SB-1116, As Passed House, December 20, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE SUBSTITUTE FOR

 

SENATE BILL NO. 1116

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      A bill to amend 1987 PA 231, entitled

 

"An act to create a transportation economic development fund in the

state treasury; to prescribe the uses of and distributions from

this fund; to create the office of economic development and to

prescribe its powers and duties; to prescribe the powers and duties

of the state transportation department, state transportation

commission, and certain other bodies; and to permit the issuance of

certain bonds,"

 

by amending sections 3, 9, 10, 11, and 13 (MCL 247.903, 247.909,

 

247.910, 247.911, and 247.913), sections 3, 11, and 13 as amended

 

by 2016 PA 501, section 9 as amended by 2016 PA 500, and section 10

 

as amended by 1993 PA 149.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

 1        Sec. 3. (1) Money from the fund shall be allocated for

 

 2  projects to be funded under section 11(3)(a) in accordance with the

 

 3  adopted policies of the commission. No funds shall be committed to

 

 4  any project, nor shall any project be authorized for any funds

 


 1  under this act, until the commission notifies the senate committee

 

 2  on transportation and the house committee on transportation and the

 

 3  subcommittees on transportation of the senate and house

 

 4  appropriations committees of the proposed projects in the manner as

 

 5  provided in section 18k of 1951 PA 51, MCL 247.668k. Hearings may

 

 6  be conducted to afford interested parties the opportunity to

 

 7  address aspects of the selection process, the final project list,

 

 8  proposed funding, and related issues. If such hearings are not

 

 9  conducted by the senate committee on transportation and the house

 

10  committee on transportation and the subcommittees on transportation

 

11  of the senate and house appropriations committees within 30 days,

 

12  if both the senate and house are in session, or 60 days, if either

 

13  the senate or the house or both are not in session of project

 

14  notification by the commission, the department may proceed with

 

15  project authorization for funding.

 

16        (2) The commission shall not commit funds to any project in a

 

17  new category for funding under section 7(3) or section 9(1)(a)

 

18  before the commission notifies the legislative committees of the

 

19  criteria for approval of projects under these categories in the

 

20  same manner described in this section.

 

21        (3) Projects in section 11(3)(a) shall be coordinated with

 

22  projects in section 11(3)(c) through the designated representatives

 

23  on the urban task forces and regional rural task forces.

 

24        (4) The department may be the contracting agent for all

 

25  projects to be funded by this act. Contracts shall be awarded

 

26  consistent with the policies of the commission.

 

27        (5) The administrator or the person acting in that capacity


 1  shall assist the commission in reviewing recommendations for

 

 2  funding projects under this act.

 

 3        (6) Of the money appropriated to the fund, not more than 1% as

 

 4  annually appropriated by the legislature shall be appropriated for

 

 5  administration of the fund. Not more than $100,000.00 of the money

 

 6  allocated under section 11(3)(a) for projects described in section

 

 7  9(1)(b) may be expended for administration of those projects.

 

 8        (7) The commission shall do the following:

 

 9        (a) Establish criteria for the awarding of projects.

 

10        (b) Exercise oversight as it may consider appropriate to

 

11  facilitate its development of policy for administration of the

 

12  fund.

 

13        (c) Review all projects recommended for funding to assure that

 

14  they satisfy commission policies and criteria. Funds shall not be

 

15  allocated to projects unless they are in accord with commission

 

16  policy and criteria.

 

17        (8) The office of economic development shall review each

 

18  project application and recommend the award of funding to selected

 

19  projects in accordance with the adopted policies of the commission.

 

20        Sec. 9. (1) A project shall relate to 1 or more of the

 

21  following categories:

 

22        (a) Economic development road projects in any of the following

 

23  targeted industries:

 

24        (i) Agriculture or food processing.

 

25        (ii) Tourism.

 

26        (iii) Forestry.

 

27        (iv) High technology research.


 1        (v) Manufacturing.

 

 2        (vi) Mining.

 

 3        (vii) Office centers of not less than 50,000 square feet.

 

 4        (viii) Medical research or medical tourism facilities of not

 

 5  less than 50,000 square feet.

 

 6        (b) Projects for construction or preservation of streets in

 

 7  cities and villages with a population of 10,000 or less, including,

 

 8  but not limited to, reconstruction, replacement, rehabilitation,

 

 9  and capital preventive maintenance.

 

10        (c) (b) Projects for reducing congestion on county primary and

 

11  city major streets within urban counties including advanced traffic

 

12  management systems.

