State House votes to void old crimes

LANSING (AP) — Outdated crimes such as accepting a duel and cursing in front of women or children would no longer be on Michigan’s books under bills advancing in the Legislature.

The House last Wednesday began voting to repeal 75 laws that legislators say no longer serve a purpose or have been made redundant by newer statutes.

The archaic and apparently unenforced laws include prohibitions against ads related to sexually transmitted diseases and accepting a challenge to a duel.

The seven-bill package also would delete laws prohibiting the national anthem from being played in public “without embellishments or other melodies” and lift bans against stealing vegetables from someone’s garden.

Michigan would still have broader penalties for trespassing and larceny.