MICHIGAN BOUNDARIES S.B. 1129 & 1130: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Senate Bills 1129 and 1130 (as introduced 3-9-06)
Sponsor: Senator Michelle A. McManus (S.B. 1129)
Senator Tom George (S.B. 1130)
Committee: Local, Urban and State Affairs
Date Completed: 6-8-06
CONTENT
The bills would amend different statutes concerning government publications and the State's boundaries, to require that State agency depictions of Michigan be to scale and include water and land boundaries, and to enact a legal description of Michigan's boundaries.
The bills are described below.
Senate Bill 1129
The bill would amend Public Act 44 of 1899 (which provides for the publication and distribution of various publications, laws, reports, and other documents) to provide that, beginning October 1, 2006, if a State agency depicted the State in any type of medium, the depiction would have to include the water boundaries, land boundaries, and islands of the State appropriate to size or scale.
Senate Bill 1130
The bill would amend Public Act 78 of 1945 (which declares the area of the State) to declare the total area of the State of Michigan to be approximately 96,720 square miles based on the boundaries of the State, and add a legal description of territory over which the State has jurisdiction within the boundaries. The bill would require that the description be printed in the Michigan Manual and successor publications with an unofficial appropriate general reference map.
The Act declares the State to be 96,720 square miles consisting of 57,022 square miles of land and 39,698 square miles of inland water as based on the boundaries of the State of Michigan according to Article I, Section 1 of the State Constitution of 1909 and the U.S. Statutes at Large approved on June 15, 1836. The bill would delete that language.
Currently, all official State publications, in which the total area, total land area, or total water area of Michigan is stated, must use the figures provided in the Act. Under the bill, all official State publications in which the total area of Michigan was stated would have to use the figure provided in the Act.
Proposed MCL 24.39 (S.B. 1129) Legislative Analyst: J.P. Finet
MCL 2.1 & 2.2 (S.B. 1130)
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills would have an indeterminate impact on State agencies. No specific estimate is available from the Administration. Costs would depend in part on whether revisions would have to be made by October 1, 2006, or whether they would be implemented over time when publications are reprinted.
Fiscal Analyst: Bill Bowerman
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. 1129/0506