 

13        (d) (c) Projects for improvements within rural counties on

 

14  rural primary roads and major streets in cities and villages with a

 

15  population of 5,000 or less.

 

16        (e) (d) Projects for improvements within rural counties on

 

17  county rural primary roads or major streets within incorporated

 

18  villages and cities with a population of more than 5,000.

 

19        (2) The minimum requirements specified in section 7 for

 

20  projects identified in subsection (1)(a) shall ensure that those

 

21  projects satisfy the following requirements:

 

22        (a) Meet a particular transportation need that is shown to

 

23  exist.

 

24        (b) Have an immediate positive impact on local employment and

 

25  the economy.

 

26        (c) Exclude speculative projects with little or no return on

 

27  investment. Projects that contribute to the economic development


 1  and redevelopment of areas having experienced or having significant

 

 2  potential to experience job loss that meet the criteria for funding

 

 3  under section 7(3)(b)(ii) are not speculative for the purposes of

 

 4  this subdivision.

 

 5        (d) Provide cooperation and support between developers and

 

 6  state and local government.

 

 7        (e) Were evaluated on the basis of impact on the local

 

 8  community.

 

 9        (3) A project that is within 1 or more of the categories in

 

10  subsection (1) shall meet the criteria developed for each category.

 

11        Sec. 10. (1) The costs of a project that are eligible to be

 

12  funded under section 11(3)(a) and (c) shall be developed by the

 

13  administrator in accordance with the adopted policies of the

 

14  commission and shall include at a minimum those costs normally

 

15  associated with highway construction projects such as project

 

16  planning, design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction, but

 

17  excluding routine maintenance.

 

18        (2) The costs of a project that are eligible to be funded

 

19  under section 11(3)(d) shall be developed by the administrator in

 

20  accordance with the adopted policies of the commission and shall

 

21  exclude right-of-way acquisition, design, engineering, and routine

 

22  maintenance.

 

23        (3) Matching funds of not less than 20% of the total eligible

 

24  costs of a project shall be required for those projects described

 

25  in section 9(1)(a), (c), and (d), and (e). This requirement may be

 

26  set aside in the case of extreme economic hardship for projects

 

27  described in section 9(1)(a) , (c), and (d) in the local unit in


 1  which the project is located. Evaluation criteria for projects

 

 2  described in section 9(1)(a) shall include whether there is a

 

 3  contribution of more than the required 20% matching funds as part

 

 4  of the determination of which projects are to be funded.

 

 5        (4) An individual grant for a project described in section

 

 6  9(1)(b) shall not exceed $250,000.00, and matching funds of not

 

 7  less than 50% of the total eligible costs of the project shall be

 

 8  required.

 

 9        Sec. 11. (1) Bonds may be issued as authorized by the

 

10  commission for the purpose of funding projects under this act in

 

11  the manner provided in sections 18b and 18k of 1951 PA 51, MCL

 

12  247.668b and 247.668k, and in accordance with the adopted policies

 

13  of the commission. Bonds shall not be committed for any project

 

14  under this act until the requirements under section 3(1) have been

 

15  satisfied.

 

16        (2) After the payment of interest and principal on bonds

 

17  issued under this act and the appropriation for costs of

 

18  administration of the fund as provided under this act, fund revenue

 

19  shall be annually appropriated as follows:

 

20        (a) The first $5,000,000.00 for a forest roads program. Forest

 

21  roads program funds shall be distributed each fiscal year to each

 

22  qualified county in a percentage amount equal to the same

 

23  percentage amount that the number of acres of commercial forest,

 

24  national park, and national lakeshore land in each qualified county

 

25  bears to the total number of acres of commercial forest, national

 

26  park, and national lakeshore land in all qualified counties in this

 

27  state. Revenue distributed under this subdivision shall be used for


 1  the construction or reconstruction of roads.

 

 2        (b) The next $2,500,000.00 of the fund shall be distributed

 

 3  each fiscal year for improvements within rural counties to roads

 

 4  and streets that are eligible for federal aid and are located

 

 5  inside the boundaries of an urban area or an urbanized area as

 

 6  determined by the most recent federal decennial census and as

 

 7  adjusted by the department.

