All Michigan residents deserve to live with respect and dignity.

People with disabilities can often have difficulty caring for themselves and protecting themselves. Unfortunately, we increasingly hear about adults and children with disabilities being assaulted — and even targeted because of their disability.

We must crack down hard on the kind of criminal who would hurt someone with special needs.

That is why I co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that would increase penalties for assaulting a person with a developmental disability.

Senate Bills 1017 and 1018 aim to prevent harm to individuals with disabilities by creating a harsher punishment for those who know of a person’s disability and are guilty of assault or assault and battery on that person.

Under the bills, a first offense for someone convicted of assaulting an individual with a developmental disability and knowing that individual has a disability would be guilty of a misdemeanor and face up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Subsequent offenses would result in felony charges punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

According to the Arc, researchers have found that people with intellectual disabilities have a four- to 10-times greater chance of becoming victims of crime than those without disabilities.

Children with any type of disability are 3.4 times more likely to be abused compared to children without disabilities.

It is sickening that someone would knowingly assault a person with special needs. This legislation would not only increase penalties for assault of a person with a disability, but they also give this community an elevated voice and help create a culture of respect.

 

Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, represents Southwest Michigan