AMEND WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT

Senate Bill 685 (Substitute S-1)

Sponsor:  Sen. Darwin L. Booher

House Committee:  Agriculture

Senate Committee:  Agriculture

Complete to 6-3-14

A SUMMARY OF SENATE BILL 685 AS PASSED BY THE SENATE 5-15-14

Senate Bill 685 would amend Section 28c of the Weights and Measures Act by making references to 2014 edition of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 130.  Currently the act refers to the 2012 edition.

This handbook contains the "uniform regulation for the method of the sale of commodities."  The Weights and Measures Acts incorporates the handbook by reference for use, generally speaking, in regulating the sale of commodities in Michigan.

MCL 290.628c

FISCAL IMPACT:

Senate Bill 685, as passed by the Senate, would have a negative fiscal impact on the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) to the extent that DARD would be responsible for the enforcement the 2014 NIST standards, particularly as they pertain to motor oil. DARD estimates that the annual costs of enforcing the standards at approximately $190,000 to support 1.0 FTE ($120,000) and associated laboratory ($30,000) and travel ($40,000) expenses to respond to complaints related to the quality or quantity of motor oil.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   Josh Roesner

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Paul Holland

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.