GREAT LAKES REGISTRATION PLATE - S.B. 84 & 85: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Senate Bills 84 and 85 (as introduced 1-26-99)
Sponsor: Senator Ken DeBeaussaert
Committee: Transportation and Tourism
Date Completed: 3-25-99
CONTENT
Senate Bill 84 would amend Part 301 (Inland Lakes and Streams) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to require that money from the Land and Water Management Permit Fee Fund, upon appropriation, be spent to implement the provisions of Senate Bill 85, in addition to other water protection activities specified in Part 301. Money spent under Senate Bill 84 would have to be spent first for the cleanup of Lake St. Clair.
Senate Bill 85 would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to require the Secretary of State to develop and issue a Michigan Great Lakes registration plate and to establish service fees that would have to be paid in addition to the regular vehicle registration tax. The bill also would require the Secretary of State to transfer the service fees, after deducting manufacturing and administrative costs, to the Land and Water Management Permit Fee Fund for the cleanup of Lake St. Clair and other water protection activities.
The bills are tie-barred to each other.
A more detailed description of Senate Bill 85 follows.
The Secretary of State would be required to develop and, upon application, could issue a Michigan Great Lakes 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 registration plate was issued instead of a standard registration plate. The plate would have to bear letters and numbers that the Secretary of State prescribed and would have to be of a design as determined by the Secretary of State. The words "Michigan Great Lakes" would have to appear on each registration plate.
A Michigan Great Lakes registration plate would expire as described in the Vehicle Code (MCL 257.226). Upon issuing or renewing a Great Lakes registration plate, the Secretary of State could issue a tab or tabs designating the month and year of expiration.
The Secretary of State could issue a temporary registration permit to a person who submitted an application and the proper payments for a Michigan Great Lakes registration plate if the applicant's current vehicle registration would expire before he or she received a Great Lakes registration plate. The temporary registration would expire upon receipt of a Great Lakes registration plate or 60 days after a Great Lakes registration plate was issued, whichever occurred first. The temporary permit would have to be issued without a separate fee.An application for a Great Lakes registration plate would have to be submitted to the Secretary of State pursuant to vehicle registration procedures prescribed in the Vehicle Code (MCL 257.217). Application for an original or renewal plate would have to be accompanied by payment of the regular vehicle registration tax in addition to the following service fees:
- $3 for the first month and $2 per month for each additional month of the registration period, for an original Great Lakes registration plate.
- $10 for a renewal Great Lakes registration plate.
The Secretary of State would have to identify and segregate the service fees 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 quarterly the balance of the service fees to the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer would have to credit the fee money to the Land and Water Management Permit Fee Fund created under Part 301 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act for the cleanup of Lake St. Clair and other water protection activities.
MCL 324.30113 (S.B. 84) - Legislative Analyst: L. Arasim
Proposed MCL 257.811d (S.B. 85)
FISCAL IMPACT
The manufacture and distribution of the plates would impose costs on the Department of State. The Department would collect services fees to administer the program and cover the costs of the manufacture and distribution of the plates. Because it is unknown how many people would apply for the registration plates, the fiscal impact on State government is indeterminate. There would be no fiscal impact on local government.
The bill would generate an indeterminate increase in revenue to the Land and Water Management Permit Fee Fund, depending on the demand for the Great Lakes registration plate and the fees and costs charged by the Secretary of State.
- G. CutlerS9900\s84sa
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.