HOUSE BILL No. 4068

 

 

January 24, 2017, Introduced by Reps. Tedder and Marino and referred to the Committee on Tax Policy.

 

     A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled

 

"The general property tax act,"

 

by amending section 7o (MCL 211.7o), as amended by 2006 PA 681.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 7o. (1) Real or personal property owned and occupied by a

 

nonprofit charitable institution while occupied by that nonprofit

 

charitable institution solely for the purposes for which that

 

nonprofit charitable institution was incorporated is exempt from

 

the collection of taxes under this act.

 

     (2) Real or personal property owned and occupied by a

 

charitable trust while occupied by that charitable trust solely for

 

the charitable purposes for which that charitable trust was

 

established is exempt from the collection of taxes under this act.

 

     (3) Real or personal property owned by a nonprofit charitable

 


institution or charitable trust that is leased, loaned, or

 

otherwise made available to another nonprofit charitable

 

institution or charitable trust or to a nonprofit hospital or a

 

nonprofit educational institution that is occupied by that

 

nonprofit charitable institution, charitable trust, nonprofit

 

hospital, or nonprofit educational institution solely for the

 

purposes for which that nonprofit charitable institution,

 

charitable trust, nonprofit hospital, or nonprofit educational

 

institution was organized or established and that would be exempt

 

from taxes collected under this act if the real or personal

 

property were occupied by the lessor nonprofit charitable

 

institution or charitable trust solely for the purposes for which

 

the lessor charitable nonprofit institution was organized or the

 

charitable trust was established is exempt from the collection of

 

taxes under this act.

 

     (4) For taxes levied after December 31, 1997, real or personal

 

property owned by a nonprofit charitable institution or charitable

 

trust that is leased, loaned, or otherwise made available to a

 

governmental entity is exempt from the collection of taxes under

 

this act if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

 

     (a) The real or personal property would be exempt from the

 

collection of taxes under this act under section 7m if the real or

 

personal property were owned or were being acquired pursuant to an

 

installment purchase agreement by the lessee governmental entity.

 

     (b) The real or personal property would be exempt from the

 

collection of taxes under this act if occupied by the lessor

 

nonprofit charitable institution or charitable trust solely for the


purposes for which the lessor charitable nonprofit institution was

 

organized or the charitable trust was established.

 

     (5) Real property owned by a qualified conservation

 

organization that is held for conservation purposes and that is

 

open to all residents of this state for educational or recreational

 

use, including, but not limited to, low-impact, nondestructive

 

activities such as hiking, bird watching, cross-country skiing, or

 

snowshoeing is exempt from the collection of taxes under this act.

 

As used in this subsection, "qualified conservation organization"

 

means a nonprofit charitable institution or a charitable trust that

 

meets all of the following conditions:

 

     (a) Is organized or established, as reflected in its articles

 

of incorporation or trust documents, for the purpose of acquiring,

 

maintaining, and protecting nature sanctuaries, nature preserves,

 

and natural areas in this state, that predominantly contain natural

 

habitat for fish, wildlife, and plants.

 

     (b) Is required under its articles of incorporation, bylaws,

 

or trust documents to hold in perpetuity property acquired for the

 

purposes described in subdivision (a) unless both of the following

 

conditions are satisfied:

 

     (i) That property is no longer suitable for the purposes

 

described in subdivision (a).

 

     (ii) The sale of the property is approved by a majority vote

 

of the members or trustees.

 

     (c) Its articles of incorporation, bylaws, or trust documents

 

prohibit any officer, shareholder, board member, employee, or

 

trustee or the family member of an officer, shareholder, board


member, employee, or trustee from benefiting from the sale of

 

property acquired for the purposes described in subdivision (a).

 

     (6) Real property owned by a qualified conservation club whose

 

facilities are available to the public for charitable, nonprofit

 

purposes at least 55 days in each calendar year is exempt from the

 

collection of taxes under this act. As used in this subsection,

 

"qualified conservation club" means a club, including, but not

 

limited to, any conservation club, sportsmen's club, gun club,

 

archery club, or rod and gun club, whose primary purpose is to

 

educate the public in conservation and in hunting, fishing,

 

firearms safety, or archery. A club may demonstrate this primary

 

purpose by showing that all of its members are formally affiliated

 

with a statewide organization whose primary purpose is to educate

 

the public in conservation and in hunting, fishing, firearms

 

safety, or archery and that the statewide organization's primary

 

purpose has been adopted by the club.

