LANSING – New legislation could prevent a difficult situation for those who want to pay their respects to departed loved ones, but can’t get there.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kate Ebli, D-Monroe, would prohibit local governments from approving developments that would surround existing cemeteries.

Monroe County is home to one such “landlocked” cemetery, Potter Cemetery -also known as Swan Creek Cemetery - in Ash Township.

Many local residents have ancestors buried in the 1-acre cemetery, which has plots dating as far back as the 1840s.

Farmland and other private property surround it, blocking access to relatives of those buried there. Further, vegetation is overgrown and headstones have been vandalized or fallen into disrepair, according to Mark Armbruster, president of the Friends of Potter Cemetery, which seeks to restore it.

The bill wouldn’t solve Potter Cemetery’s current access problem, Ebli said. “That’s an issue for Ash Township.”

But she stressed the importance of preventing such problems for other cemeteries in the future.

“People should be able to visit veterans and other loved ones,” Ebli said.

Armbruster, who has ancestors buried in Potter Cemetery, said he hoped for a solution to the cemetery’s inaccessibly, but praised the efforts by the House, which has passed Ebli’s bill.

“I feel great about what they’re doing,” Armbruster said.

The bill now awaits action in the Senate. It is co-sponsored by 13 other representatives, including Kathy Angerer, D-Dundee; Kathleen Law, D-Gibraltar; and John Garfield, R-Rochester Hills.