State Rep. Jennifer Wortz on Wednesday proudly secured the House passage of Senate Bill 70, a plan to rename a portion of M-34 in Hillsdale County as the Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr. Memorial Highway. Specifically, the bill would rename the portion of highway between Pioneer Road and South Pittsford Road.

“Last year, as I sat at Deputy Butler’s funeral service, I was struck by how beauty and sorrow can coexist at the same time,” said Wortz, R-Quincy. “Thousands attended – police officers from around our state and country, some as far as Texas – came to pay tribute to a man who gave his life in the line of duty to protect his community from harm. As the question is always asked after such a tragedy, ‘Why Bill? Why now?’ His wife, Sarah, answered that question, and it was shared at the funeral: ‘Why not Bill?’ Who better to defend and protect his community than Bill, a man who loved his country, loved to serve, and was more than willing to lay down his life for others?”

Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr. was an Iraq War veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. After returning home from the war, he joined the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office, where he served for 12 years. While assisting another deputy with a traffic stop on June 27, 2024, an assailant produced a firearm and shot Deputy Sheriff Butler. He was transported to the hospital and later passed away from his wounds. He is survived by his wife, Sarah, five children, and two grandchildren.

 Senate Bill 70 now goes to the desk of Governor Gretchen Whitmer for her signature.