As required in statute the Department of Treasury has released its Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP) Information Notification letter that provides guidance for communities to qualify for payments under the FY 2014 EVIP program. You can find information Treasury’s website and on the League’s EVIP resource page.

You can submit the required documents to Treasury via email at TreasRevenueSharing@michigan.gov.  The due dates for each category are October 1 (Accountability and Transparency), February 1 (Consolidation of Services) and June 1 (Unfunded Accrued Liability Plan).

If you have questions about EVIP please feel free to contact us or visit our EVIP resource page.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

The legislature remains mostly on summer break (although the Senate Government Operations Committee did meet last week to discuss Medicaid expansion.) Despite it being quiet at the Capitol, League staff continues to actively participate in a number of meetings.

There are workgroups and meetings ongoing on a number of issues including FOIA, issues related to consolidation/collaboration, and of course fixes to the personal property tax legislation that passed in lame duck.

We anticipate the legislature will be back in September, but any public meetings that will be held this summer will continue to focus largely on Medicaid expansion.  We encourage you to meet with your legislators while they are home in the district and urge them to focus on those issues important to communities including increased EVIP funding, increased transportation funding, and the importance of ensuring full replacement as they tweak the PPT plan.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the House Local Government Committee heard testimony on House Bills 4622 and 4793, bills that make some procedural changes to the Michigan Drain Code.

More specifically HB 4622 would modify the procedures for changing the boundaries of county drainage districts. It would modify the process by eliminating boards of determination and allowing review by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

House Bill 4793 deals with the taking of private property. It updates the statute to make it consistent with condemnation proceedings outlined in the Uniform Condemnation Procedures Act.

The committee did not vote on this legislation.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee held testimony on HB 4785, a bill that would increase existing fees for licensing EMS personnel, vehicles and operations. This bill is part of the FY 2014 budget agreement, and the total increase anticipated (just over $1 million) has been built into the FY 2014 Department of Community Health budget.

The argument for the change is the fee increase is needed to maintain the current licensing and regulatory program for EMS. The bill would, however, increase costs for local EMS services.

According to an analysis by the House Fiscal Agency current fee rates were established in 1991. The analysis includes a chart tracking the proposed fee increases.

We have concerns about this increase in cost for our local EMS departments, and we are working with members to determine the impact of these fee increases to get that information to legislators.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the Senate unanimously passed HB 4743 a bill providing more local control on the use of fireworks passed the House following significant complaints from local units of government after last July 4.

The bill would require retail locations to post signs informing the public where to find the Fireworks Safety Act and copies of the local municipality’s ordinances regarding time limits for the use of the fireworks.

The bill also would require retailers to comply with the National Fire Protection Association Code, and clarify that a retailer or a person issued a consumer fireworks certificate is responsible for remitting all fireworks safety fees to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. It would also require retailers to remit the fees within 20 days after the end of each month.

The bill would allow municipalities to regulate the use of fireworks within counties of 750,000 or more persons to 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on New Year’s Day only, for all other days surrounding national holidays the hours are 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. For municipalities within counties with a population fewer than 750,000 ordinances can be enacted regulating the times of 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on the day before, the day after and the day of national holidays.

The bill is now on its way to the Governor for his signature.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the House Regulatory Reform Committee continued hearing testimony on a package of legislation that would crack down on scrap metal dealers to limit scrap metal theft.

House Bills 4593-95 were introduced to the committee. The bills seek to close “loopholes” in the current scrap metal laws by requiring dealers to keep more detailed records including information of individuals who remit scrap metal as well as a photograph of purchased scrap metal.

In addition the legislation strengthens the “do not purchase” list in the current law to add additional requirements. It also requires dealers to only make payment to an individual via check, money order or an electronic payment card that can be used to get cash from an ATM on the seller’s premises.

The committee did not vote on the legislation and will continue the discussion.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the House Tax Policy Committee reported three bills that would create tax exemptions for disabled veterans.

The committee voted out House Bill 4698, House Bill 4110 and Senate Bill 352, and these bills will not be considered by the full House.

The bills are all very similar and would specifically exempt from property taxes real property used and owned as a homestead by a disabled veteran who was discharged from the Armed Forces of the United States under honorable conditions.

The League continues to be opposed to mandatory property tax exemptions. In 2011 the legislature and administration eliminated state tax exemptions so as to not “pick winners and losers” and balance the state budget. Yet we continue to combat legislation that mandates our members give property tax exemptions for various individuals. The policy is inconsistent, and we are opposed to this piecemeal approach to tax policy.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the Senate approved the FY 2014 budget to send to the Governor for his signature.

Thanks to the urging of Michigan Municipal League members in recent weeks, the budget includes a 4.8 percent increase in statutory revenue sharing for local governments, representing a  $10.8 million increase. In the past 12 years the state has cut local revenue sharing by more than $6 billion. The Governor’s and House’s 2014 state budget recommendations called for no statutory revenue sharing increases to cities, villages and townships, but League staff and League members in recent days and weeks strongly encouraged lawmakers to support the Senate budget plan that included a 4.8 percent increase.

The budget also includes a 2.8 percent increase in constitutional revenue sharing, representing $20.6 million.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the House Regulatory Reform Committee began hearing testimony on a package of legislation that would crack down on scrap metal dealers to limit scrap metal theft.

House Bills 4593-95 were introduced to the committee. The bills seek to close “loopholes” in the current scrap metal laws by requiring dealers to keep more detailed records including information of individuals who remit scrap metal as well as a photograph of purchased scrap metal.

In addition the legislation strengthens the “do not purchase” list in the current law to add additional requirements. It also requires dealers to only make payment to an individual via check, money order or an electronic payment card that can be used to get cash from an ATM on the seller’s premises.

The committee did not vote on the legislation and intends to hear further testimony next week.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org