CHARITABLE GAMING; DEFINITIONS H.B. 4431:
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 4431 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Kevin Hertel
House Committee: Regulatory Reform
Senate Committee: Regulatory Reform
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Bingo Act to delete the definition of "occasion". ("Occasion" means a single day for which a license to conduct games is issued under the Act).
BACKGROUND
Public Act 159 of 2019 amended the Bingo Act to provide for the regulation of millionaire parties. In pertinent part, the bill amended "occasion" such that the term no longer meant "hours of the day for which a license is issued" but rather "a single day for which a license is issued." This functionally limited charities and halls to holding no more than one event per day, ending the practice of holding more than one per day, as had been allowed under the Michigan Administrative Code.
Legislative Analyst: Christian Schmidt
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would increase State General Fund revenue by an unknown and likely negligible amount that would depend on the number of charitable games held and the price and number of charity game tickets sold. Revenue from the sale of charity game tickets and fees collected under the Act, after expenses, is deposited in the General Fund. In both fiscal years (FYs) 2017-18 and 2018-19, before the implementation of the definitional change eliminated by the bill, the General Fund received approximately $1.9 million under the Act. Under current law, as any revenue reductions attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic decline, General Fund revenue from charitable gaming is expected to total approximately $2.0 million in FY 2022-23.
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.