FY 2000-01 AGRICULTURE BUDGET - H.B. 5273 (C-1): CONFERENCE REPORT
| FY 1999-2000 Year-to-Date Gross Appropriation | $92,549,800 |
| Changes from FY 1999-2000 Year-to-Date: | |
| Items included by Senate and House | |
| 1. Bovine Tuberculosis. The budget includes funding for the Department's efforts to eradicate bovine tuberculosis from the state's white-tail deer population. | 3,400,000 |
| 2. Information Technology. The budget includes funding to enhance technology and begin electronic licensing. | 500,000 |
| Conference Agreement on Items of Difference | |
| 3. Environmental Technology Research Grant. The Governor and the House recommended program elimination. The Senate restored the grant to the Michigan Biotechnology Institute. The Conference Committee reduces funding to $100,000. | (1,400,000) |
| 4. Project GREEEN. Funding for this program is transferred to the Higher Education budget and divided between Cooperative Extension Service (47%) and Agricultural Experiment Station (53%). The Conference Committee concurs with the Senate. | (6,100,000) |
| 5. Local Conservation Districts. The House included funding to provide $20,000 per district, $130,000 for training, and approximately $500,000 (requiring 100% match) for competitive grants (total $1.5 million). The Senate concurred with the House, but creates a $100 item of difference. The Conference Committee includes $1,400,000. | 1,400,000 |
| 6. Unified Food Code. The Governor's revised budget included funding for implementation of the Michigan Food Law of 2000. The Senate included this funding. The Conference Committee reduces funding by $190,000. | 1,060,000 |
| 7. Agriculture Equine Industry Development Fund (AEIDF). Increases are included to reflect projected revenue of $13.2 million. Additional funding included for regulatory activities, horse drug testing at fairs, and various horse racing programs. The $50,000 GF/GP for drug testing at fairs redirected the $50,000 in AEIDF to the sire stakes line. The Senate separates the outstanding winning ticket revenue into a separate line and requires this funding to be transferred via a legislative transfer to the appropriate line; and separates the sire stakes line. | 1,557,800 |
| 8. Economic Adjustments. | 1,948,400 |
| 9. Other Changes. Other adjustments include local public health grants ($1,089,200); new grants ($1,279,900); pollution prevention programs ($720,000); elimination of one-time grants ($445,000); laboratory costs ($124,400); and Federal and State restricted funds adjustments. | 3,405,500 |
| Total Changes | 5,771,700 |
| FY 2000-01 Conference Report Gross Appropriation | $98,321,500 |
Amount Over/(Under) GF/GP Target: $0
| FY 2000-01 AGRICULTURE BUDGET - BOILERPLATE HIGHLIGHTS |
| Changes from FY 1999-2000 Year to Date: |
| Items Included by the Senate and House |
| 1. Standard Boilerplate Sections. The bill includes the following standard sections; State spending (Sec. 201), compliance with the DMB Act (Sec. 202), definitions (Sec. 203), Civil Service 1% charges (Sec. 204), hiring freeze (Sec. 205) contingency funds (Sec. 206), privatization evaluation (Sec. 207), Internet reports (Sec. 208), buy American (Sec. 209), and depressed and deprived communities (Sec. 210). |
| 2. Deleted Sections. The bill eliminates current-year language on Y2K reporting (Sec. 226) and Project GREEEN (Sec. 305). |
| 3. Restaurant Inspections. Current-year Section 401 requires the Department to monitor local health departments to ensure uniform application and enforcement of licensing standards. The language is modified to include "minimum program requirements", to require the director to seek additional resources for costs incurred by locals from food-borne outbreaks, and to require the director to include locals in food-borne outbreaks. |
| 4. Food-Borne Outbreaks. The bill includes new language to require the Department to report on all significant food-borne outbreaks and enforcement actions taken. (Sec. 402) |
| 5. Migrant Labor Housing. Current-year Section 602 limits grants to $2,000 per unit and $10,000 per year. The language is modified to increase the individual grant limit to $4,000 per unit and total to $16,000 per year. |
| Conference Agreement on Items of Difference |
| 6. Indemnification Payments. The Senate included livestock killed by a coyote as eligible for state indemnification. The Conference Committee concurs with the Senate. (Sec. 212) |
| 7. Local Conservation Districts. The House included new language to distribute the local conservation district appropriation in the following manner; $690,000 for district wildlife and forestry programs, $130,000 for district training, $20,000 to each district (not to replace local funds), and the remainder for competitive grants (not to exceed $20,000 per grant and requiring 100% local match). The Senate designated a sum not less than $25,000 or greater than $50,000 for a grant to a non-profit organization to promote the value of forage crops for soil and water conservation and the abatement of air and water pollution. The Conference Committee concurs with the House. (Sec. 605) |
| 8. Outstanding Winning Tickets. The Senate included new language requiring a legislative transfer to distribute outstanding winning ticket revenue deposited in the Agriculture Equine Industry Development Fund. The Conference Committee concurs with the Senate. (Sec. 812) |
| 9. State Fair Leases. The Senate included new language prohibiting an entity that leases land, property, or a building at the Michigan State Fairgrounds from receiving a State grant, loan, appropriation, or other State subsidy related to the land, property or the building. The Conference Committee concurs with the Senate. (Sec. 813) |
| 10. Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The Senate included new language providing a grant to this organization from the appropriations to the Thoroughbred Program ($34,500), Thoroughbred Sire Stakes ($27,000), and Thoroughbred Owners' Awards ($13,500). The Conference Committee concurs with the Senate, but re-directs funding from the Sire Stakes and Owners' Awards line items in equal amounts. (Sec. 814) |
| 11. Horse Racing Plan. The House retained current-year language requiring a long-term plan for assuring the viability of the horse racing industry in the State. The Senate eliminated the language. The Conference Committee concurs with the House. (Sec. 902) |