HOUSE BILL No. 4410

 

March 12, 2013, Introduced by Reps. LaFontaine, Pscholka, Rendon, Lauwers, Franz, Zorn, Price, Genetski, Kivela, Foster, Muxlow, Forlini and McCready and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

 

     A bill to establish a marina dredging loan origination

 

program; to authorize certain loan guarantees; to prescribe the

 

powers and duties of certain state agencies and officials; and to

 

provide for an appropriation.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the

 

"marina dredging loan origination act".

 

     Sec. 2. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Bottomland" means the land area of a water body that lies

 

below the ordinary high-water mark and that may or may not be

 

covered by water.

 

     (b) "Dredging" means the removal of sediments from bottomland.

 

     (c) "Dredging costs" means the costs associated with dredging

 


that were incurred after the effective date of this act, including

 

costs of removal, disposal, and testing of sediments, and the costs

 

associated with obtaining necessary permits required to conduct

 

dredging.

 

     (d) "Eligible marina" means a privately owned, commercial

 

facility in this state that meets all of the following

 

requirements:

 

     (i) Extends into or over the Great Lakes, their connecting

 

waters, or an inland lake or stream.

 

     (ii) Provides docking, mooring, or launching services for

 

recreational boating and does not limit its services based on

 

religion, race, color, creed, national origin, sex, marital status,

 

disability, age, sexual orientation, or family status.

 

     (iii) Has received the permits required by law from the

 

department of environmental quality and the army corps of

 

engineers, as appropriate, for the dredging to be conducted with

 

marina dredging loan funds.

 

     (e) "Financial institution" means a state or national bank, a

 

state or federally chartered savings and loan association, a state

 

or federally chartered savings bank, a state or federally chartered

 

credit union, or other regulated lending institution that maintains

 

a principal office or branch office in this state under the laws of

 

this state or the United States, including, but not limited to, an

 

entity of the federally chartered farm credit system.

 

     (f) "Inland lake or stream" means that term as it is defined

 

in section 30101 of the natural resources and environmental

 

protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.30101.

 


     (g) "Marina dredging loan" means a loan or the refinancing of

 

all or a portion of a loan made to the owner of an eligible marina

 

for dredging costs necessitated by low water levels to accommodate

 

the use of the marina by recreational watercraft.

 

     (h) "Ordinary high-water mark" means either of the following:

 

     (i) For an inland lake or stream, that term as it is defined in

 

section 30101 of the natural resources and environmental protection

 

act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.30101.

 

     (ii) For the Great Lakes, the ordinary high-water mark as

 

described in section 32502 of the natural resources and

 

environmental protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.32502.

 

     (i) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation,

 

association, governmental entity, or other legal entity.

 

     (j) "Program" means the marina dredging loan origination

 

program established under this act.

 

     (k) "Qualified financial institution" means a financial

 

institution that has a physical location in this state or whose

 

principal office is located in this state, or both.

 

     Sec. 3. (1) The state treasurer may establish a marina

 

dredging loan origination program as provided in this act.

 

     (2) The program shall meet all of the following:

 

     (a) A qualified financial institution shall make marina

 

dredging loans before March 1, 2014.

 

     (b) A person receiving a marina dredging loan shall pay an

 

interest rate authorized under this act and established by the

 

qualified financial institution.

 

     (c) This state shall pay loan origination fees for

 


administrative costs incurred by the qualified financial

 

institution equal to 5% of the original principal amount of the

 

loan. Loan origination fees shall be paid by this state in 5 equal

 

annual installments by September 1, 2018.

 

     (3) A marina dredging loan shall comply with all of the

 

following:

 

     (a) Interest shall be set by the qualified financial

 

institution at a rate of 1% or at the rate of the 5-year United

 

States treasury note plus 1/4%.

 

     (b) The term of the loan shall not be more than 5 years.

 

     (c) The first principal payment required under the loan shall

 

not occur before 24 months after the issuance of the loan.

 

     (4) A marina dredging loan shall not exceed $500,000.00 per

 

eligible marina.

 

     Sec. 4. (1) The state treasurer may take any necessary action

 

to ensure the successful operation of the program, including, but

 

not limited to, entering into agreements with qualified financial

 

institutions related to the operation of the program and the

 

issuance of marina dredging loans.

 

     (2) The attorney general shall approve as to legal form all

 

documents relating to the payment of a loan origination fee by this

 

state.

 

     (3) Each qualified financial institution participating in the

 

program shall do both of the following:

 

     (a) By March 1, 2014, report to the state treasurer the

 

principal amount of marina dredging loans made under the program.

 

     (b) File an affidavit with the state treasurer signed by a

 


senior executive officer of the qualified financial institution

 

stating that the qualified financial institution is in compliance

 

with the program and this act.

 

     (4) Upon request by the state treasurer, a qualified financial

 

institution shall forward to the state treasurer a copy of any

 

affidavit executed by a person receiving a marina dredging loan

 

under this act. The qualified financial institution and the state

 

treasurer shall destroy the affidavit or its copy after the marina

 

dredging loan is repaid.

 

     (5) The program is found and declared to be for a valid public

 

purpose.

 

     Sec. 5. An amount sufficient to pay loan origination fees

 

under this act, not to exceed $5,000,000.00, shall be expended if

 

it is appropriated to the department of treasury. The appropriation

 

authorized in this subsection is a work project appropriation, and

 

any unencumbered or unallotted funds are carried forward into the

 

following fiscal year. The following is in compliance with section

 

451a(1) of the management and budget act, 1984 PA 431, MCL

 

18.1451a:

 

     (a) The purpose of the project is to provide financial

 

assistance to eligible marinas and to alleviate financial distress

 

caused by low water levels impacting recreational watercraft use

 

and related economic impacts through the program.

 

     (b) The work project will be accomplished through the use of

 

payments to qualified financial institutions for marina dredging

 

loan origination fees for administrative costs incurred by

 

qualified financial institutions.

 


     (c) The total estimated completion cost of the work project is

 

$5,000,000.00.

 

     (d) The estimated completion date of the work project is

 

September 1, 2018.