NATURAL RESOURCES TRUST FUND                                                       S.B. 1238 (S-1):

                                                                                                      FLOOR SUMMARY

Senate Bill 1238 (Substitute S-1 as reported)

Sponsor:  Senator Darwin L. Booher

Committee:  Natural Resources, Great Lakes and Environment

CONTENT

The bill would amend Part 19 (Natural Resources Trust Fund) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to do the following:

-- Prohibit an appointee to the Natural Resources Trust Fund Board from serving more than two full terms.

-- Require the Board, in developing its annual list of proposals to receive a Trust Fund appropriation, to include the cost and value of each parcel proposed for acquisition, score each parcel, and give particular consideration to certain projects or acquisitions, as described below.

-- Prohibit the Board from participating in an acquisition of land if any aspect of the sale were not voluntary on the seller's part; and/or the Board determined that the seller was harassed, intimidated, or coerced into selling his or her land by the Department of Natural Resources, a local unit of government, or a qualified conservation organization.

-- Allow a project or acquisition to be named in honor or memory of an individual or organization.

-- Require the Board report to the Legislature if a public recreation project funded by a Trust Fund appropriation changed significantly (i.e., changed such that it would not have been funded if the change had been in place during the project's evaluation).

The Board would have to give particular consideration to a project or acquisition located within a local unit that had adopted a resolution in support of it, as well as a project or acquisition was not already preserved by a qualified conservation organization, that allowed motorized recreational use, or that was located within a county containing at least 50% privately owned land.

MCL 324.1902 et al.                                                      Legislative Analyst:  Julie Cassidy

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would result in minimal additional costs to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) from new reporting requirements and scoring procedures.  While the bill would not have a major impact on funds available for MNRTF grants, it would affect the eligibility of specific projects for grants.  The following lists MNRTF grant appropriations for the last five years:

Fiscal Year	Amount in Millions
2007-08	$34.5
2008-09	$48.5
2009-10	$35.7
2010-11	$102.1
2011-12	$37.8

Date Completed:  9-28-12                                                  Fiscal Analyst:  Bill Bowerman

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.