On Thursday, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a bill sponsored by Rep. Pete Lucido, R-Shelby Township that formally defines cyberbullying as a misdemeanor crime punishable by 93 days in jail and a $500 fine. Public Act 457 of 2018 will take effect in March.
According to the law, a "pattern of repeated harassment" is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Meanwhile, cyberbullying that is found to cause a victims death is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
According to Lucido's bill, "cyberbullying" is defined by "posting a message or statement in a public media forum about any other person" if both "the message or statement is intended to place a person in fear of bodily harm or death and expresses an intent to commit violence against the person" and "the message or statement is posted with the intent to communicate a threat or with knowledge that it will be viewed as a threat."
A "pattern of harassing or intimidating behavior" means a series of two or more separate noncontinuous acts of harassing or intimidating behavior. And a "public media forum" refers to "the internet or any other medium designed or intended to be used to convey information to other individuals, regardless of whether a membership or password is required to view the information."
"Cyberbullying can cause just as much trauma as traditional bullying so it's important that it be considered a crime," Snyder said in a statement. "With this bill, we are sending a message that bullying of any kind is not tolerated in Michigan."