DUCKS UNLIMITED SPECIALTY PLATE - H.B. 4352 (S-4): FLOOR ANALYSIS
House Bill 4352 (Substitute S-4 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Representative Andrew Richner
House Committee: Transportation
Senate Committee: Transportation and Tourism
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to require the Secretary of State to develop a State-sponsored Ducks Unlimited fund-raising registration plate and a State-sponsored Choose Life fund-raising registration plate, as well as matching collector plates; require fees collected for the Ducks Unlimited plate to be credited to the Michigan Chapter of Ducks Unlimited; and require 80% of the donations collected for the plate to be credited to a nongovernmental, not-for-profit agency or organization that provides services or counseling to women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies, but is not involved or associated with referrals to abortion clinics, does not provide abortion procedures, and does not charge for its services or counseling.
The Ducks Unlimited and Choose Life registration plates and collector plates would be issued as provided in the Code for other such plates. (Under the Code sections cited by the bill, an application for a fund-raising plate must be accompanied by payment of the regular vehicle registration tax in addition to a $25 fund-raising donation and a $10 service fee. A person must pay a $25 donation and a $10 service fee for a collector plate.)
The State Treasurer would have to credit the service fees from the Ducks Unlimited plates to the Michigan Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, Inc., for the protection, enhancement, restoration, management, and acquisition of wetlands and associated uplands in this State The State Treasurer would have to credit $20 of the donation from the "Choose Life" plate to a proposed "Choose Life Fund", and credit the remaining $5 to the General Fund. Money in the Choose Life Fund would have to be distributed to each county in proportion to the amount of donations received from issuing the plates in each county.
The bill would take effect on May 1, 2003, and would be repealed on September 30, 2005. It is tie-barred to Senate Bill 614 and House Bill 5122 (which would provide for "Support Education" and "Breast Cancer Awareness" fund-raising plates, respectively).
MCL 257.811e et al. - Legislative Analyst: Julie Koval
FISCAL IMPACT
The sections for existing fund-raising license plates cited by this bill set a service fee of $10. The $10 service fee is revenue-neutral, meaning that it covers exactly the cost of producing the plate and the State experiences no net gain or loss. In regard to the Ducks Unlimited plate, although the bill refers to the service fee as established in Section 811f, it does not mention the $25 donation also required in that section. It is unclear whether a donation to Ducks Unlimited, Inc., would be required when this fund-raising plate was issued.
From the $25 donation made when a "Choose Life" fund-raising plate was purchased, $20 would pass through local units of government to nongovernmental, not for-profit agencies. The remaining $5 donation would be deposited in the State General Fund. It is unknown how many of these plates would be purchased.
Date Completed: 12-4-02 - Fiscal Analyst: Jessica RunnelsFloor\hb4352 - Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa
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.