A Michigan law deeming any hazmat violation a "high misdemeanor" - requiring drivers to be arrested and fingerprinted, pay a $500 fine and possibly spend a year in prison - is under review.

Susan Fries, a spokeswoman with the Hazardous Materials unit of the Michigan Police Motor Carrier Division, said the law had "caused a lot of heartburn."

Fries drafted an amended version redefining hazmat infractions as civil penalties. More severe sanctions would apply only for those drivers who "knowingly or willfully" violate hazmat rules under the Motor Carrier Safety Act, Fries said.

"We found it unworkable and a little extreme to arrest a truckdriver for violations such as a faded placard," Fries said. She said changes in the law were sought by the Michigan Propane Gas Association and the Michigan Truckers Association. Those groups are currently looking for co-sponsors, she said.