HISTORICAL MARKER PROGRAM - H.B. 5889: FLOOR ANALYSIS
House Bill 5889 (as discharged)
Sponsor: Representative Larry Julian
House Committee: Commerce
Senate Committee: Local, Urban and State Affairs
CONTENT
The bill would amend Public Act 10 of 1955 (which the bill would name the "Michigan Historical Markers Act") to replace language providing for the Michigan Historical Commission to list historic sites in a register and authorize the display of a marker, upon the application of a State agency or of any political subdivision or person owning or in possession of a site of historic interest. The bill would do the following:
-- Permit the Department of History, Arts, and Libraries to administer a Michigan Historical Marker Program.
-- Permit the Department to list a historic resource or site in the State Register of Historic Sites, and commemorate it with an official marker, if the resource or site met criteria recommended by the Commission and adopted by the Department.
-- Allow a person owning or in possession of a historical resource or site, or a State or local department or agency owning, controlling, or in possession of a historical resource or site, to apply to the Michigan Historical Center for the placement of an official historical marker and a listing in the State Register of Historic Sites.
-- Require an applicant other than an agency to pay a $250 fee, which would have to be refunded if the Center decided that a resource was not eligible for a marker.
-- Require the Center to endorse an application and prepare marker text if the application met the criteria for placement of a marker.
-- Require the Commission to review and approve the text and location of a marker.
-- Create the "Historical Marker Fund", which would receive gifts, grants, bequests, and appropriations for the program's administration.
-- Establish misdemeanor penalties for violations involving historical markers.
-- Establish liability to the State for double or triple the cost of repairing or replacing a marker, in the case of some violations, and require the amount to be deposited in the Fund.
-- Require the owner or a person in possession of a historical resource to follow guidelines of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior when altering the exterior of a historic resource.
MCL 399.151 et al. - Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State government and an indeterminate fiscal impact on local governments. There are no data to indicate how many offenders would be convicted of the misdemeanors proposed by the bill. Offenders would receive probation or imprisonment in a local facility. Local units would incur the cost of probation and incarceration, which may vary by county from $27 to $65 per day. Additional penal fine revenue raised would benefit public libraries.
Date Completed: 6-5-02 - Fiscal Analyst: Maria Tyszkiewicz
- Bethany WicksallFloor\hb5889 - Bill Analysis @ http://www.senate.state.mi.us/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.