HOUSE BILL No. 5899

 

May 12, 2004, Introduced by Reps. Farhat, Richardville, Shackleton, Stahl, Voorhees, Amos, Palsrok, Taub, Meyer, LaJoy, Garfield, Nitz, DeRoche, Milosch, Pumford, Hummel, Steil, Koetje, Bisbee, Hune, Tabor, Shaffer, DeRossett, Ehardt, Gaffney, Newell, Caswell, Walker, Moolenaar, Acciavatti, Huizenga, Kooiman, Caul, Hoogendyk, Nofs and Sheen and referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Resource Management.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1939 PA 141, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Grain dealers act,"                                                        

                                                                                

    by amending section 7 (MCL 285.67), as amended by 2002 PA 80.               

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 7.  (1) A grain dealer shall file an application for a                 

                                                                                

2   new license or for renewal or amendment of a license with the               

                                                                                

3   department.  The department may determine the time when an                  

                                                                                

4   application is filed and the form of the application.  A complete           

                                                                                

5   application shall include all of the following:                             

                                                                                

6       (a) The name and ownership interest of each owner,                          

                                                                                

7   stockholder, member, or partner of the grain dealer who owns at             

                                                                                

8   least 5% of the shares, other than publicly traded shares, or               

                                                                                

9   other ownership interests of the grain dealer, or for a grain               

                                                                                

10  dealer described in section 9(3), at least 5% of the shares,                

                                                                                

11  other than publicly traded shares, or other ownership interests             

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   of the parent corporation.                                                  

                                                                                

2       (b) The location and storage capacity of each facility of the               

                                                                                

3   grain dealer.                                                               

                                                                                

4       (c) Proof of insurance for all farm produce stored at each                  

                                                                                

5   facility of the grain dealer.                                               

                                                                                

6       (d) A statement that none of the events described in section                

                                                                                

7   10 have occurred within the 5 years preceding the date of the               

                                                                                

8   license application, or if any of those events have occurred, a             

                                                                                

9   description of those events.                                                

                                                                                

10      (e) A statement of the total bushels of farm produce handled                

                                                                                

11  by the grain dealer during the grain dealer's most recent                   

                                                                                

12  completed fiscal year.                                                      

                                                                                

13      (f) If the grain dealer's most recent completed fiscal year                 

                                                                                

14  was for a period of less than 12 months or the grain dealer                 

                                                                                

15  materially changed its farm produce handling practices in that              

                                                                                

16  fiscal year, a projection of the total bushels of farm produce              

                                                                                

17  the grain dealer expects to handle in the current fiscal year.              

                                                                                

18      (g) Copies of all warehouse receipt forms, price later                      

                                                                                

19  agreement forms, and acknowledgment forms used by the grain                 

                                                                                

20  dealer.                                                                     

                                                                                

21      (h) Copies of all of the grain dealer's facility lease                      

                                                                                

22  agreements and bin charts.                                                  

                                                                                

23      (i) If the grain dealer does not maintain an office in this                 

                                                                                

24  state and does not have a resident agent in this state, the                 

                                                                                

25  application shall include a written appointment of a statutory              

                                                                                

26  agent upon whom process, notice, or demand may be served.  The              

                                                                                

27  statutory agent shall be an individual residing in this state or            


                                                                                

1   a corporation whose principal place of business is located in               

                                                                                

2   this state.  If the identity or address of the statutory agent              

                                                                                

3   changes while the application is pending or after a license is              

                                                                                

4   issued, the grain dealer shall within 3 days file with the                  

                                                                                

5   department a written appointment of the new statutory agent or              

                                                                                

6   written notice of the new address, as applicable.                           

                                                                                

7       (2) The department shall issue or deny a license within 30                  

                                                                                

8   days after receipt of the  completed  complete application under            

                                                                                

9   this section, license fee described in section 8, and financial             

                                                                                

10  statement described in section 9.                                           

                                                                                

11      (3) For a license renewal, the licensee shall submit the                    

                                                                                

12  complete application, license fee, and financial statement to the           

                                                                                

13  department at least 30 days before the expiration of the current            

                                                                                

14  license term.                                                               

                                                                                

15      (4) If an application is withdrawn before a license or                      

                                                                                

16  renewal is approved, the department shall retain $50.00 for                 

                                                                                

17  processing and return the remainder of the license fee to the               

                                                                                

18  grain dealer.                                                               

                                                                                

19      (5) By submitting an application, a grain dealer consents to                

                                                                                

20  inspection and auditing of its farm produce and financial records           

                                                                                

21  and its operations by the department.  The grain dealer shall               

                                                                                

22  make the records available to the department in this state if the           

                                                                                

23  department makes a request to inspect or audit the records.                 

                                                                                

24      (6) If the department does not issue or deny a license within               

                                                                                

25  the 30-day time period described in subsection (2), the                     

                                                                                

26  department shall return the grain dealer's license fee, and shall           

                                                                                

27  reduce the license fee for the grain dealer's next renewal                  


                                                                                

1   application, if any, by 15%.                                                

                                                                                

2       (7) Beginning January 31, 2005, the director of the                         

                                                                                

3   department shall submit a report by January 31 of each year to              

                                                                                

4   the standing committees and appropriations subcommittees of the             

                                                                                

5   senate and house of representatives concerned with agricultural             

                                                                                

6   issues.  The director shall include all of the following                    

                                                                                

7   information in the report concerning the preceding calendar                 

                                                                                

8   year:                                                                       

                                                                                

9       (a) The number of new and renewal license applications the                  

                                                                                

10  department processed within the 30-day time period described in             

                                                                                

11  subsection (2) and the number of applications the department did            

                                                                                

12  not process within that time period.                                        

                                                                                

13      (b) The number of new and renewal license applications the                  

                                                                                

14  department denied, categorized by reason for denial.                        

                                                                                

15      (c) The amount of money returned to grain dealers under                     

                                                                                

16  subsection (6).