SICKLE CELL ANEMIA FUNDRAISING PLATE H.B. 4308:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
House Bill 4308 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Representative Amos O'Neal
House Committee: Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure
Senate Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to repeal Section 811aa of the Code, which generally requires the Secretary of State (SOS) to develop and distribute a fundraising license plate recognizing sickle cell anemia education and treatment and reenact it as Section 811hh.
BRIEF RATIONALE
The Code provides for the creation of State-sponsored fund-raising license plates for the benefit of charitable causes. Public Act 299 of 2020 enacted a sickle cell fund-raising plate; however, the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) failed to provide start-up costs for the plate's issuance within 18 months in compliance with SOS fund-raising license plate policy, reportedly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that changes the shape of a person's red blood cells and inhibits the cell's ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. According to testimony, many people do not know about the disease or are misinformed about its effects. It has been suggested to renew this legislation to bring awareness to the disease and fund research to treat or prevent it.
Legislative Analyst: Abby Schneider
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost to create a fund-raising specialty plate currently averages an estimated $90,000 for design and production of the plate. This start-up cost would first need to be paid by the SCDAA, Michigan Chapter, before the Department of State (DOS) would begin production and issuance of the Sickle Cell Anemia plate.
Upon issuance of a fund-raising plate, the applicant must submit a $25 fund-raising donation ($10 donation for a renewal) along with the applicable vehicle registration tax. The fund-raising donations would be deposited into the Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Fund, after which the State Treasurer would disburse payments from the Fund on a quarterly basis to the SCDAA. The vehicle registration tax revenue would be deposited into the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) while any other fee revenue, aside from the fund-raising donation, would be deposited into the Transportation Administration Collection Fund. Finally, there could be additional costs to the DOS associated with the development and issuance of the new plate; however, these costs should be minimal and absorbable within annual appropriations. The MTF likely would not see much of an increase in revenues as most applicants for the new plate likely are already paying the vehicle registration tax which the bill would not affect.
The bill would have no fiscal impact on local government.
Date Completed: 6-6-24 Fiscal Analyst: Joe Carrasco, Jr.
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.