HB-5954, As Passed House, June 30, 2004

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 5954

                                                                             A bill to establish the military family relief fund in the                        

department of military and veterans affairs to provide assistance           

to families of certain members of the reserve components of the             

United States armed forces on active duty; to provide for the               

distribution of money from the fund; to prescribe the duties and            

powers of certain agencies and officials; and to provide for                

appropriations.                                                             

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 1.  This act shall be known and may be cited as the                    

2   "military family relief fund act".                                          

3       Sec. 2.  As used in this act:                                               

4       (a) "Department" means the department of military and                       

5   veterans affairs.                                                           

6       (b) "Family" or "families" means the military dependents as                 

7   determined by the qualified individual's branch of service.                 

1       (c) "Fund" means the military family relief fund created in                 

2   section 3.                                                                  

3       (d) "Qualified individual" means an individual who meets all                

4   of the following criteria:                                                  

5                                                                                (i) The individual is or was a member of a reserve component                        

6   of the United States armed forces based in this state or who is a           

7   resident of this state serving in a reserve component of the                

8   United States armed forces based in another state and is called             

9   to active duty by the president of the United States or the                 

10  United States secretary of defense as a result of national                  

11  response to September 11, 2001 or as a response to a national               

12  emergency declared by the president of the United States and for            

13  which funds are being spent by the federal government.                      

14      (ii) The individual's family can document the need for                       

15  financial assistance for clothing, food, housing, utilities,                

16  medical services or prescriptions, insurance payments, vehicle              

17  payments, or other related necessities of daily living in either            

18  of the following situations:                                                

19      (A) The need occurred during the time the individual is on                  

20  active duty.                                                                

21      (B) The need occurred because the individual has incurred a                 

22  line of duty injury or illness.                                             

23      (e) "Reserve components of the United States armed forces"                  

24  means all of the following:                                                 

25                                                                               (i) The army national guard of the United States.                                   

26      (ii) The army, naval, marine corps, air force, and coast                     

27  guard reserves.                                                             

1       (iii) The air national guard of the United States.                           

2       Sec. 3.  (1) The military family relief fund is created as a                

3   separate fund in the department to offer grants to provide                  

4   assistance to families of qualified individuals.                            

5       (2) The military family relief fund shall be expended only as               

6   provided in this act.                                                       

7       (3) The state treasurer shall credit to the fund all amounts                

8   designated for the fund pursuant to section 438 of the income tax           

9   act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.438.                                      

10      (4) The state treasurer shall direct the investment of the                  

11  fund money in the same manner as other funds are invested.  The             

12  state treasurer shall credit to the fund the interest and                   

13  earnings from the fund.                                                     

14      (5) Money deposited, funds granted, or funds received as                    

15  gifts or donations to the fund shall be available for                       

16  disbursement when deposited.                                                

17      (6) Money in the fund at the close of the state fiscal year                 

18  shall remain in the fund and shall not lapse to the general                 

19  fund.                                                                       

20      Sec. 4.  (1) Each year that the contribution designation                    

21  program under section 438 of the income tax act of 1967, 1967 PA            

22  281, MCL 206.438, is in effect, an amount equal to the cumulative           

23  designations, plus interest and dividends earned made under that            

24  section shall be appropriated from the general fund to the fund             

25  for use solely in support of the purposes provided in this act.             

26  No money from the fund shall be used for the purpose of                     

27  administering the fund or implementing section 438 of the income            

1   tax act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.438.                                  

2       (2) The money in the fund shall not be used by the department               

3   to replace funds otherwise designated to support similar programs           

4   within the department.                                                      

5       Sec. 5.  (1) A qualified individual or the individual's                     

6   family shall apply to the department for a grant from the fund.             

7   A qualified individual or the individual's family may apply for             

8   more than 1 grant in any year.                                              

9       (2) At the time that a qualified individual or the                          

10  individual's family applies for a grant from the fund, the                  

11  department shall provide the applicant with copies of financial             

12  planning materials and information at no cost to the applicant.             

13      (3) The department shall determine criteria and review                      

14  applications for grants from the fund.                                      

15      (4) The department shall determine if the applicant is                      

16  eligible for a grant from the fund and shall determine the amount           

17  of the individual's grant.                                                  

18      (5) Not more than 30 business days after the department                     

19  receives an application, the department shall notify the                    

20  applicant of the receipt of the application and the status of the           

21  application which shall be 1 of the following:                              

22      (a) The applicant is eligible for a grant, the date when the                

23  applicant will receive that grant, and the amount of the grant.             

24      (b) The applicant is eligible for a grant but no funds are                  

25  available and the application will be kept on file until money              

26  becomes available.                                                          

27      (c) The applicant is not eligible for a grant and the reasons               

1   why.                                                                        

2       (6) If an application is denied because the applicant is not                

3   eligible, the applicant is not prohibited from subsequently                 

4   applying for a grant for that purpose or any other purpose.                 

5       (7) Within the first 30 days of each calendar year, the                     

6   department shall begin to distribute the money that was in the              

7   fund at the end of the immediately preceding state fiscal year to           

8   grant applicants until the money in the fund is exhausted.                  

9       (8) The maximum total amount that any qualified individual                  

10  and that qualified individual's family can receive in any 1                 

11  calendar year is $2,000.00.  If the department determines that              

12  the qualified individual or the qualified individual's family is            

13  in an emergency situation or their needs are extreme, the                   

14  department may waive the maximum under this subsection.                     

15      Sec. 6.  The department may promulgate rules that it                        

16  considers necessary to implement this act pursuant to the                   

17  administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to           

18  24.328.