 

 8        (3) Of the balance remaining after funding projects under

 

 9  subsection (2), projects shall be funded in the categories

 

10  described in section 9 based on the following percentages:

 

11        (a) 50% for economic development road projects in any of the

 

12  targeted industries. For the fiscal year years ending September 30,

 

13  2017 2019 through September 30, 2023 only, the allocation made

 

14  under this subdivision shall be reduced by

 

15  $9,423,700.00.$3,000,000.00 and allocated to projects described in

 

16  section 9(1)(b). The office of economic development shall use

 

17  geographic distribution as a grant selection criterion for projects

 

18  described in section 9(1)(b). An eligible city or village may apply

 

19  for a grant for a project described in section 9(1)(b) in

 

20  consecutive fiscal years.

 

21        (b) 25% for projects to reduce congestion on county primary

 

22  and city major streets within urban counties including advanced

 

23  traffic management systems. The funds shall be distributed to

 

24  counties with populations in excess of 400,000 in accordance with

 

25  the following formula:

 

 

26

          Population

  Percentage of Funds

27

    1,750,000 or more

          16%


 1

    1,000,000 to 1,749,999

          40%

 2

      650,001 to 999,999

          20%

 3

      400,000 to 650,000

          24%

 

 

 4        When 2 or more counties occupy the same category, the funds

 

 5  shall be divided equally.

 

 6        Projects funded under this category shall be used for the

 

 7  widening of county primary roads or city major streets or for

 

 8  advanced traffic management systems in eligible counties.

 

 9        (c) 25% for projects within rural counties. These revenues

 

10  shall be distributed for the improvement of rural primary roads in

 

11  rural counties and major streets in cities and villages with a

 

12  population of 5,000 or less that are located outside the boundaries

 

13  of an urban area or an urbanized area as determined by the most

 

14  recent federal decennial census and as adjusted by the department.

 

15  Funds distributed under this subdivision shall be allocated by the

 

16  commission to the regional rural task force areas defined described

 

17  in section 12a in the same proportion that the rural primary

 

18  mileage of the regional rural task force area bears to the total

 

19  rural primary mileage of all counties. Each rural county shall be

 

20  credited with an allocation in the proportion that the county's

 

21  rural primary mileage is to the total rural primary mileage of

 

22  those rural counties within the same regional rural task force

 

23  area. Projects funded under this subdivision shall be limited to

 

24  upgrading rural primary roads and major streets to create an all-

 

25  season road network. For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016

 

26  only, the allocation made under this subdivision shall be reduced

 

27  by $2,000,000.00, and $2,000,000.00 shall be allocated to the


 1  appropriated project as described in section 901 of article XX of

 

 2  2016 PA 268.

 

 3        (4) Beginning October 1, 2015, for the fiscal year ending

 

 4  September 30, 2016 only, the following amounts are appropriated

 

 5  from the fund and the distribution to targeted industries under

 

 6  subsection (3)(a) shall be reduced accordingly:

 

 7        (a) $2,000,000.00 for credit to the state trunk line fund

 

 8  established in section 11 of 1951 PA 51, MCL 247.661, for the

 

 9  purposes of matching available federal-aid highway funds.

 

10        (b) $2,000,000.00 for credit to the state aeronautics fund

 

11  established in section 34 of the aeronautics code of the state of

 

12  Michigan, 1945 PA 327, MCL 259.34, for the purpose of a 1-time

 

13  airport safety appropriation.

 

14        (5) Beginning October 1, 2016, for the fiscal year ending

 

15  September 30, 2017 only, $10,400,000.00 is appropriated from the

 

16  fund for credit to the state trunk line fund established in section

 

17  11 of 1951 PA 51, MCL 247.661, for the purpose of road and bridge

 

18  construction, and the distribution to targeted industries under

 

19  subsection (3)(a) shall be reduced accordingly.

 

20        Sec. 13. By December 31 each year the commission shall report

 

21  to the governor, the house and senate appropriations committees,

 

22  and the house and senate fiscal agencies the following information

 

23  regarding this act:

 

24        (a) The projects funded during the previous fiscal year.

 

25        (b) The status of projects funded in the immediately preceding

 

26  fiscal year.

 

27        (c) The number of jobs created and retained and any other


 1  economic benefits of the projects funded and listed under section

 

 2  11(3)(a).9(1)(a).

 

 3        (d) For each project described in section 9(1)(b) that

 

 4  received funds under this act, both of the following:

 

 5        (i) A general description of the project.

 

 6        (ii) The estimated total cost of the project.

 

 7        (e) (d) The degree to which the projects funded have achieved

 

 8  the objectives of this act.

 

 9        (f) (e) Any other information considered necessary by the

 

10  commission for the legislature to evaluate the effectiveness of

 

11  this act.

 

12        Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

13  after the date it is enacted into law.