LANSING, MI — House Republicans advanced legislation that would force Michigan conservation officers and pollution inspectors to obtain a search warrant or consent before entering private property.

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, the House natural resources committee advanced two bills, HBs 4421 and 4073 , which together would curtail an exemption under the U.S. Fourth Amendment which treats land outside a home’s immediate area as open to warrantless entry.

The restriction would apply to the Michigan departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).

The legislation would need to surmount the Democratic-controlled Senate and governor’s office before it could become law, an unlikely prospect. The bills did not receive any support from minority Democrats on

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