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Read. Follow. Verify.Michigan Senate Bill 895 exempts older convictions from habitual offender sentence enhancements
Last action · April 14, 2026: REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CIVIL RIGHTS, JUDICIARY, AND PUBLIC SAFETYSponsors: Sue Shink and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 895 prohibits using prior felony convictions to enhance sentences under the state's laws if 10 or more years have passed between the of the prior conviction and the commission of a subsequent offense. The measure modifies sentencing rules for individuals with one, two, or three prior felony convictions.
Changes how long prior criminal records can impact future prison terms, directly affecting defendants facing repeat-offender sentencing enhancements by establishing a 10-year lookback limit.
- Michigan's habitual offender laws allow courts to impose harsher sentences on individuals convicted of multiple felonies. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
defendants facing subsequent felony charges
Defendants with older prior felony convictions are protected from having those specific past convictions used to lengthen their sentences if a 10-year gap has occurred.
state courts and prosecutors
Judges and prosecutors must evaluate the time elapsed since a defendant's prior discharge date before applying habitual offender sentencing enhancements.
Key Facts
- Prior felony convictions that precede a period of 10 or more years between the discharge date and the commission of a subsequent offense cannot be used for sentence enhancement.
- Applies the 10-year lookback restriction across sections 10, 11, and 12 of chapter IX of the code of criminal procedure, covering individuals with one, two, or three or more prior felony convictions.
- Retains provisions requiring the court to fix both minimum and maximum terms for indeterminate sentences upon conviction of a subsequent felony.
- Maintains existing restrictions prohibiting the use of a conviction for enhancement if it is already used under another statute that forbids further enhancement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Senate Bill 895 change about habitual offender sentencing?
Does this apply to all repeat offenders?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Apr 14, 2026SenateCommitteeREFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CIVIL RIGHTS, JUDICIARY, AND PUBLIC SAFETY
- Apr 14, 2026SenateIntroducedINTRODUCED BY SENATOR SUE SHINK
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.mi.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy50Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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