DUCKS UNLIMITED SPECIALTY PLATE - H.B. 4352 (S-2): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 4352 (Substitute S-2)
Sponsor: Representative Andrew Richner
House Committee: Transportation
Senate Committee: Transportation and Tourism
Date Completed: 11-12-02
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 require service fees collected for the plate to be credited to the Michigan Chapter of Ducks Unlimited for the protection, enhancement, and acquisition of wetlands and associated uplands in this State. The bill would be repealed on September 30, 2005.
The Secretary of State could issue a State-sponsored Ducks Unlimited registration plate to an applicant for use on the passenger motor vehicle, pickup truck, van, motor home, hearse, bus, trailer coach, or trailer for which the plate was issued instead of a standard registration plate. An application for a Ducks Unlimited plate would have to be submitted to the Secretary of State according to procedures prescribed in Section 217 of the Code. (That section governs the vehicle registration application process.)
An application for an original or renewal Ducks Unlimited plate would have to be accompanied by payment of the regular vehicle registration tax in addition to a service fee as provided in Section 811f. (Under that section, an application for an original fund-raising plate must be accompanied by a $25 fund-raising donation, payment of the regular registration tax, and a $10 service fee. An application for renewal of a fund-raising plate must be accompanied by payment of the regular registration tax and a $10 donation.)
The Secretary of State would have to identify Ducks Unlimited fund-raising registration service fees and segregate them into a separate account. After deducting the manufacturing and administrative costs of the Secretary of State, including administrative costs associated with issuing, replacing, and substituting plates, the Secretary of State would have to transfer the balance of the service fees to the State Treasurer, on a quarterly basis. The State Treasurer would have to credit the fee money to the Michigan Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, Inc. The money could be spent only to protect, enhance, restore, manage, and acquire wetlands and associated uplands in this State. The Michigan Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, Inc. would have to give the Department of Treasury an annual accounting of money received and used under the bill.
Upon the issuance or renewal of a Ducks Unlimited plate, the Secretary of State could issue a tab or tabs designating the month and year of expiration. A Ducks Unlimited plate would expire as described in Section 226. (Under that section, a vehicle registration expires on the owner's birthday, unless the Code provides for another expiration date or unless the registration is for a specific type of vehicle listed in Section 226.)
The Secretary of State could issue a temporary registration permit to a person who submitted an application and the proper payments for a Ducks Unlimited plate, if the applicant's current vehicle registration would expire before he or she received a Ducks Unlimited plate. The temporary registration would expire when the person received a Ducks Unlimited plate or 60 days after the plate was issued, whichever occurred first. The temporary permit would have to be issued without a separate fee.
State-sponsored Ducks Unlimited plates would have to bear letters and numbers, and be of a design, as prescribed by the Secretary of State. The word "Michigan" would have to appear on the plate.
Currently, the Code permits the Secretary of State, at any one time, to develop up to seven different State-sponsored fund-raising registration plates. The bill would increase that number to eight.
MCL 257.811e et al. - Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The statute for existing fund-raising license plates sets a service fee of $10. The level of this fee was established following an evaluation of the administrative, manufacturing, and distribution costs of the plates. 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. Although the bill refers to this 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 under the bill when this fund-raising plate was issued.
- Fiscal Analyst: Jessica RunnelsS0102\s4352sa
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.