NORTON SHORES, Mich. -- New legislation would require Michigan gas stations open after 11 p.m. to have two employees working or to install security cameras, according to a report in the Muskegon Chronicle.
State Rep. Collene Lamonte unveiled the bill, named after Jessica Heeringa who disappeared from a Norton Shores, Mich., gas station in April. Lamonte said the proposed law would help to protect late-night workers at gas stations and convenience stores.
Lamonte announced a bill--dubbed Jessica’s Law--during a press conference in a parking lot adjacent to an Exxon gas station in Norton Shores on Monday. Heeringa was an employee at the station, from which she was allegedly abducted on the evening of April 26 and has been missing ever since.
The bill would:
- Require gas stations and convenience stores operating between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. to schedule at least two workers on that shift, or require those gas stations and convenience stores to install and maintain a security camera that would record attacks, robberies or other crimes that threaten workers.
- Establish a civil fine of not more than $200 for each violation of this law.
Lamonte planned to introduce the bill to the state congress on Tuesday.
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