SLEEPING BEAR DUNES FUND-RAISING PLATE S.B. 91 (S-1):
SUMMARY OF SUBSTITUTE BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 91 (Substitute S-1)
Sponsor: Senator Darwin L. Booher
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to do the following:
-- Require the Secretary of State (SOS), by October 1, 2015, to develop and issue a fund-raising license plate recognizing the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
-- Create the "Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Fund" and require the donations for the plates to be deposited into the Fund.
-- Require the money in the Fund to be disbursed to Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear for expenditure on preservation projects.
Specifically, the SOS would have to develop under Section 811e and issue under Section 811f a fund-raising plate or collector plate recognizing the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The SOS would have to design the plate in conjunction with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear.
(Section 811e prescribes a $15,000 start-up fee for any new fund-raising plate and requires it to be deposited in the Transportation Administration Collection Fund through October 1, 2015, to be used for the cost of creating, producing, and issuing fund-raising plates. Section 811f authorizes the SOS to issue a fund-raising plate instead of a standard registration plate upon application. An application must be accompanied by a $25 fund-raising donation, payment of the regular vehicle registration tax prescribed in the Code, and a $10 service fee.)
The bill would create the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Fund within the State Treasury. The State Treasurer could receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the Fund. The State Treasurer would have to direct the investment of the Fund and credit to it any interest and earnings from the investments. Money in the Fund at the close of the fiscal year would remain in the Fund and would not lapse to the General Fund. The State Treasurer would be the administrator of the proposed Fund for auditing purposes.
The SOS would have to transfer the donation money from the sale of the plates to the State Treasurer, who would have to credit it to the proposed Fund. The State Treasurer would have to disburse Fund money to Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear on a quarterly basis. The money would have to be spent on projects that preserved the historic and natural features of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore for the use and enjoyment of the public.
The bill would take effect 90 days after enactment.
BACKGROUND
Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the more than 300 historic structures and cultural landscapes in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, according to the organization's Facebook page. Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear raises funds, coordinates volunteer teams, leads tours, and engages in a number of other projects and programs in pursuit of its mission.
Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would create a start-up cost to the Department of State; however, the start-up fee of $15,000 prescribed in the Code would have to be paid to the Department of State from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Fund proposed by the bill. The revenue generated from the fund-raising license plate would be deposited into the Fund, after which the State Treasurer would disburse payments from the Fund on a quarterly basis to Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear to preserve the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore historic and natural features.
The bill would have no fiscal impact on local government.
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.