SENATE BILL No. 671

 

 

December 15, 2015, Introduced by Senators HANSEN, PROOS, MACGREGOR, MARLEAU, HORN and BOOHER and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1998 PA 58, entitled

 

"Michigan liquor control code of 1998,"

 

by amending sections 303 and 543 (MCL 436.1303 and 436.1543),

 

section 543 as amended by 2010 PA 213.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 303. (1) The grape and wine industry council is created

 

in under Executive Reorganization Order No. 2014-2, MCL 333.26253,

 

is within the department of agriculture and rural development. The

 

Beginning with the effective date of the 2015 amendatory act that

 

amended this section, the council shall be known as the grape,

 

wine, brewing, and distilling industries council and shall consist

 

of all of the following members:

 

     (a) Three wine makers.

 

     (b) A wine grape grower.

 


     (a) (c) The director of consumer and industry services chief

 

executive officer of the Michigan economic development corporation

 

or his or her designee.

 

     (b) (d) The director of the department of agriculture and

 

rural development or his or her designee.

 

     (c) (e) A staff member of Michigan state university State

 

University appointed by, and serving at the pleasure of, the dean

 

of the college of agriculture and natural resources of Michigan

 

state university.State University.

 

     (d) (f) The chairperson of the commission or his or her

 

designee, as an ex officio member.

 

     (e) The following members appointed by the governor:

 

     (i) (g) A person An individual who operates a retail food

 

establishment that holds a specially designated merchant license

 

and sells Michigan wines or a person an individual who operates a

 

restaurant that holds a class C license and serves Michigan wines.

 

     (ii) (h) A beer and wine wholesaler who markets Michigan beer

 

or wine.

 

     (iii) (i) Not more than 2 additional Two members appointed as

 

prescribed in subsection (3).of the public.

 

     (iv) Three wine makers.

 

     (v) A wine grape grower.

 

     (vi) A brewer.

 

     (vii) A hop or barley grower.

 

     (viii) A distiller.

 

     (ix) An individual who operates a retail food establishment

 

that holds a specially designated merchant license and sells

 


Michigan beer or an individual who operates a restaurant that holds

 

a class C license and serves Michigan beer or spirits.

 

     (2) The members of the council described in subsection (1)(a),

 

(b), (g), and (h) shall be appointed by the governor. The council

 

members appointed under subsection (1)(g) and (h) shall be

 

appointed for 2-year terms beginning on October 1, 1991. Of the

 

council members appointed for terms beginning October 1, 1991, 1

 

shall be appointed for a 1-year term, and 3 shall be appointed for

 

terms of 2 years each. All appointments for terms beginning on or

 

after October 1, 1992 shall be for 2 years each. A member shall

 

continue to serve until a qualified successor has been appointed.

 

Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3), members of the

 

council shall serve for terms of 3 years or until a successor is

 

appointed, whichever is later. A member shall not serve more than 2

 

consecutive terms. A vacancy on the board shall must be filled in

 

the same manner as the original appointment. The director of the

 

department of agriculture shall act as and rural development is the

 

chairperson of the council.

 

     (3) The governor may appoint not more than 2 additional

 

members to the council who shall assist the council in performing

 

its duties, but who shall not have the power to vote. The persons

 

appointed under this subsection shall not be members of the

 

classified state civil service, shall serve at the pleasure of the

 

governor, and shall receive salaries and benefits determined and

 

paid by the department of agriculture.The following apply to

 

members described in subsection (1)(e)(i) to (v) who were first

 

appointed under Executive Reorganization Order No. 2014-2, MCL

 


333.26253:

 

     (a) The following members shall serve until February 1, 2016:

 

     (i) The member described in subsection (1)(e)(i).

 

     (ii) One member described in subsection (1)(e)(iii).

 

     (iii) One member described in subsection (1)(e)(iv).

 

     (iv) The member described in subsection (1)(e)(v).

 

     (b) The following members shall serve until February 1, 2017:

 

     (i) The member described in subsection (1)(e)(ii).

 

     (ii) One member described in subsection (1)(e)(iii).

 

     (iii) Two members described in subsection (1)(e)(iv).

 

     (4) The council may employ personnel and incur such expenses

 

as that are necessary to carry out the purposes of the council

 

under this act. All such The expenses shall must be paid from fees

 

credited to the grape, wine, industry brewing, and distilling

 

industries council under section 543(2). A member of the council or

 

an employee or agent of the council shall is not be personally

 

liable on the contracts of the council.

 

     (5) A nongovernmental member of the council shall receive

 

$50.00 per day for each day spent in actual attendance at meetings

 

of the council and traveling expenses while on council business in

 

accordance with standard travel regulations of the department of

 

technology, management, and budget.

 

     (6) The council shall maintain accurate books and records, and

 

all funds money received by the council shall must be used to

 

implement and enforce this section.

 

     (7) The council shall do all of the following:

 

     (a) Provide for research on wine grapes and wines, including,

 


but not limited to, methods of planting, growing, controlling

 

insects and diseases, charting microclimates and locations for

 

growing desirable varieties of wine grapes, marketing, processing,

 

distribution, advertising, sales production, and product

 

development.

 

     (b) Provide for research on hops, barley, beer, and spirits,

 

including, but not limited to, methods of planting, growing,

 

controlling insects and diseases, marketing, processing,

 

distribution, advertising, sales production, and product

 

development.

 

     (c) (b) Provide the wine industry, including growers,

 

wineries, distributors, and retailers, with information relative to

 

proper methods of handling and selling wine grapes and wines.

