House Bill 5596

Sponsor: Rep. Steve Vear

Complete to 4-17-00

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5596 AS INTRODUCED 4-13-00

House Bill 5596 would repeal Public Act 36 of 1919, which regulates the planting of ornamental, nut bearing or other food producing trees along the highways of the state. Specifically, the law specifies that it is the duty of the state highway commissioner and the state board of agriculture to select and plant trees along the highways, and that those trees will be provided by the public domain commission, or the agricultural college. The law also specifies that municipalities may appropriate money to plant, prune, and protect the trees within their jurisdictions, and it sets a bounty for each tree planted along the highway by taxpayers whose land adjoins the roadway. (The bounty is a credit of five cents per tree on the taxpayer's highway repair tax.) Finally, the law sets penalties for destroying, injuring, or defacing the trees.

MCL 247.231 to 247.235

Analyst: J. Hunault

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.