Legislative Analysis
Phone: (517) 373-8080
WILLIAM S. BROOMFIELD MEMORIAL HIGHWAY
http://www.house.mi.gov/hfa
House Bill 4705 as reported from committee Analysis available at
Sponsor: Rep. Mark Tisdale http://www.legislature.mi.gov
Committee: Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure
Complete to 2-17-24
SUMMARY:
House Bill 4705 would amend the Michigan Memorial Highway Act to designate highway
M-150 in Oakland County (also known as Rochester Road), from its intersection with Tienken
Road to the highway M-59 interchange, as the “William S. Broomfield Memorial Highway.”
Proposed MCL 250.1109
BACKGROUND:
According to committee testimony and online sources, William S. Broomfield was born in
Royal Oak, Michigan to S.C. and Fern Broomfield on April 28, 1922. He graduated from high
school in 1940, attended Michigan State College (now Michigan State University), and served
in the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War.
Broomfield was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives at age 26, serving three
terms, from 1949 to 1954, and as Speaker Pro Tempore in 1953. He was elected to the Michigan
Senate in 1954. In 1956, he was elected to represent District 18 (Oakland County) in the United
States Congress, and he served in Washington until his retirement in 1993.
Representative Broomfield’s greatest influence was as the ranking Republican on the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, which he was on for 32 of his 36 years in Congress. He brought
his extensive foreign policy knowledge to other organizations and conferences and presidential
commissions. He was a delegate to SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks), NATO (North
Atlantic Treaty Organization), and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization) and a member of the joint House-Senate Committee on Iran-Contra. In
1974, he traveled to China as part of a delegation to meet with Chinese officials after diplomatic
relations had been restored.
Although his work took him around the world, he cherished his family and home life, enjoying
his later years in Kensington, Maryland. He died on February 20, 2019, at age 96.
Designating the portion of M-150 in Oakland County as the William S. Broomfield Memorial
Highway would be an appropriate way to honor his life, his service, and his dedication to his
community, the state of Michigan, and our country.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Section 2 of the Michigan Memorial Highway Act indicates that the state transportation
department shall provide for the erection of suitable markers indicating the name of the
House Fiscal Agency Page 1 of 2
 highway only “when sufficient private contributions are received to completely cover the cost
of erecting and maintaining those markers.” As a result, the bill has no state or local fiscal
impact.
POSITIONS:
A representative of the Rochester Hills Museum testified in support of the bill. (2-6-24)
Legislative Analyst: E. Best
Fiscal Analyst: William E. Hamilton
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their
deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
House Fiscal Agency HB 4705 as reported from committee Page 2 of 2


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