ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY FEE SUNSETS H.B. 6091 (H-2):
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 6091 (Substitute H-2 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Doug Bennett
House Committee: Appropriations
Senate Committee: Appropriations
Date Completed: 9-22-08
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to delay the sunsets on land and water management fees.
Currently, land and water permit fees are scheduled to sunset on October 1, 2008. The bill would extend the fees for three years, until October 1, 2011. This would affect fees assessed for floodplain permits (Part 31), aquatic nuisance control (Part 33), inland lakes and streams (Part 301), shorelands protection and management (Part 323), and Great Lakes submerged lands (Part 325). Revenue from the fees is deposited into the Land and Water Management Permit Fee Fund.
MCL 324.3104 et al.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Department of Environmental Quality collects about $1.3 million annually from the land and water permit fees for which this bill would postpone the sunsets. The fee revenue is used solely for administration and implementation of land and water programs. Under current law, this revenue will not be collected after October 1, 2008, and land and water programs will be reduced significantly unless additional funding is provided. Extending the fees would continue the programs at their current levels. The enacted budget for the Department of Environmental Quality for FY 2008-09 (Public Act 247 of 2008) assumes the continued collection of revenue from these fees.
Fiscal Analyst: Jessica Runnels
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. hb6091/0708