HOUSE BILL No. 5458

 

November 20, 2007, Introduced by Rep. Green and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1998 PA 58, entitled

 

"Michigan liquor control code of 1998,"

 

by amending sections 525 and 532 (MCL 436.1525 and 436.1532),

 

section 525 as amended by 2006 PA 539 and section 532 as added by

 

2001 PA 223.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 525. (1) Except as otherwise provided for in this

 

section, the following license fees shall be paid at the time of

 

filing applications or as otherwise provided in this act:

 

     (a) Manufacturers of spirits, but not including makers,

 

blenders, and rectifiers of wines containing 21% or less alcohol by

 

volume, $1,000.00.

 

     (b) Manufacturers of beer, $50.00 per 1,000 barrels, or

 

fraction of a barrel, production annually with a maximum fee of

 


$1,000.00, and in addition $50.00 for each motor vehicle used in

 

delivery to retail licensees. A fee increase does not apply to a

 

manufacturer of less than 15,000 barrels production per year.

 

     (c) Outstate seller of beer, delivering or selling beer in

 

this state, $1,000.00.

 

     (d) Wine makers, blenders, and rectifiers of wine, including

 

makers, blenders, and rectifiers of wines containing 21% or less

 

alcohol by volume, $100.00. The small wine maker license fee is

 

$25.00.

 

     (e) Outstate seller of wine, delivering or selling wine in

 

this state, $300.00.

 

     (f) Outstate seller of mixed spirit drink, delivering or

 

selling mixed spirit drink in this state, $300.00.

 

     (g) Dining cars or other railroad or Pullman cars selling

 

alcoholic liquor, $100.00 per train.

 

     (h) Wholesale vendors other than manufacturers of beer,

 

$300.00 for the first motor vehicle used in delivery to retail

 

licensees and $50.00 for each additional motor vehicle used in

 

delivery to retail licensees.

 

     (i) Watercraft, licensed to carry passengers, selling

 

alcoholic liquor, a minimum fee of $100.00 and a maximum fee of

 

$500.00 per year computed on the basis of $1.00 per person per

 

passenger capacity.

 

     (j) Specially designated merchants, for selling beer or wine

 

for consumption off the premises only but not at wholesale, $100.00

 

for each location regardless of the fact that the location may be a

 

part of a system or chain of merchandising.

 


     (k) Specially designated distributors licensed by the

 

commission to distribute spirits and mixed spirit drink in the

 

original package for the commission for consumption off the

 

premises, $150.00 per year, and an additional fee of $3.00 for each

 

$1,000.00 or major fraction of that amount in excess of $25,000.00

 

of the total retail value of merchandise purchased under each

 

license from the commission during the previous calendar year.

 

     (l) Hotels of class A selling beer and wine, a minimum fee of

 

$250.00 and, for all bedrooms in excess of 20, $1.00 for each

 

additional bedroom, but not more than $500.00.

 

     (m) Hotels of class B selling beer, wine, mixed spirit drink,

 

and spirits, a minimum fee of $600.00 and, for all bedrooms in

 

excess of 20, $3.00 for each additional bedroom. If a hotel of

 

class B sells beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits in more

 

than 1 public bar, the fee entitles the hotel to sell in only 1

 

public bar, other than a bedroom, and a license shall be secured

 

for each additional public bar, other than a bedroom, the fee for

 

which is $350.00.

 

     (n) Taverns, selling beer and wine, $250.00.

 

     (o) Class C license selling beer, wine, mixed spirit drink,

 

and spirits, $600.00. If a class C licensee sells beer, wine, mixed

 

spirit drink, and spirits in more than 1 bar, a fee of $350.00

 

shall be paid for each additional bar. In municipally owned or

 

supported facilities in which nonprofit organizations operate

 

concession stands, a fee of $100.00 shall be paid for each

 

additional bar.

 

     (p) Clubs selling beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits,

 


$300.00 for clubs having 150 or fewer duly accredited members and

 

$1.00 for each additional member. The membership list for the

 

purpose only of determining the license fees to be paid under this

 

subdivision shall be the accredited list of members as determined

 

by a sworn affidavit 30 days before the closing of the license

 

year. This subdivision does not prevent the commission from

 

checking a membership list and making its own determination from

 

the list or otherwise. The list of members and additional members

 

is not required of a club paying the maximum fee. The maximum fee

 

shall not exceed $750.00 for any 1 club.

 

     (q) Warehousers, to be fixed by the commission with a minimum

 

fee for each warehouse of $50.00.

 

     (r) Special licenses, a fee of $50.00 per day, except that the

 

fee for that license or permit issued to any bona fide nonprofit

 

association, duly organized and in continuous existence for 1 year

 

before the filing of its application, is $25.00. Not Except in the

 

case involving the holder of a club license, not more than 12

 

special licenses may be granted to any organization, including an

 

auxiliary of the organization, in a calendar year.

 

     (s) Airlines licensed to carry passengers in this state that

 

sell, offer for sale, provide, or transport alcoholic liquor,

 

$600.00.

 

     (t) Brandy manufacturer, $100.00.

 

     (u) Mixed spirit drink manufacturer, $100.00.

 

     (v) Brewpub, $100.00.

 

     (w) Class G-1, $1,000.00.

 

     (x) Class G-2, $500.00.

 


     (y) Motorsports event license, $250.00.

