SB-0744, As Passed Senate, November 5, 2003                                 

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                              SUBSTITUTE FOR                                    

                                                                                

                           SENATE BILL NO. 744                                  

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Natural resources and environmental protection act,"                       

                                                                                

    by amending section 2505 (MCL 324.2505), as added by 1995 PA 60,            

                                                                                

    and by adding section 2505a.                                                

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 2505.  (1) The environmental education fund is created                 

                                                                                

2   within the state treasury.                                                  

                                                                                

3       (2) The state treasurer shall direct the investment of the                  

                                                                                

4   fund.  The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from           

                                                                                

5   any source for deposit into the fund.  Interest and earnings from           

                                                                                

6   fund investments shall be credited to the fund.                             

                                                                                

7       (3) Twenty-five percent of the civil fines collected annually               

                                                                                

8   under the following parts or their predecessor acts, but not more           

                                                                                

9   than $150,000.00 in any fiscal year, shall be appropriated to the           

                                                                                

10  fund:                                                                       

                                                                                


                                                                                

1       (a) Part 31.                                                                

                                                                                

2       (b) Part 111.                                                               

                                                                                

3       (c) Part 115.                                                               

                                                                                

4       (4) Money in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall                 

                                                                                

5   remain in the fund and shall not lapse to the general fund.                 

                                                                                

6       (5) Money in the fund shall be used  to  for the following                  

                                                                                

7   purposes:                                                                   

                                                                                

8       (a) For state fiscal years ending September 30, 2004,                       

                                                                                

9   September 30, 2005, and September 30, 2006, $50,000.00 per year             

                                                                                

10  for the T.E.A.C.H. award grant program created in section 2505a.            

                                                                                

11      (b) To implement this part,  and may be used for  including                 

                                                                                

12  the establishment and operation of a clearinghouse of                       

                                                                                

13  environmental education materials, which would make environmental           

                                                                                

14  education materials available to educators throughout the state.            

                                                                                

15      Sec. 2505a.  (1) The coordinator shall establish a teacher                  

                                                                                

16  environmental and conservation honors award, which may be                   

                                                                                

17  referred to as the T.E.A.C.H. award.  The T.E.A.C.H. award shall            

                                                                                

18  be given to eligible teachers in the state who demonstrate                  

                                                                                

19  teaching excellence in the field of environmental education.                

                                                                                

20      (2) A T.E.A.C.H. award recipient under subsection (1) is also               

                                                                                

21  eligible for a grant to implement a specific environmental                  

                                                                                

22  education project administered by the T.E.A.C.H. award                      

                                                                                

23  recipient.                                                                  

                                                                                

24      (3) The coordinator shall annually administer the                           

                                                                                

25  T.E.A.C.H. award program under subsection (1) and the                       

                                                                                

26  corresponding grant program under subsection (2).  Nominations              

                                                                                

27  for T.E.A.C.H. awards shall be submitted to the coordinator in a            


                                                                                

1   manner required by the coordinator and containing information               

                                                                                

2   required by the coordinator.  Any person may nominate a teacher             

                                                                                

3   for a T.E.A.C.H award.  An application for a corresponding grant            

                                                                                

4   to a T.E.A.C.H. award recipient shall be submitted at the same              

                                                                                

5   time as the nomination.  A grant shall comply with all of the               

                                                                                

6   following:                                                                  

                                                                                

7       (a) The T.E.A.C.H. award nominee shall provide a specific                   

                                                                                

8   project proposal describing how the grant would be used.                    

                                                                                

9       (b) The maximum amount of each grant shall be $5,000.00.                    

                                                                                

10  However, a T.E.A.C.H award recipient is eligible to receive more            

                                                                                

11  than 1 grant.                                                               

                                                                                

12      (c) The grant shall be for the implementation of an                         

                                                                                

13  environmental education project that focuses on providing a                 

                                                                                

14  learning experience for students to become better stewards of the           

                                                                                

15  state's natural resources.  Environmental education projects in             

                                                                                

16  any of the following areas shall be considered for grants:                  

                                                                                

17                                                                               (i) Great Lakes or water quality.                                                   

                                                                                

18      (ii) Land conservation.                                                      

                                                                                

19      (iii) Air quality.                                                           

                                                                                

20      (4) From among the T.E.A.C.H. award recipients, the                         

                                                                                

21  coordinator shall annually select 1 recipient to be honored as              

                                                                                

22  the state's "environmental education teacher of the year".  The             

                                                                                

23  coordinator shall provide appropriate recognition to the                    

                                                                                

24  recipient of this award.                                                    

                                                                                

25      (5) In implementing this section, the coordinator shall                     

                                                                                

26  attempt to provide for both of the following:                               

                                                                                

27      (a) An equitable distribution of T.E.A.C.H. awards given to                 


                                                                                

1   teachers from all parts of the state.                                       

                                                                                

2       (b) An equitable distribution of grants to teachers from                    

                                                                                

3   organizations and schools of varying sizes.                                 

                                                                                

4       (6) By October 31, 2005, the department shall prepare and                   

                                                                                

5   submit to the members of the legislature a report on the                    

                                                                                

6   T.E.A.C.H. award and grant program under this section.  The                 

                                                                                

7   report shall specify all of the following:                                  

                                                                                

8       (a) For each T.E.A.C.H. award that was given, the name of the               

                                                                                

9   recipient and the school or organization where he or she taught             

                                                                                

10  on the date the award was given.                                            

                                                                                

11      (b) If a grant was made to a teacher receiving a                            

                                                                                

12  T.E.A.C.H. award, the amount of the grant and how the grant was             

                                                                                

13  used.                                                                       

                                                                                

14      (c) The department's evaluation of the T.E.A.C.H. award and                 

                                                                                

15  grant program and whether they should be continued.                         

                                                                                

16      (7) As used in this section, "eligible teacher" means an                    

                                                                                

17  individual who teaches environmental education to K-12 aged youth           

                                                                                

18  in a public or private school or through a nonprofit organization           

                                                                                

19  that is exempt from taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the           

                                                                                

20  internal revenue code.