LANSING — Today the House passed House Bill 6344, which authorizes the consolidation of the East Lansing, Lansing and Ingham County courts into one countywide district court system. In response, House Democratic Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), who introduced the bill, issued the following statement:

“Given the unique makeup of Ingham County — with its many small, interlinking communities centered around the hubs of Lansing and East Lansing — it is important that local governments have the tools they need to provide high-quality services while saving taxpayer dollars. Consolidating the courts removes some of the burden from our smaller municipal governments and in turn helps ensure we’re able to focus on prevention, justice and rehabilitation first while also protecting the public interest.”