2024 House Bill 5511

Appropriations: department of agriculture and rural development; appropriations for fiscal year 2024-2025; provide for.

A bill to make appropriations for the department of agriculture and rural development for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025; and to provide for the expenditure of the appropriations.

Mackinac Center Analysis

MDARD appropriations for fiscal year 2024-2025.

Introduced in the House

Feb. 22, 2024

Introduced by Reps. Julie Brixie (D-73) and Angela Witwer (D-76)

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations

April 24, 2024

Reported with substitute H-1

May 8, 2024

Substitute H-1 concurred in by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-45)

1. Amend page 13, following line 15, by inserting:

“Sec. 213. The department shall maintain, on a publicly accessible website, information that identifies, tracks, and regularly updates key metrics that are used to monitor and improve the agency’s performance.”.

2. Amend page 14, following line 20, by inserting:

“Sec. 220. If the state administrative board, acting under section 3 of 1921 PA 2, MCL 17.3, transfers funds from an amount appropriated under this act, the legislature may, by a concurrent resolution adopted by a majority of the members elected to and serving in each house, intertransfer funds within this article for the particular department, board, commission, officer, or institution.”.

3. Amend page 14, following line 29, by inserting:

“Sec. 223. (1) From the funds appropriated in part 1, the department shall do all of the following:

(a) Report to the house and senate appropriations committees and the standard report recipients any amount of severance pay for a department director, deputy director, or other high-ranking department official not later than 14 days after a severance agreement with the director or official is signed. The name of the director or official and the amount of severance pay must be included in the report required by this subdivision.

(b) By February 1, report on the total amount of severance pay remitted to former department employees during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 and the total number of former department employees that were remitted severance pay during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024.

(2) As used in this section, “severance pay” means compensation that is both payable or paid upon the termination of employment and in addition to either wages or benefits earned during the course of employment or generally applicable retirement benefits.”.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Ann Bollin (R-49)

1. Amend page 14, following line 29, by inserting:

“Sec. 291. Not later than August 1, the department shall submit a report that provides a listing of all current work project accounts. The report must include all of the following information for each current work project account:

(a) The original work project amount.

(b) A detailed accounting of expenditures to date.

(c) The balance of the work project account.

(d) The intended use of remaining funds in the work project account.

(e) The expected completion date of the work project.”.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Gina Johnsen (R-78)

1. Amend page 14, following line 29, by inserting:

“Sec. 292. Appropriations in part 1 from state and federal sources are prohibited from being used to provide services, grants, or programming to individuals who are not citizens of the United States unless the individual is a qualified alien under 8 USC 1641.”.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Greg VanWoerkom (R-88)

1. Amend page 14, following line 29, by inserting:

“Sec. 293. Funds appropriated in part 1 that are utilized for grants or grant programs are subject to the following conditions:

(a) Grant funds must be provided to an entity that has been established and is operating in this state or another state for more than two years prior to approval or disbursement of the grant.

(b) Grant funds must be provided to an entity that has had an office in this state or in the service area covered under any grant for at least six months prior to approval or disbursement of the grant.

(c) Prior to the disbursement or awarding of a grant, all grant recipients must provide a spending plan specifying how all grant funds will be used and if grant funds will be provided to a third party or subrecipient.

(d) Each department or agency responsible for the disbursement or awarding of grant funds must audit the entity’s use of the grant funds for each fiscal year in which the grant is active.

(e) Grant recipients and their immediate family members are prohibited from being employed by the executive branch or legislative branch of this state.

(f) Grant recipients are prohibited from serving on any state board that has direct or indirect responsibility for the approval or auditing of grant funds disbursed by state departments and agencies.

(g) Full and complete audits of grant funds issued by a department or agency of this state, without redaction unless required by law, must be posted to a department or agency website in a conspicuous place for public review.”.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Ken Borton (R-105)

1. Amend page 6, line 9, after “4.0” by striking out “8,107,000” and inserting “6,507,000” and adjusting the subtotals, totals, and section 201 accordingly.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Ken Borton (R-105)

1. Amend page 5, line 1, after “districts” by striking out “3,000,000” and inserting “4,000,000”.

2. Amend page 5, line 28, by striking out all of line 28 and adjusting the subtotals, totals, and section 201 accordingly.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Passed in the House 56 to 49 (details)

Motion to give immediate effect by Rep. Abraham Aiyash (D-9)

The motion prevailed by voice vote

Received in the Senate

May 14, 2024

Referred to the Committee of the Whole

Reported with substitute S-1

Substitute S-1 concurred in by voice vote

May 15, 2024

Passed in the Senate 20 to 16 (details)

Received in the House

May 15, 2024

May 22, 2024

Substitute S-1 not concurred in 51 to 55 (details)