Representative Rhett Mueller and the Michigan Sheriffs Association presented House Bill 4018, a proposal to allow police, in specific circumstances, to transport a juvenile and an adult co-defendant in the same vehicle provided officers keep them sight-and-sound separated as soon as practicable.

"It's an officer safety issue," Representative Mueller said, describing rural and low-staffing situations where waiting for a second vehicle can pose risks or long delays. Dan Fonas, deputy director of the Michigan Sheriffs Association, told the committee the change would address logistical problems for agencies with limited staffing and stressed the federal sight-and-sound requirements "only apply to juvenile offenders that are being held in a secure facility. They do not apply to situations that occur at the time of the initial detention or arrest by law enforcement."

The bill sets an age cap for the adult at 25 years old; Mueller said the limit was a compromise crafted with lawmakers from the prior term to reduce the risk that an older adult could manipulate a younger co-defendant. Multiple law enforcement groups (Michigan Sheriffs Association, Michigan Association of Police Chiefs, Police Officers Association of Michigan, Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, Michigan Association of Counties) filed support; the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services filed opposition and a DHHS representative wrote that "The facility issue, a vehicle is not a facility. A facility is a brick and mortar building. A vehicle is not a facility, it's mobile," pointing to past disagreement about that legal distinction and noting the proposal was vetoed previously for related reasons.

Committee members asked about frequency and safeguards. Mueller and Fonas said the practice already occurs informally in the field and that the bill is permissive, not mandatory. Questions about safeguarding juveniles at secure facilities and federal funding consequences were raised; Fonas and a Michigan State Police representative clarified the federal requirements apply to secured facilities and are distinct from short-duration transport conditions. No committee vote on HB 4018 was recorded at the Jan. 30 hearing.