Government

Legislature approves trampoline safety rules and liability protection

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By DANIELLE WOODWARD
Capital News Service
LANSING — Jumpers bouncing around indoor trampoline parks have new rules to follow under a bill narrowly approved by state lawmakers. The new law says park owners have to post rules and users must follow them. If jumpers accept certain risks, it protects trampoline court owners from injury-related lawsuits. “The goal is to create certainty and understanding of the responsibilities between the customers and the owners,” said bill sponsor state Sen. David Hildenbrand, R-Oakland County. “There wasn’t a clearly defined law of customer and owner responsibility, and we found that people would not follow the rules and get injured, resulting in lawsuits.”

The bill, which still must be signed by the governor before it’s law, requires owners to comply with safety standards published in 2013 by the American Society for Testing and Material.

Elections & Politics

Legislators split on added death threat penalties

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By SAODAT ASANOVA-TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING – A bill aimed at giving lawmakers additional protection drew high criticism from some legislators. Sen. Darwin Booher, R-Evart, proposed the bill, saying there should be specific laws to protect lawmakers. “When elected officials receive death threats, it affects them, their families, their work and their voting process,” he said. According to Booher, there are laws against intimidation on the federal level and state lawmakers should be protected under the same type of rules. Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, agreed, saying,
“It’s unacceptable just to throw around death threats without any responsibility.”
Last year, both Booher and Casperson received several death threats via phone and mail.