 

     (d) Provide the brewing and distilling industries, including

 

growers, brewers, distillers, distributors, and retailers, with

 

information relative to proper methods of handling and selling

 

hops, barley, beer, and spirits.

 

     (e) (c) Provide for market surveys and analyses for purposes

 

of expanding existing markets and creating new and larger markets

 

for wine grapes, and wines, hops, barley, beer, and spirits.

 

     (f) (d) Provide for the promotion of the sale of Michigan wine

 

grapes, and wines, hops, barley, beer, and spirits for the purpose

 

of maintaining or expanding present markets and creating new and

 

larger domestic and foreign markets. The council shall develop

 

parameters to identify wineries, breweries, and distilleries that

 

qualify for promotion under this subdivision. The parameters may

 

differ between the wine, brewing, and distilling industries.

 


However, at least 50% of the wineries, breweries, and distilleries

 

must qualify for promotion under this subdivision.

 

     (g) (e) Develop and administer financial aid programs to wine

 

grape growers to encourage the increased planting in this state of

 

desirable grape varieties in microclimates determined to provide

 

the best conditions for producing quality wines.

 

     (h) Develop and administer financial aid programs to hops

 

growers to encourage increased planting in this state of desirable

 

hops varieties in microclimates determined to provide the best

 

conditions for producing quality beer.

 

     (i) Develop and administer financial aid programs to barley

 

growers to encourage increased planting in this state of desirable

 

barley varieties in microclimates determined to provide the best

 

conditions for producing quality beer.

 

     (8) The council may promulgate rules pursuant to under the

 

administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to

 

24.328, for the purposes of implementing and enforcing this

 

section. However, a rule the council shall not be promulgated

 

promulgate a rule that conflicts with a rule promulgated by the

 

commission pursuant to under section 215.

 

     (9) As used in this section, "council" means the grape, and

 

wine, industry brewing, and distilling industries council created

 

described in subsection (1).

 

     Sec. 543. (1) Quarterly, upon on the commission's

 

recommendation, of the commission, the state shall pay pursuant to

 

appropriation in the manner prescribed by law to the city, village,

 

or township in which a full-time police department or full-time

 


ordinance enforcement department is maintained or, if a police

 

department or full-time ordinance enforcement department is not

 

maintained, to the county, to be credited to the sheriff's

 

department of the county in which the licensed premises are

 

located, 55% of the amount of the proceeds of the retailers'

 

license fees and license renewal fees collected in that

 

jurisdiction, for the specific purpose of enforcing this act and

 

the rules promulgated under this act. Forty-one and one-half

 

percent of the amount of the proceeds of retailers' license and

 

license renewal fees collected shall must be deposited in a special

 

fund to be annually appropriated to the commission for carrying out

 

the licensing and enforcement provisions of this act. Any

 

unencumbered or uncommitted money in the special fund shall must

 

revert to the general fund of the state 12 months after the end of

 

each fiscal year in which the funds were collected. The legislature

 

shall appropriate 3-1/2% of the amount of the proceeds of

 

retailers' license and license renewal fees collected to be

 

credited to a special fund in the state treasury for the purposes

 

of promoting and sustaining programs for the prevention,

 

rehabilitation, care, and treatment of alcoholics. This subsection

 

does not apply to retail license fees collected for railroad or

 

Pullman cars, watercraft, aircraft, or wine auctions or to the

 

transfer fees provided in section 529.

 

     (2) All license and license renewal fees, other than retail

 

license and license renewal fees, shall must be credited to the

 

grape, and wine, industry brewing, and distilling industries

 

council created described in section 303, to be used as provided in

 


section 303. Money credited to the grape, and wine, industry

 

brewing, and distilling industries council shall not revert to the

 

state general fund at the close of the fiscal year, but shall

 

remain in the account to which it was credited to be used as

 

provided in section 303.

 

     (3) All retail license fees collected for railroad or Pullman

 

cars, watercraft, or aircraft and the transfer fees provided in

 

section 529 shall must be deposited in the special fund created in

 

subsection (1) for carrying out the licensing and enforcement

 

provisions of this act.

 

     (4) The license fee enhancement imposed for licenses issued

 

under section 531(3) and (4) shall must be deposited into a special

 

fund to be annually appropriated to the commission for enforcement

 

and other related projects determined appropriate by the

 

commission. The money representing that amount of the license fees

 

for identical licenses not issued under section 531(3) and (4)

 

shall must be allocated and appropriated under subsection (1).

 

     (5) The license fee imposed on direct shipper licenses and any

 

violation fines imposed by the commission shall must be deposited

 

into the direct shipper enforcement revolving fund. The direct

 

shipper enforcement revolving fund is created within the state

 

treasury. 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 to the

 

general fund. The commission shall expend money from the fund, upon

 

on appropriation, only for enforcement of the provisions of section

 


203 and related projects.

 

     (6) One hundred percent of the wine auction license fee

 

imposed in section 525(1)(aa) shall must be deposited into the

 

general fund.

 

     (7) As used in this section, "license fee enhancement" means

 

the money representing the difference between the license fee

 

imposed for a license under section 525(1) and the additional

 

amount imposed for resort and resort economic development licenses

 

under section 525(2).

 

     (8) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the

 

additional $160.00 license fee imposed upon any on a licensee

 

selling alcoholic liquor between the hours of 7 a.m. on Sunday and

 

12 noon on Sunday is allocated to the general fund.