Whenever any check or bank draft shall be tendered for the payment of any debt, taxes or other obligation due to the state or to any municipality therein, such check or draft shall operate as a payment made on the date the check or draft was received and accepted by the receiving officer, if it shall be paid on presentation without deduction for exchange or cost of collection. All agencies of the state of Michigan shall request that checks tendered in payment of an obligation due the state shall be made payable to the state of Michigan. No receiving officer shall be required to receive in payment of any debt, taxes or other obligation collectible or receivable by him any tender other than gold or silver coin of the United States, United States treasury notes, gold certificates, silver certificates or federal reserve bank notes.

     All collecting and disbursing officers, all county and township treasurers, and all other public officers or agents through whose hands public moneys pass, are hereby required to pay into the state, county and township treasuries, as the case may be, or to state, county and township creditors, as the case may be, at the option of such creditors, or to civil and military officers entitled to compensation for public services, at the option of such officers, the same description of funds which they shall have received in the collection of taxes or other public dues, or for freight and charges to passengers on the state railroads. Any of the aforesaid collecting and disbursing officers or agents, who shall violate any of the provisions of this act, or shall appropriate any of the public moneys to his or their own private use, except in pursuance of law; or shall lend to others, or otherwise embezzle any of the said public moneys, he or they shall be prosecuted for said offense, and on conviction thereof, be punished by fine and imprisonment; the fine not to be more than 1,000 dollars, and the imprisonment not to exceed 5 years at the discretion of the court.