To: Members of the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives
From: Michigan Waterfront Alliance and Lake Awareness Day Partners
RE: Donation Option on Watercraft Registrations
Due to the ever-increasing ecological threat and economic disruption that Aquatic Invasive Species are having on our Michigan inland waterways, Michigan Waterfront Alliance and our Lake Awareness Day Partners Propose the following:
1. Fund Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention and Control on Michigan’s inland waterways with a Donation Option on Watercraft Registrations. No specific donation amount would be suggested, and each volunteer donor would receive a decal acknowledging their donation along with their watercraft registration decal.
2. The MI Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) would create an AIS Prevention and Control Fund Advisory Committee modeled after the office that is responsible for dispersing funds generated by the “Protecting Our Waters” specialty license plate program. This AIS Prevention and Control Fund Advisory Committee would be responsible for making decisions regarding the allocation and dispersal of funds generated by the watercraft registration donation option program.
3. We must ensure the existence of language within the proposed legislation that will serve to ensure that the revenue generated by the Watercraft Registration Donation Option program is “protected” and therefore “restricted” for use only to fund Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control program related functions and activities.
Legislation Draft of:
Fund AIS Prevention and Remediation on Michigan’s inland waterways with a Donation Option on Watercraft Registrations. Funds collected by the Watercraft Registration Donation Option program for AIS Prevention and Control on Michigan’s public waterways by the Michigan Secretary of State will go directly to the state treasurer who shall credit donated funds to an account(s) established by the AIS Prevention and Control Fund Advisory Committee.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) shall establish an AIS Prevention and Control Fund Advisory Committee whose primary responsibility will be to advise EGLE on the watercraft registration Donor Option program. The Donor Option program shall be primarily dedicated to providing grants to local units of government, inland lake, river, and stream associations and other non-governmental organizations for the sole purpose of Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy may promulgate rules to implement this grant program under the auspices of the Administrative Procedures Act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328.
- The AIS Prevention and Control Fund is created within the Michigan state treasury. The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the fund. The state treasurer shall direct the investment of the fund. The state treasurer shall credit to the fund interest and earnings from fund investments. Money in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall not lapse into the general fund. Money from the fund shall be expended, upon appropriation, solely for the purpose of AIS Prevention and Control on Michigan’s waterway.
- For the purpose of this chapter, “local units of government” shall be defined as any of the following:
- A county, city, village or township
- An agency of a county, city, village or township
- The office of a county drain commissioner
- A soil conservation district established under Part 93 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994, PA 451 – MCL 324.9301 to 324.9313.
- A watershed council established under Part 311 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994, PA 451 – MCL 324.31101 to 324.31119.
- A local health department as that term is defined in Section 1105 of Public Health Code, 1978, PA368 – MCL 333.1105.
- A community college or junior college established pursuant to Section 7 of Article VIII of the state constitution of 1963.
- A 4-year institution of higher education, public or private, located within the State of Michigan.
3.For purposes of this chapter, “lake, river, or stream association” shall be defined according the
following criteria:
Any State of Michigan currently incorporated inland lake, river or stream organization.
4.For the purpose of this chapter, “non-government organization” shall be defined by the
Michigan Department of Environment (EGLE).
For further information please contact:
Bob Frye – Michigan Waterfront Alliance – 517 403 3947 – email roberttfrye@gmail.com
Matt Kurta – Karoub Associates – 517 482 5000 – email mkurta@karoub.com
Madeline Fata – Karoub Associates – 517 763 6521 – email mfata@karoub.com