Gov. Snyder Signs Anti-Bullying Measure

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation giving schools six months to put anti-bullying policies into place.  The ceremonial signing took place Tuesday afternoon.

Michigan recently ended up in the national spotlight after GOP senators passed an anti-bullying bill that included a clause saying the legislation didn't "prohibit a statement of a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction."

Democrats say the exceptions would have made it even easier to bully. The House and Senate last week passed a version without that language.

WWJ Newsradio 950 spoke with our Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick about what happens next.

"With the governor's signature on this legislation, a six-month clock begins to tick for local school districts who do not now currently have an anti-bullying policy," said Skubick.

"Basically, what this legislation says is you've got six months to get your act together," he said, adding that 25 percent of Michigan schools already have an anti-bullying policy on the books.

Michigan is one of only a few states without a state law requiring anti-bullying policies in schools. Efforts to pass a law fizzled for years until Snyder this spring urged lawmakers to get an anti-bullying law on the books.

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