House Bill 5341
Sponsor: Rep. Larry DeVuyst
Committee: Conservation and Outdoor Recreation
Complete to 2-23-00
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5341 AS INTRODUCED 2-10-00
House Bill 5341 would amend the Michigan Exposition and Fairgrounds Act (MCL 285.162 et al.) to transfer control of state exposition centers and fairgrounds from the Department of Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture, to establish a State Fair and Exposition Fund, and to repeal current provisions pertaining to the State Fair Revolving Fund, the state fair and control of the state fairgrounds. The bill would also allow the Department of Agriculture to demolish buildings on state fair and exposition grounds when they were deemed unsuitable for state fair purposes.
State Fair and Exposition Fund. Money appropriated to the fund would be expended, upon appropriation, by the director of the Department of Agriculture, with the advice of the State Exposition and Fairgrounds Council, to provide for an annual state fair, to maintain the state fair and exposition grounds, and for other authorized purposes. Money appropriated for the state fair that was unencumbered and unspent at the close of the fiscal year, as well as money generated from events permitted under the act, interest and earnings from fund investments, and money or other assets from other sources, would also be deposited to the fund. The bill would also specify that the department would be required to submit an annual report to the legislature and the council, showing the amount of money received, and how it was spent.
State Exposition and Fairgrounds Council. At present, under the act, the responsibilities of the State Exposition and Fairgrounds Council include, among other things, advising the department on site design and programs for the state fair and exposition grounds; advising the director of the department on construction, facilities modification, or site development at the fairgrounds; and assisting the director in developing specifications for open competitive bidding on contracts related to the state fair. The bill would delete these requirements.
Currently, under the act, membership on the council includes the directors of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Natural Resources (none of whom may serve as officers of the council); and eight members appointed by the governor. House Bill 5341 would delete the director of the Department of Commerce from these provisions, and would increase the number of members appointed by the governor to nine, not more than five of whom could belong to the same political party. The added member would serve for a three-year term.
Under the bill, the nine members appointed by the governor would include the following:
Departmental Responsibilities. Currently, the act specifies that the department may grant leases for all or a portion of the state exposition and fairgrounds, or of a building on the grounds, for terms not to exceed 30 years. The bill would specify that the department could grant an extension of a lease term for up to an additional 20 years. The act also specifies that a lease terminates if the state sells the state fairgrounds. House Bill 5341 would delete this provision. In addition, the bill would delete current provisions that require the department to prepare overall site design plans. (As noted, the current references to the "department" in the act refer to the Department of Natural Resources; under the bill, all of these references would, instead, be to the Department of Agriculture.)
Repealers. The bill would repeal Public Act 13 of 1921, pertaining to state fairgrounds and the annual state fair and some provisions of Public Act 361 of 1978, including those pertaining to classified fair employees and the State Fair Revolving Fund.
Analyst: R. Young