REGISTRATION PLATES; BE THE MATCH S.B. 903:
SUMMARY AS ENACTED
Senate Bill 903 (as enacted) PUBLIC ACT 390 of 2014
Sponsor: Senator Dave Hildenbrand
Senate Committee: Transportation
House Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure
CONTENT
The bill amends the Michigan Vehicle Code to require the Secretary of State to develop and issue a fund-raising plate recognizing Be the Match, and require money raised to be spent for purposes related to bone marrow donation and transplantation.
The bill will take effect March 31, 2015.
Specifically, the bill requires the Secretary of State to develop the plate under Section 811e of the Code and issue it under Section 811f no later than September 1, 2015. (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 bill also creates the "Be the Match Fund" in the State Treasury. The State Treasurer may receive money or other assets from any source to be deposited into the Fund. The Treasurer must direct the investment of the Fund, and credit to it interest and earnings from investments. On a quarterly basis, the Treasurer must pay money in the Fund to Be the Match. Money in the Fund at the end of the fiscal year must remain in the Fund, and not lapse to the General Fund.
The bill requires money from the Be the Match Fund to be spent on research, technology, patient support, and education regarding bone marrow donation and transplantation, and the testing of new Be the Match registrants.
BACKGROUND
Be the Match is a nonprofit entity operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, which manages a registry of bone marrow donors and a repository of cell lines and other tissues for use in curing various diseases. Be the Match works to pair potential donors on its registry with those in need of a bone marrow transplant. In addition, Be the Match provides money and services for patients undergoing transplant procedures, as well as medical education and research for diseases that are treatable or curable through bone marrow transplants.[1] Examples of these diseases include the following: various leukemias and lymphomas, severe aplastic anemia, severe combined immunodeficiency, and sickle cell disease.2
Legislative Analyst: Jeff Mann
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill will have an indeterminate impact on the Department of State and no impact on local units of government. The cost to the Department of State will 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.
[1] "2013 Report to the Community", National Marrow Donor Program/Be the Match, p. 3, retrieved 9-10-2014 at: http://bethematch.org/About-Us/Financial-Information/Annual-report/.
2 "Diseases treatable by transplants", Be the Match, retrieved 9-11-2014 at: http://bethematch.org/Transplant-Basics/How-transplants-work/Diseases-treatable-by-transplants/.
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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.