SPORTSMEN AGAINST HUNGER PROGRAM H.B. 4071 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS
House Bill 4071 (Substitute S-1 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Representative Dave Hildenbrand
House Committee: Conservation, Forestry, and Outdoor Recreation
Senate Committee: Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
CONTENT
The bill would amend Part 435 (Hunting and Fishing Licensing) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to require the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), by January 1, 2007, to implement a Sportsmen Against Hunger Program in order to distribute wild game to people in need. The DNR would have to do the following:
-- Collect donations of legally taken game that complied with State and Federal game laws.
-- Contract for the processing of the game.
-- Distribute the processed game to food banks, soup kitchens, and other charitable organizations that provide meals or food to people free of charge.
-- Promote the program through the license distribution system and other means.
The DNR could contract for the administration of the program by a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that met criteria in the bill, if the Department determined that doing so would be more efficient. Payments under the contract would have to be adequate to cover the organization's costs in administering the program (subject to a provision in House Bill 4145 (S-1) that would prohibit the DNR from incurring costs in excess of available revenue in the Sportsmen Against Hunger Fund, which that bill would create).
Before entering into a contract, the DNR would have to issue a request for proposals. If the request for proposals did not yield a bid that met the bill's requirements, the DNR would not be required to implement the program; within 30 days, the Department would have to report to the Senate and House committees with responsibility for hunting issues. The report would have to explain that no bids were received or specify why each bid received was unacceptable, and indicate whether the DNR intended to implement the program.
The bill is tie-barred to House Bill 4145, which would require the DNR to ask whether a license applicant under Part 435 wished to donate $1 to the Sportsmen Against Hunger Program, and would require donations to be deposited into the proposed Fund.
Proposed MCL 324.43540a Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills would cost the State an indeterminate amount. The DNR would be required to administer a new program and pay for the processing of donated game in preparation for distribution to food banks or similar, charitable organizations. It is not known how much revenue the donations would generate. Expenditures for the program would be limited by provisions contained in House Bill 4145 (S-1) to the amount of revenue available in the Sportsmen Against Hunger Fund.
Date Completed: 8-31-05 Fiscal Analyst: Jessica Runnels
floor\hb4071 Analysis available @ http://www.michiganlegislature.org
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.
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. hb4071/0506