CHIEF ED SWITALSKI MEMORIAL HIGHWAY                                               S.B. 543 (S-1):

                                                             REVISED ANALYSIS AS PASSED BY THE SENATE

Senate Bill 543 (Substitute S-1 as passed by the Senate)

Sponsor:  Senator Margaret E. O'Brien

Committee:  Transportation

Date Completed:  11-20-17

RATIONALE

Ed Switalski served as the fire chief of Comstock Township Fire and Rescue for four years before his death on June 14, 2017, at the age of 55. Fire Chief Switalski was struck and killed by a vehicle while he was standing near a fire truck stopped on the shoulder of I-94, after responding to a crash. In order to memorialize and honor Fire Chief Switalski, and to raise awareness about vulnerable individuals and emergency services personnel around the freeway, it has been suggested that a highway in Kalamazoo County should be named after him.

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Michigan Memorial Highway Act to designate the portion of highway I-94 in Kalamazoo County between exit 80 and mile marker 86 as the "Chief Ed Switalski Memorial Highway".

The bill would take effect 90 days after it was enacted.

Proposed MCL 250.1019a

ARGUMENTS

(Please note:  The arguments contained in this analysis originate from sources outside the Senate Fiscal Agency.  The Senate Fiscal Agency neither supports nor opposes legislation.)

Supporting Argument

Fire Chief Switalski is remembered fondly by coworkers and residents of Comstock Township as an enthusiastic, engaging, and selfless person who contributed a lot to the community. He worked for the Pleasantville Fire Protection Division in a suburb of Chicago before moving to Michigan to be closer to his daughters. According to an article posted by mlive.com, a 20-mile procession throughout Kalamazoo County preceded his funeral on June 21 ("For Comstock residents, honoring fallen Chief Ed Switalski is personal", 6-21-2017). Fire Chief Switalski also was honored in a ceremony in July during a cycling tour called Cycle Across Illinois, an annual charity fundraiser for Concerns of Police Survivors, an organization that helps families of law enforcement officers killed on duty, according to an online article posted by the Chicago Tribune ("Charges filed in Michigan traffic death of former suburban firefighter"). Naming a highway after Fire Chief Switalski would be an appropriate way to remember his service, and would serve as an important reminder to travelers to drive cautiously around emergency personnel, or other individuals, stopped beside a highway.

Legislative Analyst:  Drew Krogulecki

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.