MODIFY ADOPT-A-RIVER, SHORELINE                                                   H.B. 5155 & 5156:

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                      REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bills 5155 and 5156 (as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Kimberly LaSata

House Committee:  Tourism and Outdoor Recreation

Senate Committee:  Outdoor Recreation and Tourism

CONTENT

House Bills 5155 and 5156 would amend Part 359 (Adopt-A-River Program) and Part 358 (Adopt-A-Shoreline Program), respectively, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to do the following:

-- Require the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to administer the Adopt-A-River and Adopt-A-Shoreline Programs to remove litter from rivers and riverbanks, and shorelines, within State parks and State recreation areas.

-- Specify that a volunteer group's request for a specific segment of the river or stream, or shoreline, would be subject to the approval of the State park or recreation area manager or supervisor.

-- Modify the requirements for specification of a volunteer group's duties within a volunteer group agreement; and delete requirements that a group contract to care for a river or stream, or shoreline, segment for at least two years.

-- Eliminate provisions requiring the DNR to provide volunteer groups with data information sheets to record the types of trash collected during the groups' cleanup effort.

-- State that Parts 359 and 358, or an agreement under those parts, could not be construed to prohibit a cleanup effort from being conducted on any State land.

In addition, House Bill 5155 would repeal Section 35904 and House Bill 5156 would repeal Section 35804, which require the Department to report annually to the standing committees of the Legislature that consider issues pertaining to the protection of natural resources and the environment on the implementation of the Adopt-A-River Program and the Adopt-A-Shoreline Program, respectively.

MCL 324.35901 & 324.35903 (H.B. 5155)                              Legislative Analyst:  Jeff Mann

       324.35801 & 324.35803 (H.B. 5156)

FISCAL IMPACT

The bills would have a small, but potentially positive fiscal impact on the Department of Natural Resources, and no fiscal impact on local units of government. The bills would remove requirements that the DNR provide and collect data information sheets to and from volunteer groups that participate in the Adopt-a-River and Adopt-a-Shoreline Programs. This could produce some small savings in administrative costs to those Programs.

Date Completed:  2-21-18                                                     Fiscal Analyst:  Josh Sefton

This 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.