HOUSE BILL No. 5616


     February 26, 1998, Introduced by Reps. Hammerstrom, Rocca, Cassis, Wojno, Goschka, Law, Anthony, Scranton, Birkholz, McNutt, Dalman, Brackenridge, Basham, Whyman, McBryde, Richner, Llewellyn, Voorhees and Perricone and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.


        A bill to amend 1981 PA 180, entitled

   "Older Michiganians act,"

   (MCL 400.581 to 400.594) by adding section 15.

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 1         SEC. 15.  (1) THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL ESTABLISH A

 2    MICHIGAN CARD PROGRAM AND PROVIDE A MICHIGAN CARD TO ANY RESIDENT

 3    OF THIS STATE WHO APPLIES TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR A CARD

 4    AND WHO HAS ATTAINED 65 YEARS OF AGE OR IS DISABLED.  THE DIREC-

 5    TOR SHALL DEVISE PROGRAMS TO PROVIDE BENEFITS OF ANY KIND TO

 6    CARDHOLDERS AND ENCOURAGE SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION IN THOSE PRO-

 7    GRAMS BY ALL PERSONS, INCLUDING GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.

 8    CARDHOLDERS ARE ENTITLED TO ANY BENEFITS GRANTED TO THEM BY PRI-

 9    VATE PERSONS OR ORGANIZATIONS, THE LAWS OF THIS STATE, OR

10    ORDINANCES OR RESOLUTIONS OF POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS OF THIS

11    STATE.  A PERSON WHO IS THE HOLDER OF A SIMILAR CARD FROM ANOTHER


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 1    STATE IS ENTITLED TO THE SAME BENEFITS AS A CARDHOLDER WHOSE CARD

 2    HAS BEEN ISSUED IN THIS STATE, IF THE OTHER STATE PROVIDES SIMI-

 3    LAR BENEFITS TO THE HOLDERS OF CARDS ISSUED BY OTHER STATES.

 4    THIS SECTION DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY PERSON OR ORGANIZATION TO PRO-

 5    VIDE BENEFITS TO ANY CARDHOLDER.  THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL

 6    BEAR THE COSTS OF PRODUCING, DISTRIBUTING, AND ADMINISTRATING THE

 7    CARDS.

 8         (2) BEFORE ISSUING A MICHIGAN CARD TO ANY PERSON, THE DIREC-

 9    TOR SHALL ESTABLISH THE IDENTITY OF THE PERSON WHO APPLIES FOR A

10    CARD AND SHALL ASCERTAIN THAT THE PERSON HAS ATTAINED THE AGE OF

11    65 OR IS DISABLED.  THE DIRECTOR SHALL PROMULGATE RULES UNDER THE

12    ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES ACT OF 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 TO

13    24.328, TO PREVENT THE ISSUANCE OF A CARD TO A PERSON NOT QUALI-

14    FIED TO HAVE ONE.  A CARD SHALL CONTAIN THE SIGNATURE OF THE

15    CARDHOLDER AND ANY OTHER INFORMATION THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE

16    CONSIDERS NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION.

17    A CARD THAT THE DIRECTOR ISSUES SHALL BE HELD IN PERPETUITY BY

18    THE ORIGINAL CARDHOLDER AND SHALL NOT BE TRANSFERABLE.  A PERSON

19    WHO LOSES HIS OR HER CARD MAY OBTAIN ANOTHER CARD FROM THE SECRE-

20    TARY OF STATE.

21         (3) A PERSON SHALL NOT USE A MICHIGAN CARD TO OBTAIN A BENE-

22    FIT FOR A PERSON OTHER THAN THE CARDHOLDER.

23         (4) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, "DISABLED PERSON" MEANS A

24    PERSON WHO HAS A DISABILITY AS DEFINED IN SECTION 216 OF TITLE II

25    OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT, 42 U.S.C. 416.







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