form to public bodies or persons to remove public postings of their personal identifying information.

House Introduced Bill → As Passed by the House · 10 edits · Nov 13, 2025

MAJOR

The bill was renamed from the 'judicial protection act' to the 'elected official protection act' and expanded to protect a broader range of officials beyond just judges. The scope now includes legislators, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, while removing specific protections for tribal court judges and federal judges. Key changes include updated definitions of protected individuals and designated contacts, expanded exemptions for certain uses of personal information, and maintained civil enforcement mechanisms with attorney fee recovery for violations.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from exclusively protecting judges to protecting elected officials including legislators and top state officers, while removing protections for federal and tribal court judges.

SCOPE

Changed the bill title from 'judicial protection act' to 'elected official protection act' to reflect broader protection scope.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded protected individuals to include legislators, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, while removing federal and tribal court judges from protection.

DEFINITION

Updated 'designated contact' definitions to match new protected official categories, with technology department handling governor/AG/secretary of state and legislative council handling legislators.

Changed 'judge' definition to 'protected individual' to align with expanded scope of covered officials.

REQUIREMENT

Updated forms and procedures to reference 'protected individual' instead of 'judge' throughout the bill.

Added new subsections allowing designated contacts to submit requests on behalf of protected individuals.

Expanded personal identifying information protections to include protected individuals' official offices rather than just court houses.

EXEMPTIONS

Added extensive exemptions for news reporting, voluntary publication, consumer reporting agencies, financial institutions, and various other legitimate uses of personal information.

ENFORCEMENT

Maintained civil action provisions allowing protected individuals to sue for non-compliance with attorney fee recovery.

TIMELINE

Added condition that the act does not take effect unless Senate Bill No. 82 is also enacted into law.

Substitute (H-8) → Substitute (H-6) - 2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand the definition of 'personal identifying information' to include sensitive data like Social Security numbers, bank account details, and vehicle license plate numbers. Additionally, the definition of 'public body' was broadened to include more state and local entities, and a new provision was added allowing protected individuals to submit written requests to remove posted information. These changes strengthen privacy protections for elected officials and their families by covering more types of personal data and expanding which organizations must comply with the law.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include additional categories of personal identifying information and to cover a broader range of public bodies and local government entities that must comply with the protection requirements.

DEFINITION

Added 'Immediate family member' as a new defined term to clarify who is protected alongside the elected official.

Expanded 'Personal identifying information' to include Social Security numbers, personal email addresses, tax identification numbers, credit/debit card information, bank account details, and vehicle license plate numbers.

Modified the definition of 'Public body' to explicitly include legislative branch agencies and expanded local government entities, while clarifying that employees of the governor or lieutenant governor are included in the public body definition.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new provision requiring that protected individuals can submit written requests using a prescribed form to public bodies and persons to remove posted personal identifying information.

Substitute (H-7) → Substitute (H-8) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to expand the definition of who qualifies as a 'designated contact' for protected individuals, adding specific contacts for governors and legislators. The definition of 'protected individual' was also updated to include the secretary of state. These changes broaden the scope of who can receive protection under this act and clarify who qualifies for coverage.

Scope change

The bill now applies to an additional protected individual category (secretary of state) and expands the designated contact options for governors and legislators, allowing them to specify alternative contacts beyond just immediate family members.

DEFINITION

Added new definition for 'designated contact' that allows current or former governors and lieutenant governors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state to designate specific contacts beyond immediate family members.

Added designation for legislators to have the legislative council serve as their designated contact.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the definition of 'protected individual' to include the secretary of state, who was previously not explicitly listed.

Substitute (H-6) → Substitute (H-7) · 1 edit

MINOR

The changes between H-6 and H-7 are purely technical and administrative, involving updates to the bill version identifier and document tracking codes. No substantive policy changes, scope modifications, or legislative content alterations were made.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill version identifier from H-6 to H-7 and changed associated tracking codes from rsx54b to mg31kw across multiple pages

Courts: judges; personal information and physical safety protections for judges, their families, and household members; enhance. Creates new act.

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