REGISTRATION PLATE; MI BLOOD S.B. 903:
SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 903 (as introduced 4-22-14)
Sponsor: Senator Dave Hildenbrand
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Motor Vehicle Code to do the following:
-- Require the Secretary of State to develop and issue a fund-raising plate recognizing Michigan Blood.
-- Create the "Michigan Blood Fund".
-- Require money from the Michigan Blood Fund to be spent on research and education regarding bone marrow donation, transplantation, and testing.
The Code allows the Secretary of State (SOS) to develop and issue fund-raising plates for various purposes, under certain circumstances. The SOS may develop and issue a fund-raising plate when a public act does the following:
-- Identifies the purpose of the fund-raising plate.
-- Creates a nonprofit fund or designates an existing nonprofit fund to receive the money raised through the sale of fund-raising plates.
-- If a fund is created, names the person or entity responsible for administering the fund.
The bill would require the SOS to develop under Section 811e and issue under Section 811f a fund-raising plate recognizing Michigan Blood. (Michigan Blood is a nonprofit blood bank that provides blood and related services for Michigan hospitals.) The SOS also would have to design the plate.
(Section 811e requires the payment of a $15,000 start-up fee for a new fund-raising plate and allocates the fee to the Transportation Administration Collection Fund for the cost of creating, producing, and issuing fund-raising plates. Section 811f requires a person to pay a $25 donation, as well as the regular registration tax, plus a $10 service fee, when applying for an original fund-raising plate. A $10 donation, plus the regular registration tax, is required for renewal of a fund-raising plate.)
The Michigan Blood Fund would be created within the State Treasury. The State Treasurer could receive money or other assets from any source to be deposited into the Fund. The Treasurer would have to direct the investment of the Fund, and credit to it interest and earnings from investments. Money in the Fund at the end of the fiscal year would remain in the Fund, and would not lapse into the General Fund. For auditing purposes, the SOS would be the administrator of the Michigan Blood Fund.
The SOS would be required to transfer money raised from the sale of the Michigan Blood fund-raising plates to the Treasurer, who would have to credit the money to the Fund. The
Treasurer also would have to disburse money in the Fund on a quarterly basis to Michigan Blood.
The bill would require money from the Michigan Blood Fund to be spent on research, technology, patient support, and education regarding bone marrow transplantation, donation, and testing of new "Be the Match" registrants.
(Be the Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, which, among other things, manages a registry of bone marrow donors and a repository of cell lines and other tissues for use in curing various cancers and other diseases.)
Proposed MCL 257.811z Legislative Analyst: Jeff Mann
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost to the Department of State would depend on the number of fund-raising plates sold. A start-up fee of $15,000 is required for any new fund-raising plate. The fee is used to partially offset the cost of creating, producing, and issuing fund-raising plates. The Department of State also receives a $10 service fee for each plate sold. The $10 service fee does not apply to renewals. The Secretary of State may cease to issue a fund-raising plate if fewer than 2,000 plates are sold in the first year, and fewer than 500 plates are sold in each subsequent year for five years.
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.