ALLOCATION OF FUNDS FROM SNOWMOBILE FEES
House Bill 5027
Sponsor: Rep. John Pastor
Committee: Great Lakes and Tourism
Complete to 10-1-03
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5027 AS INTRODUCED 8-13-03
Under the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA), a person who wants to operate a snowmobile in the state must register the snowmobile and also must purchase an annual snowmobile trail permit sticker. The act specifies how the revenue from fees is to be allocated. The trail permit fee is currently $20, with $18.75 allocated to the Recreational Snowmobile Trail Improvement Fund. (The fee goes up to $25 on July 1, 2004). The registration fee is $22. Of that, $17 goes to the Snowmobile Registration Fee Fund, with $3 to be appropriated to the Department of State and $14 to the Department of Natural Resources. The remaining $5 of the registration fee is deposited in the Recreational Snowmobile Trail Improvement Fund for the purpose of planning, constructing, maintaining, and acquiring snowmobile trails and areas. House Bill 5027 would alter fee allocations in the following ways.
· Currently, Section 82109 requires that local units of government and nonprofit incorporated snowmobile clubs be allocated not less than 40 percent or more than 80 percent of the money appropriated to the Department of Natural Resources from the Recreational Snowmobile Trail Improvement Fund for planning, constructing, maintaining, and acquiring trails and areas for use by snowmobiles. House Bill 5027 would require that local units and nonprofit clubs be allocated not less than 60 percent or more than 90 percent of those funds.
· Section 82106 requires that at least $14 of each registration fee be appropriated (out of the Snowmobile Registration Fee Fund) for the enforcement, safety education, and financial assistance programs established in Section 82107 of the act, with $2 of that amount to go the state financial assistance program for counties and $7 to trail enforcement grants to counties or other local groups. House Bill 5027 would specify that no more than $1 million from registration fees collected for purposes set forth in Section 82107 could be used for the state financial assistance program for counties and the trail enforcement grants to counties and other local groups for enforcement of snowmobile regulations. Any excess funds remaining from this portion of the registration fees would be deposited in the Recreational Snowmobile Trail Improvement Fund at the end of the fiscal year.
MCL 324.82106 et al.
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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.