Bill Text: MI HB5517 | 2021-2022 | 101st Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Elections: other; state to reimburse local government costs for election mail postage; require under certain circumstances. Amends 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.1 - 168.992) by adding sec. 39.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 23-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-11-04 - Bill Electronically Reproduced 11/03/2021 [HB5517 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2021-HB5517-Introduced.html
HOUSE BILL NO. 5517
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
"Michigan election law,"
(MCL 168.1 to 168.992) by adding section 39.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
Sec. 39. (1) Subject to this section, this state shall reimburse each county, city, or township for the cost of election mail postage incurred by that county, city, or township. To be eligible for reimbursement under this section, the county, city, or township clerk must include prepaid postage on all absent voter ballot application return envelopes and all absent voter ballot return envelopes sent by the clerk to electors in that county, city, or township. Reimbursement must be made upon presentation and approval of a verified account of actual costs for election mail postage to the secretary of state. The reimbursement must not exceed the verified account of actual costs of the election mail postage as provided in this section.
(2) The legislature shall appropriate from the general fund of this state an amount necessary to implement this section.
(3) To obtain reimbursement, a county, city, or township must submit its verified account of actual costs for election mail postage to the secretary of state no later than 90 days after the date of the end of the fiscal year for that county, city, or township. A verified account of actual costs for election mail postage must include a certification or receipt from a United States Postal Service office detailing the cost of postage along with a matching account of all eligible election mail sent by that county, city, or township during the fiscal year of that county, city, or township.
(4) This state shall pay or disapprove all or a portion of the verified account no later than 90 days after the date this state receives a verified account of actual costs for election mail postage from a county, city, or township.
(5) If this state disapproves all or a portion of a verified account of actual costs for election mail postage under subsection (4), this state shall send a notice of disapproval along with the reasons for the disapproval to the county, city, or township. Upon request of a county, city, or township whose verified account or portion of a verified account was disapproved under this section, this state shall review the disapproved costs with the county, city, or township.
(6) As used in this section, "election mail" only includes the following:
(a) Voter registration cards.
(b) Absent voter ballot applications.
(c) Absent voter ballot application return envelopes.
(d) Absent voter ballots.
(e) Absent voter ballot return envelopes.
