Act No. 422

Public Acts of 2006

Approved by the Governor

September 29, 2006

Filed with the Secretary of State

September 29, 2006

EFFECTIVE DATE: September 29, 2006

STATE OF MICHIGAN

93RD LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2006

Introduced by Senators Jelinek, Van Woerkom, Birkholz, Hardiman, Cropsey, Kuipers, Brown, Gilbert, Barcia, Allen and Goschka

ENROLLED SENATE BILL No. 1167

AN ACT to amend 2000 PA 322, entitled "An act to create certain funds from certain sources and to provide for the disposition of money from the funds; to provide for the creation of certain funds by certain private entities; to create incentives and to locate and maintain value-added agricultural processing and production ventures within this state; to provide for grants and loans to certain private and governmental entities for environmental purposes; to provide for certain powers and duties for certain private entities, state agencies, commissions, and departments; to authorize loans, expenditures, and grants from the funds; and to finance the development of certain programs," (MCL 285.301 to 285.304) by adding section 2b; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 2b. (1) The director of the department, for the purpose of promoting innovation in Michigan agriculture and in an effort to make more early-stage capital available to the agriculture industry, shall convene an agricultural value-added commercialization roundtable to discuss all facets of the commercialization of agricultural products, processes, and services, including, but not limited to, the availability of capital, innovation infrastructure, and university licensing of intellectual property. The director of the department shall invite at least all of the following to participate in the roundtable:

(a) Three individuals from an association representing farmers.

(b) Two individuals from an association representing food processors.

(c) Two individuals from an association representing agribusiness.

(d) Two individuals representing agricultural lending institutions.

(e) One individual representing an institute of higher education.

(f) One individual representing the United States department of agriculture--rural development agency.

(g) One individual representing the Michigan strategic fund.

(h) One individual representing the rural development council of Michigan.

(2) The first meeting of the roundtable shall be convened by the director of the department within 90 days after the effective date of this section. The director of the department shall convene the roundtable at least twice each calendar year, except that if this section takes effect after September 30, the roundtable shall convene at least once the first calendar year. The roundtable may advise the director of the department on the need for a more frequent meeting schedule. The meetings of the roundtable shall be open to the general public and shall be held in a place available to the general public. The department shall provide notice of each meeting of the roundtable by posting on the department website and such other means as the department determines appropriate. At least 1 meeting of the roundtable each year shall be held in a rural community. At such a meeting, the public shall be provided an opportunity to address the roundtable on issues within its purview. The department shall prepare a summary of each meeting of the roundtable including a department response to issues raised during the roundtable meeting. The department shall do both of the following:

(a) Post the summary on its website.

(b) Provide a copy of the summary to the members of the roundtable, to any member of the public requesting a copy, and to the standing committees of the senate and house of representatives dealing primarily with agricultural issues.

(3) This section is repealed effective 2 years after the effective date of this section.

Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect unless all of the following bills of the 93rd Legislature are enacted into law:

(a) Senate Bill No. 1168.

(b) Senate Bill No. 1169.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Secretary of the Senate

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Approved

Governor