CRITICAL WILDLIFE HABITAT PLATE - S.B. 180 (S-1) & 770 (S-1): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 770 (Substitute S-1)
Sponsor: Senator George A. McManus, Jr.
Committee: Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
Date Completed: 10-26-99
CONTENT
Senate Bill 180 (S-1) would amend Part 439 (Nongame Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to require the Department of Natural Resources to purchase and develop critical wildlife habitats in the State. Senate Bill 770 (S-1) would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to require the Secretary of State to develop, and allow the Secretary of State to issue, upon application, a State-sponsored critical wildlife habitat fund-raising registration plate and a matching State-sponsored critical wildlife habitat collector plate (as proposed by Senate Bill 826).
Senate Bill 770 (S-1) also would require the Secretary of State to transfer to the State Treasurer critical wildlife habitat fund-raising plate donations and matching critical wildlife habitat collector plate fund-raising donations collected under Senate Bill 826. The State Treasurer would have to credit the donation money to the Nongame Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund under the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, for the purchase and development of critical wildlife habitats in the State.
In addition, Senate Bill 770 (S-1) would require the plate to be of a design determined by the Secretary of State. The bill would define "state-sponsored critical wildlife habitat fund-raising registration plate" as a registration plate containing a specialized design pertaining to the critical wildlife habitats of the State.
The bills are tie-barred to each other. Senate Bill 770 (S-1) also is tie-barred to Senate Bill 826, which would establish the registration plate fees; allow the Secretary of State to develop a Michigan university fund-raising registration plate, a State-sponsored fund-raising registration plate, and a matching collector plate; and require the Secretary of State to segregate donations, create separate accounts, authorize fund disbursement, and report the number of plates issued, sold, or renewed for each fund-raising donation.
Senate Bill 770 (S-1) would take effect October 1, 2000.
MCL 324.43902 & 324.43905 (S.B. 180) - Legislative Analyst: N. Nagata
Proposed MCL 257.811l (S.B. 770)
FISCAL IMPACT
This package of bills (Senate Bills 180 (S-1), 770 (S-1), and 826-829) would increase revenue to the State. There would be some administrative costs to the Department of State to administer the program. However, the costs would be absorbed by the revenue gained from the sale of the license plates. Because the number of people who would purchase fund-raising plates is unknown, the fiscal impact of the program is indeterminate. However, figures for other plate programs are shown below for reference.
Olympic Plates | Organizational Plates | |||
Issued | Fees | Issued | Fees | |
FY 1995-96 | 5,795 | $139,357 | 1,439 | $35,975 |
FY 1996-97 | 6,985 | $146,326 | 1,228 | $30,700 |
FY 1997-98 | 7,244 | $177,762 | 1,283 | $32,075 |
FY 1998-99 | 7,800 | $192,000 | 1,400 | $35,000 |
After the Department of State deducts its costs from the original fees for the Olympic plates, the remainder is sent to the Olympic Training Center at Northern Michigan University. The chart above shows the total revenue collected from fees for both the Olympic plates and the organizational plates. The figures for FY 1998-99 are projected totals.
- Fiscal Analyst: E. Limbs
- P. AlderferS9900\s180sa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.