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SB 758

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

2023-2024 Regular Session Introduced by John Cherry

SB 758 funds MDARD for FY 2024-25, trims GF/GP by about $12.2M, shifts to restricted funds, and adds Farm to Family, local conservation districts, and MAEAP coordination.

REFERRED TO CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
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Bill Summary · SB 758

SB 758 — Appropriations: Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (FY 2024–25)

Status: Referred to Conference Committee (most recent procedural history provided)
Introduced: (Senate) March 7, 2024; (various committee and floor actions through 2024–2025). This summary reflects the department-level appropriation language and the Senate (S‑3 / S‑4) recommendations reflected in the provided documents.

Purpose

Appropriates FY 2024–25 funding for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). The bill sets line‑item spending levels, authorizes staffing (FTE) and contains boilerplate directing how specified programs and one‑time funds are to be spent.

Key fiscal totals (Senate recommendation / S‑4)

  • Gross appropriation: $163.219 million (FY 2024‑25 Senate‑passed) — down ~$5.39M (‑3.2%) vs. FY 2023‑24 year‑to‑date.
  • Total state spending: $142.507M (up ~$4.01M, +2.9%).
  • Other state restricted funds: $61.951M (up $16.231M, +35.5%).
  • General Fund/General Purpose (GF/GP): $80.556M (down $12.225M, ‑13.2%).
  • Authorized FTEs: 546.0 (net +2 FTE).

Major program and line‑item changes (Senate posture)

  • Emergency management: +$600,000 (federal USDA/APHIS grant authorization for incident command training).
  • Unclassified salaries: +$335,100 (restricted revenues) to align staffing authorization.
  • Farm to Family program (new): $2.0M GF/GP and 3.0 FTEs to support regenerative farming, supply chains, and in‑state food promotion.
  • Local conservation districts: Senate increases ongoing funding to $6.0M (noting direction that $3.0M of that be spent via contractual agreements and a required report).
  • Agricultural Climate Resiliency: removes $6.0M one‑time but retains $1.0M ongoing GF/GP for regenerative/ag resiliency work.
  • Soil health/regenerative agriculture: eliminates $5.0M one‑time; retains ~$1.025M ongoing and adds $249,900 one‑time for soil health workshops/education.
  • Eliminations / reductions of one‑time grants included (Senate): ARP resilient food systems infrastructure ($10.1M, federal), minority‑owned food & ag ventures ($2.9M), county fairs one‑time ($2.0M removed; $500k ongoing retained), various other one‑time items (emerging contaminants one‑time removed though some ongoing funding retained).
  • MDARD reorganizations/transfers reflected (Office of Rural Development transfer reflected as eliminated in MDARD budget per executive order).
  • Authorization/boilerplate: MOU with Michigan State University Extension to provide MAEAP support, study language on conservation districts, directives for no‑till adoption in western Lake Erie basin, and authorization to lapse/redeploy $15.5M of prior work‑project funds for nutrient management.

Who is affected

  • MDARD programs and staff (FTE authorizations and program budgets).
  • Farmers and agricultural businesses (funding for regenerative practices, soil health, Farm to Family, conservation district services).
  • Local conservation districts and entities that receive grants or contracts from MDARD.
  • Food safety, animal health, and laboratory services programs (funding levels and staffing).
  • County fairs, minority food/ag ventures, and other one‑time grant recipients (where one‑time funding is reduced or removed).

Procedural / timeline notes

  • The bill has passed versions in both chambers and was referred to a conference committee (documents show multiple Senate and House substitutes and naming of conferees). The version summarized here reflects the Senate (S‑3 / S‑4) appropriations recommendations. Final enacted amounts depend on conference committee outcomes and any Governor action.

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Net GF/GP reduction (~$12.2M) shifts reliance toward restricted/other funds and reduces available one‑time program grants; several one‑time initiatives were eliminated in the Senate posture.
  • Increased emphasis on certain ongoing programs (local conservation district support, MAEAP coordination, Farm to Family) and on fiscal/administrative boilerplate that directs program implementation.
  • Changes in one‑time funding may delay or cancel planned pilot projects and grants (e.g., resilient food systems, minority‑owned ventures, some fair grants).

If you want, I can:
- Produce a side‑by‑side table comparing FY 2023‑24 enacted, Governor’s request, House, and Senate appropriation lines; or
- Pull out the specific statutory boilerplate sections (by section numbers referenced) for legal review.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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