FY 2004-05 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BUDGET S.B. 1066 (H-1): HOUSE-PASSED







House Changes to Senate-Passed:
  1. Administrative General Fund Reductions. The House includes General Fund reductions proposed by the Governor in a revised recommendation. (206,200)
2. Reduction of Director's Salary and an Unclassified Position. The House lists each unclassified position in a separate line item, eliminates one of the positions, and reduces the Director's salary by 15%. (20,900)
3. Laboratory Quality Recognition Program. The House creates a new line item for this program and appropriates placeholder funding from the settlement funds account and a new commercial laboratory fee. 200
4. Adjustments to the Hazardous Waste Program. The House creates an item of difference in this line and includes a shift in the funding for the program. (100)
5. Dioxin Bio-availability Study. Clean Michigan Initiative-response activities funding is added by the House to support a study on dioxin. 800,000
6. Two Cleanup Projects. Money from the Cleanup and Redevelopment Fund is included by the House to support one project in Montcalm Co. and one project in Wayne Co. 20,000
7. White Lake Nutrient Study. The House includes funding from the Environmental Response Fund for a nutrient study. 36,000
8. Little Black Creek. The House adds a placeholder with funding from the Environmental Response Fund. 100
9. Elimination of Submerged Log Recovery Program. The House eliminates this program due to insufficient revenue collections. (101,600)
10. Elimination of Radon Grants. The House eliminates these grants to local health departments for radon testing kits. (134,300)
11. Septage Waste Fees Item of Difference. The House includes the increased revenue added by the Senate and creates an item of difference. 100
12. Budgetary Savings. The House includes a negative appropriation of 15% of the General Fund budget and requires legislative transfers to distribute the savings to specific line items in the bill. (5,416,900)
Total Changes ($4,456,300)
  FY 2004-05 House-Passed Gross Appropriation $336,009,500
FY 2004-05 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BUDGET BOILERPLATE HIGHLIGHTS

Changes from FY 2004-05 Senate-Passed:
  1. Payments to Local Units of Government. The House makes necessary changes to this section to reflect appropriations in Part 1. (Sec. 201)
2. Retention of Reports. The House removes a section requiring the Department to retain copies of reports.
3. Carry-forward of Cleanup Appropriations. The House eliminates a section allowing the Department to adjust amounts spent on specific cleanup projects.
4. Contingency Funds. The House restores language authorizing the appropriation of contingency funds when approved through legislative transfers pursuant to the DMB Act. (Sec. 219)
5. Limitation on Travel. The House removes a section prohibiting reimbursement for meals without an overnight stay and limiting out-of-state travel except in certain circumstances.
6. Employee savings. The House adds a requirement that savings from negotiated State employee contracts shall lapse to the funding source from which the appropriations were made. (Sec 220)
7. Budgetary Savings. The House includes a section directing the negative appropriation in Part 1 to be satisfied through legislative transfers distributing the savings to specific line items. (Sec. 221)
8. FTE Reductions. The House requires the Department to reduce FTEs by 8%. (Sec. 222)
9. Lease Review and Reduction. This section directs the Department to review all leases and prepare a lease savings plan to reduce obligations by 5%. (Sec. 223)
10. Areas of Concern. The House adds a new section directing the Department to develop a strategy for removing the Michigan Areas of Concern from the Federal listing. Provides criteria and requires the Department to apply for equitable Federal funding. (Sec. 224)
11. Commercial Laboratories. The House makes editorial changes to Senate language requiring the Department to contract with commercial laboratories for State laboratory work. (Sec. 502)
12. Waiver of Certain Permit Fees. The House restores a section allowing the Department to waive certain permit fees for nonprofit organizations. (Sec. 602)
13. Oil and Gas Regulatory Fund. The House removes a section stating legislative intent to use this fund only for activities in the Department of Environmental Quality.
14. Lake-effect Agriculture. The House removes a section regarding the development of agriculture in coastal areas and requiring the Department to work with MI Sea Grant and MSU on a pilot project.
15. Floodplain Mapping. Prohibits the Department from making improvements to the floodplain mapping program until the wetlands mapping effort is completed. (Sec. 603)
16. Cleanup Work Project Authorization. The House eliminates a section establishing work projects for the emergency cleanup action appropriation.
17. List of Cleanup Sites. The House lists two cleanup sites in Montcalm and Wayne Co. to receive funding. (Sec. 702)
18. Dioxin Bio-availability Study. The House adds a requirement for the contract of a dioxin bio-availability study within nine months. (Sec. 703)
19. Composting Activities. The House eliminates a section requiring the Department to work cooperatively with entities in Zeeland for the expansion of composting activities and facilities.
20. Transfer of Hazardous Waste Program. The House includes a section providing for the orderly transfer of the Hazardous Waste program to the EPA, including permits, files, records, applications, and reports. (Sec. 805)
21. NPDES Fund Report. The House changes the due date of this report. (Sec. 901)
22. Beach Water Quality Monitoring. The House removes this section that made specifications for funding provided in Part 1, which the House did not include.

Date Completed: 6-11-04 Fiscal Analyst: Jessica Runnels Bill Analysis @ http://www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa June 14, 2004 This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations. hideq_hp.doc