 

     (2) The fees provided in this act for the various types of

 

licenses shall not be prorated for a portion of the effective

 

period of the license. Notwithstanding subsection (1), the initial

 

license fee for any licenses issued under section 531(3) and (4) is

 

$20,000.00. The renewal license fee shall be the amount described

 

in subsection (1). However, the commission shall not impose the

 

$20,000.00 initial license fee for applicants whose license

 

eligibility was already approved on July 20, 2005.

 

     (3) Beginning July 23, 2004, and except in the case of any

 

resort or resort economic development license issued under section

 

531(2), (3), (4), and (5) and a license issued under section 521,

 

the commission shall issue an initial or renewal license not later

 

than 90 days after the applicant files a completed application.

 

Receipt of the application is considered the date the application

 

is received by any agency or department of the state of Michigan.

 

If the application is considered incomplete by the commission, the

 

commission shall notify the applicant in writing, or make the

 

information electronically available, within 30 days after receipt

 

of the incomplete application, describing the deficiency and

 

requesting the additional information. The determination of the

 

completeness of an application does not operate as an approval of

 

the application for the license and does not confer eligibility

 

upon an applicant determined otherwise ineligible for issuance of a

 

license. The 90-day period is tolled under any of the following

 

circumstances:

 

     (a) Notice sent by the commission of a deficiency in the

 


application until the date all of the requested information is

 

received by the commission.

 

     (b) The time period during which actions required by a party

 

other than the applicant or the commission are completed that

 

include, but are not limited to, completion of construction or

 

renovation of the licensed premises; mandated inspections by the

 

commission or by any state, local, or federal agency; approval by

 

the legislative body of a local unit of government; criminal

 

history or criminal record checks; financial or court record

 

checks; or other actions mandated by this act or rule or as

 

otherwise mandated by law or local ordinance.

 

     (4) If the commission fails to issue or deny a license within

 

the time required by this section, the commission shall return the

 

license fee and shall reduce the license fee for the applicant's

 

next renewal application, if any, by 15%. The failure to issue a

 

license within the time required under this section does not allow

 

the commission to otherwise delay the processing of the

 

application, and that application, upon completion, shall be placed

 

in sequence with other completed applications received at that same

 

time. The commission shall not discriminate against an applicant in

 

the processing of the application based upon the fact that the

 

license fee was refunded or discounted under this subsection.

 

     (5) Beginning October 1, 2005, the chair of the commission

 

shall submit a report by December 1 of each year to the standing

 

committees and appropriations subcommittees of the senate and house

 

of representatives concerned with liquor license issues. The chair

 

of the commission shall include all of the following information in

 


the report concerning the preceding fiscal year:

 

     (a) The number of initial and renewal applications the

 

commission received and completed within the 90-day time period

 

described in subsection (3).

 

     (b) The number of applications denied.

 

     (c) The number of applicants not issued a license within the

 

90-day time period and the amount of money returned to licensees

 

under subsection (4).

 

     (6) As used in this section, "completed application" means an

 

application complete on its face and submitted with any applicable

 

licensing fees as well as any other information, records, approval,

 

security, or similar item required by law or rule from a local unit

 

of government, a federal agency, or a private entity but not from

 

another department or agency of the state of Michigan.

 

     Sec. 532. (1) A club license allows the licensee to sell, for

 

consumption on the licensed premises, beer, wine, mixed spirit

 

drink, and spirits only to bona fide members of the club who have

 

attained the age of 21 years. Except as otherwise provided in

 

subsection (2), the commission shall not issue a license to a club

 

unless the club has been in existence for a period of not less than

 

2 years before the application for the license.

 

     (2) Public notice of the intent of the commission to issue the

 

club license shall be given by publication in some newspaper

 

published or in general circulation within the local governmental

 

unit at least 10 days before the issuance of the license. A club

 

that is a chapter of a national organization that has had a license

 

for 10 or more years may apply for a license without a waiting

 


period. Public notice of the commission's intent to renew the club

 

license is not required.

 

     (3) Except in the case of a club paying a maximum fee, within

 

10 days after February 1 of each year the club shall file with the

 

commission a list of names and residences of its members and make a

 

similar filing of the name and residence with the commission within

 

10 days after the election of an additional member. The annual

 

filing shall also include a statement that the club's annual

 

aggregate membership fees or dues and other income, exclusive of

 

the proceeds from the sale of alcoholic liquor, are sufficient to

 

defray the annual rental of its leased or rented premises or, if

 

the premises are owned by the club, are sufficient to meet the

 

taxes, insurance, repairs, and interest on a mortgage on the

 

premises.

 

     (4) The affairs and management of the club shall be conducted

 

by a board of directors, executive committee, or similar body

 

chosen by the members. A member, officer, agent, or employee of the

 

club shall not be paid, or directly or indirectly receive in the

 

form of salary or other compensation, profits from the disposition

 

of alcoholic liquor to the club or to the members of the club,

 

beyond the amount of salary fixed and voted at meetings by the

 

members or by its directors or other governing body and as reported

 

by the club to the commission, within 3 months after the meeting.

 

     (5) Upon application to the holder of a club license, the

 

commission shall issue up to 30 special licenses annually for sale

 

of alcoholic liquor to individuals not members of the club during a

 

scheduled event sponsored by, or being held at, the club. The

 


scheduled event shall be an individual and 1-time event for a

 

particular purpose and does not include an event scheduled by the

 

same sponsor for more than 1 time during the calendar year. The

 

club may apply for the licenses at 1 time or during the calendar

 

year, but must report the time and nature of the event to the

 

commission.