COMPANY K INDIAN VETERANS; CIVIL WAR MEM HWY S.B. 30:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 30 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Senator John N. Damoose
Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Memorial Highway Act to designate the portion of Highway
M-22 in Leelanau County beginning at the intersection of Highway M-22 and North Stallman
Road and continuing north to the intersection of Highway M-22 and North Putnam Road as
the "Company K Indian Veterans 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Civil War Memorial Highway".
Proposed MCL 250.1108
BRIEF RATIONALE
In 1836, 139 Native American men joined Company K, a regiment that fought for the Union
during the American Civil War. Testimony before the Senate Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure indicates that Company K participated in many of the Civil War’s most
grueling battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of the Wilderness, and the
Siege of Petersburg. Several Company K men were captured and held in Confederate prisoner-
of-war camps, and many members died fighting in service to their country, which oppressed
them during their lifetime.1 Company K serves as an important part of Michigan’s past and
present, as descendants of Company K soldiers still reside in Leelanau County. A monument
in their honor stands on the Capitol Building’s lawn, and it has been further suggested that
the men of Company K be memorialized in Leelanau County.
Legislative Analyst: Abby Schneider
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government. Pursuant to the Act, private
donations are required to erect and maintain special naming markers.
Date Completed: 11-14-24 Fiscal Analyst: Michael Siracuse
1
After the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, an estimated 100,000 Native Americans were
forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and relocated to territories beyond the Mississippi River.
Additionally, Native Americans did not receive United States citizenship until the passage of the Indian
Citizenship Act in 1924, 59 years after the end of the Civil War (1862-1865).
floor\sb30 Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not
constitute an official statement of legislative intent.


Statutes affected:
Senate Introduced Bill: 250.1001, 250.2092
As Passed by the Senate: 250.1001, 250.2092