September 9, 2004, Introduced by Rep. Kolb and referred to the Committee on Land Use and Environment.
A bill to amend 1986 PA 268, entitled
"Legislative council act,"
(MCL 4.1101 to 4.1901) by adding chapter 7A.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 CHAPTER 7A.
2 LEGISLATIVE CENTER FOR RURAL MICHIGAN OFFICE.
3 Sec. 751. (1) The legislative center for rural Michigan
4 office is created in the legislative council. The council shall
5 appoint the legislative center for rural Michigan administrator
6 who shall be in charge of the office. The administrator is an
7 at-will employee and shall serve at the pleasure of the council.
8 (2) The administrator has all of the following duties and
9 responsibilities:
10 (a) The administrator shall employ appropriate personnel as
11 he or she considers appropriate for the administration of the
1 office. The administrator shall also make such other
2 expenditures as the council considers necessary, providing that
3 not more than 5% of the yearly amount appropriated to fund the
4 office shall be used for administrative expenses.
5 (b) The office shall develop and maintain an appropriate base
6 of knowledge and information about rural conditions and needs.
7 This shall be accomplished through a database. The database
8 shall include the following major areas of concern:
9 (i) Agriculture.
10 (ii) Economic development.
11 (iii) Local government capacity and fiscal stress
12 indicators.
13 (iv) Transportation.
14 (v) Sociodemographics.
15 (vi) Health care and human services.
16 (vii) Environment and natural resources.
17 (viii) Education.
18 (ix) Condition of the extant local infrastructure of
19 Michigan's rural communities.
20 (x) Quality of life in this state.
21 (c) The office shall develop and operate a grant program and
22 administer grants to conduct research on matters related to rural
23 conditions and how those conditions affect economic development
24 and the quality of life in this state. The role of the office
25 shall be to facilitate and coordinate basic and applied research
26 and service components for faculty, staff, and students of the
27 state institutions of higher education that receive grants under
1 this chapter.
2 (3) The office may receive money or other assets from any
3 source.
4 Sec. 752. (1) The office shall award grants to state
5 institutions of higher education on a competitive basis. A grant
6 shall not exceed the sum of $50,000.00.
7 (2) The subject areas of the grant program are as follows:
8 (a) Rural people and communities.
9 (b) Economic development.
10 (c) Local government finance and administration.
11 (d) Community services.
12 (e) Natural resources and environment.
13 (f) Educational outreach.
14 (g) Rural values and social change.
15 (h) Quality of life in this state.
16 Sec. 753. As used in this chapter:
17 (a) "Administrator" means the legislative center for rural
18 Michigan administrator appointed under section 751.
19 (b) "Office" means the legislative center for rural Michigan
20 office created under section 751.
21 (c) "State institutions of higher education" means
22 institutions of higher education and community and junior
23 colleges described in sections 4, 5, 6, and 7 of article VIII of
24 the state constitution of 1963.