 

     (7) (6) If authorized by a resolution of the local tax

 

collecting unit in which the real or personal property is located,

 

real or personal property owned by a nonprofit charitable

 

institution that is occupied and used by the nonprofit charitable

 

institution's chief executive officer as his or her principal

 

residence as a condition of his or her employment and that is

 

contiguous to real property that contains the nonprofit charitable

 

institution's principal place of business is exempt from the

 

collection of taxes under this act.

 

     (8) (7) A charitable home of a fraternal or secret society, or

 

a nonprofit corporation whose stock is wholly owned by a religious


or fraternal society that owns and operates facilities for the aged

 

and chronically ill and in which the net income from the operation

 

of the corporation does not inure to the benefit of any person

 

other than the residents, is exempt from the collection of taxes

 

under this act.

 

     (9) (8) Real and personal property owned and occupied by a

 

nonprofit corporation that meets all of the following conditions is

 

exempt from the collection of taxes under this act:

 

     (a) The nonprofit corporation is exempt from taxation under

 

section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 501.

 

     (b) The nonprofit corporation meets 1 of the following

 

conditions:

 

     (i) Is a skilled nursing facility or home for the aged,

 

licensed under the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.1101 to

 

333.25211, or is an adult foster care facility licensed under the

 

adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218, MCL 400.701

 

to 400.737. As used in this subparagraph:

 

     (A) "Adult foster care facility" means that term as defined in

 

section 3 of the adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979 PA

 

218, MCL 400.703.

 

     (B) "Home for the aged" means that term as defined in section

 

20106 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.20106.

 

     (C) "Skilled nursing facility" means that term as defined in

 

section 20109 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL

 

333.20109.

 

     (ii) Provides housing, rehabilitation services, diagnostic

 

services, medical services, or therapeutic services to 1 or more


disabled persons. As used in this subparagraph, "disabled person"

 

means that term as defined in section 7d.

 

     (c) The nonprofit corporation meets either of the following

 

conditions:

 

     (i) The real and personal property of the nonprofit

 

corporation was being treated as exempt from the collection of all

 

taxes under this act on the effective date of the amendatory act

 

that added this subsection.January 10, 2007.

 

     (ii) The real and personal property of the nonprofit

 

corporation had been treated as exempt from the collection of all

 

taxes under this act on December 31, 2004 and there has been no

 

transfer of ownership of that property during the period of time

 

beginning the last day the property was treated as exempt until the

 

effective date of the amendatory act that added this subsection.

 

January 10, 2007. As used in this sub-subparagraph, "transfer of

 

ownership" means that term as defined in section 27a.

 

     (10) (9) If real or personal property owned and occupied by a

 

nonprofit corporation is not eligible for an exemption under

 

subsection (8), (9), that nonprofit corporation is not precluded

 

from applying for exemption under subsection (1).

 

     (11) (10) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Charitable trust" means a charitable trust registered

 

under the supervision of trustees for charitable purposes act, 1961

 

PA 101, MCL 14.251 to 14.266.

 

     (b) "Governmental entity" means 1 or more of the following:

 

     (i) The federal government or an agency, department, division,

 

bureau, board, commission, council, or authority of the federal


government.

 

     (ii) This state or an agency, department, division, bureau,

 

board, commission, council, or authority of this state.

 

     (iii) A county, city, township, village, local or intermediate

 

school district, or municipal corporation.

 

     (iv) A public educational institution, including, but not

 

limited to, a local or intermediate school district, a public

 

school academy, a community college or junior college established

 

pursuant to section 7 of article VIII of the state constitution of

 

1963, or a state 4-year institution of higher education located in

 

this state.

 

     (v) Any other authority or public body created under state

 

law.

 

     (c) "Public school academy" means a public school academy

 

organized under the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1 to

 

380.1852.