SENATE BILL No. 347

 

 

March 14, 2007, Introduced by Senators BIRKHOLZ, THOMAS, GARCIA and BROWN and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1967 PA 281, entitled

 

"Income tax act of 1967,"

 

by amending sections 437 and 440 (MCL 206.437 and 206.440), section

 

437 as added by 2005 PA 249 and section 440 as amended by 2005 PA

 

160, and by adding sections 430 and 431.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 430. (1) Except as otherwise provided under this

 

subsection, for the 2008 tax year and each tax year after the 2008

 

tax year, the department shall establish and utilize a separate

 

contributions schedule that incorporates each contribution

 

designation authorized under this chapter that remains in effect

 

and available for each tax year and shall revise the state

 

individual income tax return form to include a separate line for

 

the total contribution designations made under the separate

 

contributions schedule. The contribution designations authorized


 

under sections 437 and 440 shall remain on the first page of the

 

state individual income tax return for the 2008 and 2009 tax years,

 

but shall be incorporated into the contributions schedule for the

 

2010 tax year and shall remain on the schedule until the

 

contribution designation expires by law or is otherwise no longer

 

available as determined by the department pursuant to subsection

 

(2).

 

     (2) The department shall establish a trigger mechanism for the

 

removal of contribution designations authorized under this chapter

 

from the contributions schedule. The mechanism shall be based on a

 

minimum amount of funds as prescribed by the department that is

 

required to be collected pursuant to the contribution designation

 

for the immediately preceding tax year or other time period as

 

prescribed by the department. If the funds collected for a

 

contribution designation authorized under this chapter do not

 

satisfy the requirements prescribed by the department, then that

 

contribution may no longer be available and the department may

 

cease to include that contribution designation on the contributions

 

schedule.

 

     (3) A contribution designation that is enacted after the

 

effective date of the amendatory act that added this section shall

 

be incorporated as soon as practical on the contributions schedule,

 

and each new contribution designation shall be listed on the

 

schedule in alphabetical order.

 

     Sec. 431. (1) For the 2008 tax year and each tax year after

 

the 2008 tax year, an individual may designate in a manner and form

 

as prescribed by the department pursuant to section 430 on his or


 

her annual return that a contribution of $5.00, $10.00, or more of

 

his or her refund be credited to the Amanda's fund for breast

 

cancer research created in the Amanda's fund for breast cancer

 

research act. If an individual's refund is not sufficient to make a

 

contribution under this section, the individual may designate a

 

contribution amount and that contribution amount shall be added to

 

the individual's tax liability for the tax year.

 

     (2) Notwithstanding any other allocations or disbursements

 

required by this act, each year that the contribution designation

 

under this section is in effect, an amount equal to the cumulative

 

designation made under this section, less the amount appropriated

 

to the department to implement this section, shall be appropriated

 

from the general fund and distributed to the department responsible

 

for administering the Amanda's fund for breast cancer research

 

created in the Amanda's fund for breast cancer research act and

 

shall be used solely for the purposes of that fund.

 

     (3) Money appropriated pursuant to an appropriations act as

 

required by law in accordance with this section to the department

 

responsible for administering the Amanda's fund for breast cancer

 

research shall be in addition to any other allocation or

 

appropriation and is intended to enhance appropriations from the

 

general fund and not to replace or supplant those appropriations.

 

     Sec. 437. (1) For the 2006 tax year and each tax year after

 

the 2006 tax year and before January 1, 2010, an individual may

 

designate on his or her annual return that a contribution of $2.00

 

or more of his or her refund, and for tax years beginning on and

 

after January 1, 2010, an individual may designate on his or her


 

annual return that a contribution of $5.00, $10.00, or more of his

 

or her refund, be credited to the Michigan higher education

 

assistance authority created in section 1 of 1960 PA 77, MCL

 

390.951, for the children of veterans tuition grant program created

 

in the children of veterans tuition grant program act, 2005 PA 248,

 

MCL 390.1341 to 390.1346. If an individual's refund is not

 

sufficient to make a contribution under this section, the

 

individual may designate a contribution amount and that

 

contribution amount shall be added to the individual's tax

 

liability for the tax year.

 

     (2) The tax designation authorized in this section shall be

 

clearly and unambiguously printed on the first page of the state

 

individual income tax return forms, if practical. Effective January

 

1, 2010, the contribution designation authorized in this section is

 

no longer required to be printed on the first page of the state

 

individual income tax return but shall be incorporated into the

 

contributions schedule created by the department pursuant to

 

section 430 and shall remain on the schedule until the contribution

 

designation expires or is otherwise no longer available.

 

     (3) Notwithstanding any other allocations or disbursements

 

required by this act, each year that the contribution designation

 

under this section is in effect, an amount equal to the cumulative

 

contributions made under this section shall be appropriated from

 

the general fund to the children of veterans tuition grant program

 

of the Michigan higher education assistance authority, and the

 

funds shall be distributed for programs allowed under the children

 

of veterans tuition grant act, 2005 PA 248, MCL 390.1341 to


 

390.1346. No money from the contributions made pursuant to this

 

section shall be used for the purpose of administering this

 

section.

 

     Sec. 440. (1) Effective for the tax year beginning January 1,

 

1982 and before January 1, 2005, an individual may designate on his

 

or her annual return that a contribution of $2.00 or more of his or

 

her refund and for tax years beginning on and after January 1,

 

2005, an individual may designate on his or her annual return that

 

a contribution of $5.00, $10.00, or more of his or her refund be

 

credited to the children's trust fund created in 1982 PA 249, MCL

 

21.171 to 21.172. If a taxpayer's refund is not sufficient to make

 

a contribution under this section, the taxpayer may designate a

 

contribution amount and that contribution amount shall be added to

 

the taxpayer's tax liability for the tax year.

 

     (2) The contribution designation authorized in this section

 

shall be clearly and unambiguously printed on the first page of the

 

state individual income tax return. Effective January 1, 2010, the

 

contribution designation authorized under this section is no longer

 

required to be printed on the first page of the state individual

 

income tax return but shall be incorporated into the contributions

 

schedule created by the department pursuant to section 430 and

 

shall remain on the schedule until the contribution designation

 

expires or is otherwise no longer available.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No. 348.                                 

 

            of the 94th Legislature is enacted into law.