SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY FEE: EXTEND SUNSET                                            H.B. 4857:

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                     REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill HB 4857 (as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Aaron Miller

House Committee:  Appropriations

Senate Committee:  Appropriations

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Sex Offenders Registration Act (Public Act 295 of 1994) to extend from January 1, 2019, to January 1, 2023, the applicability of the $50 fee assessed on an individual for annual registration to the sex offender registry. Currently, individuals initially required to register after January 1, 2019, are not required to pay the annual registration fee. The bill would maintain the current fee amount by extending the date by which initial registration had to occur for a registrant to be responsible for the annual registration fee of $50. A maximum lifetime cumulative fee amount of $550 is established in the Act, which includes an initial $50 registration and ten $50 annual registrations.

MCL 28.725

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would maintain the current level of revenue collected under the Act. From each $50 fee, $30 is deposited to the Sex Offenders Registration Fund and is used, upon appropriation, by the Department of State Police for operation and maintenance costs of the sex offender registry database and the public internet website, and for notifications regarding offender registration duties under the Act. The remaining $20 of the $50 fee is retained by the registering authority (the court, local law enforcement agency, sheriff’s department, or State police post). The Department estimates that the resulting revenue loss if the sunset is not extended would total approximately $500,000 annually from the $30 portion of the fee and the estimated revenue loss for all registering authorities resulting from the loss of the $20 portion would total approximately $330,000.

Date Completed:  9-18-19                                                    Fiscal Analyst:  Bruce Baker

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.