Bill > HB6263

This bill amends the Michigan penal code to increase the criminal penalty for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a specific category of non-consensual or unlawful sexual contact defined under state law, by reclassifying the offense from a misdemeanor to a felony while keeping the maximum potential punishment at up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both. In the context of criminal law, a misdemeanor is generally a less serious crime punishable by county jail time or probation, whereas a felony is a more serious crime typically punishable by state prison time, meaning this change increases the long-term legal seriousness and record consequences of the offense. Additionally, the legislation makes minor wording updates to improve readability, such as changing "which" to "that" and "shall" to "must," and specifies that the new changes will take effect 90 days after the bill is enacted into law.