Source: Detroit Free Press Contact: Website: http://www.freep.com/ Pubdate: October 19, 1998 Author: Molly Abraham, Free Press Staff Writer PERRY BULLARD: STATE LEGISLATOR WAS BOTH RESPECTED, REVILED Perry Bullard, the passionately liberal Democrat from Ann Arbor who was at the same time one of the most respected and one of the most reviled members of the Michigan Legislature during his tenure from 1972 to 1992, died Thursday at the age of 56 of an apparent heart attack at his home in Canton Township. He sponsored 118 bills that were enacted into law. Among them were sunshine laws opening government proceedings to the public and a worker right-to-know law that guaranteed access to personnel files. He was also known for legislation that didn't pass. In the 1970s, that meant identification with efforts to decriminalize marijuana. Mr. Bullard's moment of greatest notoriety may have come in 1973 when he attended the U-M hash bash and smoked a joint in public. He also introduced a bill to legalize prostitution. In the 1980s, he became chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. When told of Mr. Bullard's death, Gov. John Engler called him a "very smart ...engaging guy." He said they disagreed often but that disagreements are a natural part of the legislative process. When Mr. Bullard announced he would not run for re-election in 1992, he told the Free Press, "People call me a radical. But you don't have to be a radical to see that you have to have a health insurance system that puts the care of people ahead of the concerns of corporations ...that you need a government that tries to make things better instead of worse." Mr. Bullard was a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan Law School, and a Vietnam veteran who returned his 13 medals at an antiwar demonstration. Mr. Bullard is survived by his wife, Kelly, and a son, Nate. There will be no funeral services. A memborial service will be held later in Florida. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union. - --- Checked-by: Richard Lake