Michigan Senate Passes Anti-Terrorism Bill After Temple Israel Attack

Senate Bill 502 Would Strengthen Prosecution Standards for Terroristic Threats

LANSING — The Michigan Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 502 on March 19, updating the state's anti-terrorism statute to add an intent requirement for prosecuting terroristic threats. The legislation comes in the wake of a March 12 car-ramming attack and shootout at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, which federal officials described as a "targeted act of violence" against the Jewish community.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Sue Shink, D-Northfield Township, and co-sponsored by state Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills, would change Michigan's existing law to criminalize making terroristic threats "knowing that the communication would be viewed as threatening violence." It would also explicitly criminalize when someone "threatens to commit an act of terrorism and communicates the threat with reckless disregard of a substantial risk that the communication would be viewed as threatening violence."

Under the current state law, it's a criminal offense if someone "threatens to commit an act of terrorism and communicates the threat to any other person." The proposed change would require prosecutors to demonstrate that the person made the threat with at least recklessness, aligning with standards set by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 Counterman decision.

"Michigan's anti-terrorism statute has saved many lives and has been instrumental in prosecuting threats against schools, law enforcement, judicial officers and elected officials on both sides of the aisle," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. "So, this minor statutory change should have broad-based support. Threats of terrorism are simply too serious to risk weakening our ability to respond."

Attack on Temple Israel Prompted Legislative Response

The attack on Temple Israel occurred on March 12, 2026, and left over 100 children present in the building at the time. The suspect, who was later identified as a man with ties to Hezbollah, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound according to police.

The FBI investigated the incident as a "targeted act of violence" against the Jewish community, and the attack struck close to home for many Michigan officials. State Rep. Noah Arbit, who represents West Bloomfield, said his family has long-standing ties to Temple Israel.

"This was not just an attack on one building," Oakland County Treasurer Robert Wittenberg said. "For many people in our community, it felt like an attack on every Jewish person in Michigan."

Arbit, Wittenberg, and other elected officials—all members of the Jewish faith—gathered in Detroit on March 16 to discuss rising antisemitism.

Security Measures Previously Approved

State Rep. Samantha Steckloff, D-Farmington Hills, noted that the security measures at Temple Israel that protected children and staff during the attack exemplified the necessity of state investment in security. As part of the current state budget, lawmakers approved $4 million for the Jewish Federation of Detroit for community safety measures.

"We have seen the spike in antisemitism and the targets of houses of worship around Metro Detroit," Steckloff said. "But because of the attack on Thursday, we've noticed and we've seen how those dollars worked, we've seen how the training worked."

State Senator Jeremy Moss, D-Bloomfield, noted that Temple Israel's security systems had worked during the attack, but emphasized that they were in place precisely because an attack like this had been predicted.

"Our community's security systems worked," Moss said. "But the reality is, is that they're in place because an attack like this was predicted."

Previous Hate Crime Laws in Place

Before SB 502, Michigan had already expanded its hate crime statutes. Representative Arbit credited previous legislative work for expanding who is protected under state hate crime statutes and attaching more stringent penalties, providing prosecutors with better tools to combat hate crimes and institutional desecration.

"Thanks to the persistent work of Representative Arbit, we now have better laws on the books that expand who is protected under the state hate crime statutes and have more stringent penalties attached, and that provide prosecutors with better tools to combat and prosecute hate crimes as well as institutional desecration," Attorney General Nessel said.

However, some community leaders believed more was needed. State Rep. Noah Arbit said while he is proud of existing laws, "clearly they are not enough to prevent antisemitic terror from reaching the very community I promised to protect."

"As proud as I am of these laws, clearly they are not enough to prevent antisemitic terror from reaching the very community I promised to protect," Arbit said, also asserting that "prevention begins by better understanding the problem we face."

Broader Context of Rising Antisemitism

The attack on Temple Israel came amid a wave of violence targeting synagogues across North America. Oakland County Treasurer Robert Wittenberg emphasized that the crisis of antisemitism and anti-Jewish violence did not arrive overnight, but rather "through the passivity and silence of far too many individuals and institutions who would never accept this type of hatred and violence targeting their own community."

State Senator Jeremy Moss noted that this is not just a Jewish problem, but a problem for all Americans, stating that "antisemitism illuminates a decay in society."

The bill now heads to the Michigan House of Representatives for further consideration, where it will need to be passed before becoming law.