AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES S.B. 508 (S-2), 509 (S-2), & 510 (S-2):
FLOOR SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 508 (Substitute S-2 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Senate Bill 509 (Substitute S-2 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Senate Bill 510 (Substitute S-2 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Senator Tom Casperson (S.B. 508)
Senator Howard C. Walker (S.B. 509)
Senator Goeff Hansen (S.B. 510)
Committee: Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
CONTENT
The bills would add Part 414 (Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Council) to the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, and repeal Part 414 four years after its enactment.
Senate Bill 509 (S-2) would do the following:
-- Create the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Advisory Council within the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
-- Require the Council to make recommendations to the DEQ on a final update to the Michigan AIS Management Plan.
-- Require the final update to address AIS prevention, monitoring, and control and eradication, including rapid response to new infestations.
-- Require the Council to provide its recommendations to the Governor upon request.
-- Require the Council to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report containing recommendations on funding to implement the Plan.
The recommendations to the Governor would be advisory and nonbinding. They would have to be suitable for the executive branch to use in collaborating with other Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces to create or strengthen regional programs or coordinate state and provincial programs to achieve the bill's purposes.
Senate Bill 510 (S-2) would do the following:
-- Require the Council to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report containing recommendations for legislation or rules to prevent the introduction and spread of AIS through trade.
-- Identify subjects that the recommendations would have to address, including risk assessment processes, a program to certify that organisms are disease-free, and an education program on safe-usage practices.
Senate Bill 508 (S-2) would do the following:
-- Define terms used in Part 414.
-- Require the Council to develop recommendations regarding Michigan's comments on the Federal draft next Vessel General Permit, including a proposed ballast water treatment standard.
-- Require the Council to provide its recommendations to the Governor upon request.
The recommendations would be nonbinding and advisory. They would have to be suitable for use by the executive branch in collaborating with other Great Lakes states to achieve a consistent position on the draft next VGP.
The bill would define "aquatic invasive species" or "AIS" as an aquatic species that is nonnative to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.
The bills are tie-barred to each other.
Proposed MCL 324.41401 & 324.41411 (S.B. 508) Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
Proposed MCL 324.41403-324.41407 (S.B. 509)
Proposed MCL 324.41409 et al. (S.B. 510)
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills would likely introduce some new, relatively small, administrative costs to the Department of Environmental Quality in administering the Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Council. Additionally, the bills specify that Council members would serve without compensation, but could be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
Date Completed: 10-5-11 Fiscal Analyst: Josh Sefton
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. sb508-510/1112