COMPLAINTS AGAINST FARMS S.B. 502 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS






Senate Bill 502 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Patricia L. Birkholz
Committee: Agriculture

CONTENT
The bill would amend of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to prohibit the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from acting on a complaint against a farm or farm operation under the Act unless the complainant provided his or her name and address. Subject to that provision, the DEQ would have to begin investigation of a complaint against a farm or farm operation under the Act within seven days of receiving the complaint.


If a complainant brought more than three unverified complaints against the same farm or farm operation within three years, the DEQ Director could order the complainant to pay the cost of investigating any subsequent unverified complaint against the same farm.

A person's name and address and any other personal information provided to the DEQ under the bill would be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The DEQ could not disclose the information exception proceedings to collect a payment from a person who made more than three unverified complaints against the same farm within three years.


The bill would take effect 180 days after it was enacted.


Proposed MCL 324.8611 & 324.8612 Legislative Analyst: Curtis Walker

FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would result in indeterminate administrative savings to the DEQ dependent upon the extent to which complaints were reduced and the number of unverified complaints for which the investigation costs would be reimbursed.


Date Completed: 6-18-07 Fiscal Analyst: Jessica Runnels






floor\sb502 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. sb502/0708