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HB 5029

Highways: bridges; movable bridge fund; modify. Amends sec. 11g of 1951 PA 51 (MCL 247.661g).

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Ken Borton and 5 co-sponsors

HB 5029 standardizes Movable Bridge Fund reporting and distributions, with MDOT oversight, and allows surplus to cover federally mandated local bridge work through 2030.

bill electronically reproduced 09/18/2025
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Bill Summary · HB 5029

Summary — HB 5029 (2025)

Title: Highways: bridges; movable bridge fund; modify. (Amends sec. 11g of 1951 PA 51 — MCL 247.661g)
Introduced: March 13, 2025. Introduced/replicated Sept 18, 2025 by Rep. Phil Green. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Purpose

HB 5029 revises and clarifies the statutory provisions governing Michigan’s Movable Bridge Fund (created by MCL 247.661g). The bill updates administrative duties, reporting and contracting requirements for owners/operators of publicly owned movable bridges, and allows limited use of surplus fund money to address certain federally required local bridge activities through December 31, 2030.

Key provisions (by subsection)

  • Section 11g(1)

    • Confirms the Movable Bridge Fund as a separate fund in the state treasury.
    • Directs the state treasurer to receive deposits and invest the fund and to credit interest and earnings to the fund.
    • Specifies that fund balances remain in the fund at fiscal-year end and do not lapse to the general fund.
    • Designates the Department (Michigan Department of Transportation, MDOT) as the administrator for auditing purposes.

  • Section 11g(2)

    • Authorizes the Department to contract with any person or agency that has jurisdiction over a publicly owned movable bridge for operation of the bridge.
    • Requires such contracts to mandate contractor insurance at an amount specified by the Department.
    • Clarifies that entering a contract does not force the Department to assume ownership or jurisdiction of the bridge.

  • Section 11g(3)

    • Requires owners/jurisdictional agencies (other than the Department) to annually submit bridge operational procedures and operational costs to the Department.
    • Directs the Department to develop standardized procedures and annual cost estimates for operation of all publicly owned movable bridges.
    • Provides that the Department will distribute a percentage of the Movable Bridge Fund to each entity responsible for operating a movable bridge based on those estimates; distributions to the Department are required when MDOT operates a bridge.
    • Temporarily (through Dec. 31, 2030) requires the Department to estimate costs for local federal bridge load analysis, inspections, or other local federal bridge mandates, and allows remaining fund balances (after operational distributions) to be used for those federal-mandate costs if no other funding source exists.

  • Section 11g(4)

    • If the Department offers operational contract services and a local owner declines, the owner still receives the amount it would have otherwise received from the fund.

  • Section 11g(5)

    • Defines “operational costs” to include reasonable and customary costs associated with operation of a movable bridge, and expressly excludes routine maintenance, capital improvements, and emergency structural/mechanical/electrical/hydraulic repairs.

Who is affected

  • MDOT (administrative/auditing responsibilities; potential recipient of funds if MDOT operates bridges)
  • Local units of government or agencies that own or have jurisdiction over movable bridges (cities, counties, port authorities, transit agencies)
  • Private contractors who operate bridges (insurance requirement)
  • The Movable Bridge Fund and its future allocations
  • Local bridge compliance efforts subject to federal mandates (short-term access to fund surplus through 12/31/2030)

Potential impacts

  • Strengthens central oversight and standardization of operational cost reporting and distribution of fund money.
  • Preserves fund balances by preventing lapse to the general fund.
  • Provides a limited safety valve (through 2030) to use surplus fund monies for federally mandated local bridge inspections, load analyses, and related requirements when other funding is unavailable.
  • Imposes administrative reporting burdens on local bridge owners and an insurance requirement on contractors.
  • Does not create a new revenue source; changes how existing fund monies are administered and disbursed.

Procedural status

  • Filed March 13, 2025; electronically reproduced Sept 18, 2025; introduced by Rep. Phil Green Sept 18, 2025; read first time and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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

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