DETROIT TEAM/NASCAR PLATES S.B. 869 (S-1): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 869 (Substitute S-1)
Sponsor: Senator Tom Casperson
Committee: Transportation


Date Completed: 1-23-12

CONTENT The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to do the following:

-- Provide for fund-raising plates or collector plates recognizing the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Pistons, and NASCAR.
-- Create the "Detroit Red Wings Fund", the "Detroit Tigers Fund", the "Detroit Lions Fund", the "Detroit Pistons Fund", and the "NASCAR Foundation Fund". -- Require donations for the proposed plates to be deposited into the respective Fund, to be distributed to the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, the Detroit Tigers Foundation, the Detroit Lions Charities, the Pistons-Palace Foundation, and the NASCAR Foundation, as applicable.

Under the bill, a fund-raising plate or collector plate recognizing the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Pistons, or NASCAR would have to bear an appropriate logo. Each of the teams, or a NASCAR representative or agent, as applicable, would have to submit a design for its logo to the Secretary of State (SOS). The SOS would have to confer with the Michigan Department of State Police to ensure that the designs would not compromise the ability of law enforcement agencies to identify specific vehicles accurately.


Registration plates bearing a Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, or NASCAR logo could not duplicate another registration plate. Each of the teams and NASCAR would have to comply with certain provisions in the Code regarding the design of special organization plates.


The bill would create the Detroit Red Wings Fund, the Detroit Tigers Fund, the Detroit Lions Fund, the Detroit Pistons Fund, and the NASCAR Foundation Fund within the State Treasury. The State Treasurer could receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the Funds. The Treasurer would have to direct the investment of the Funds and credit to them interest and earnings from Fund investments. Money in the Funds at the close of the fiscal year would have to remain in the Funds and not lapse to the State General Fund.


The SOS would have to transfer the donation money from the sale of fund-raising plates recognizing the teams and NASCAR to the State Treasurer, who would have to credit the donation money to the appropriate Fund. The State Treasurer would have to disburse money in the Funds on a quarterly basis to the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, the Detroit Tigers Foundation, the Detroit Lions Charities, the Pistons-Palace Foundation, and the NASCAR Foundation, as applicable.


Proposed MCL 257.811s-257.811w Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would create a start-up cost to the Department of State. The start-up fee of $15,000 prescribed in the Code for each new plate could be paid to the Department, separately from the Detroit Red Wings Fund, the Detroit Tigers Fund, the Detroit Lions Fund, the Detroit Pistons Fund, and the NASCAR Foundation Fund proposed in the bill; however, the bill does not include such a requirement. The State Treasurer would disburse payments from the Funds on a quarterly basis to each respective foundation.


The bill would have no fiscal impact on local government.

Fiscal Analyst: 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. sb869/1112