PUBLIC ASSISTANCE: ARREST WARRANT H.B. 4721: FLOOR SUMMARY
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House Bill 4721 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Representative Jon Bumstead
House Committee: Families, Children, and Seniors
Senate Committee: Families, Seniors, and Human Services

CONTENT
The bill would amend the Social Welfare Act to do the following:

-- Require the development of an automated program that would compare the Department of Human Services' (DHS's) list of public assistance recipients with information provided by the Michigan State Police (MSP) regarding outstanding felony or extradition warrants.
-- Require the development of an automated program allowing the MSP access to the address of a public assistance recipient or applicant.
-- Require the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget to work with the DHS and the MSP to develop and implement the automated programs.
-- Require the DHS to review information provided by the MSP, to determine if recipients or applicants were subject to arrest.


The bill also would require the DHS to disclose the address of a public assistance applicant or a member of an applicant's household to a law enforcement officer if the person were subject to an outstanding warrant. Currently, this requirement applies to an assistance recipient or a member of a recipient's household.


MCL 400.10a et al. Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe

FISCAL IMPACT
The total costs to implement an automated program that would compare public assistance recipients with outstanding warrants, are $345,000 and have already been accounted for in both the FY 2010-11 and FY 2011-12 Department of Human Services appropriations. Boilerplate Section 295 of Public Act 190 of 2010 allocated $300,000 to the interface between DHS's Bridges database and the MSP Law Enforcement Information System (LEIN). The FY 2011-12 budget reduced the allocation to $45,000, as this amount was all that was required to finish implementing the interface, and removed the boilerplate section.


To the extent that the creation of the automated tool identified individuals inappropriately receiving benefits, there could be a reduction in DHS program costs. Research into the types of benefits that fugitive felons are likely to receive and Federal regulations governing how states may restrict these benefits suggest that any savings achieved would be small.


The costs to the DTMB would be recouped via interdepartmental grants from the DHS and the MSP for any programming costs incurred by the DTMB.


Date Completed: 10-3-11 Fiscal Analyst: Frances Carley Joe Carrasco

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. hb4721/1112 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.