[nfbmi-talk] whateverhappened to newsline for blind fund?

joe harcz Comcast joeharcz at comcast.net
Sat Dec 18 13:39:27 UTC 2010


I'm afraid the money is already pilferred, but it is worth a try. I think 
what happened with the broken promises vis a vis the sale of the Michigan 
School for the Blind illustrate a state that breaks its promises and uses us 
and other people with disabilities to fuel the general fund. I sadly look at 
what is in store for the deaf community with the last minute sale of the 
School for the Deaf. Of course, that in the legislation is still the School 
for the Deaf and Blind. But, we all know now that the Low Incident Outreach 
program is being uprooted from the Flint campus and being moved to the 
Lansing State Library.

Moreover, we don't know how various trust have been employed either. II 
wonder openly about the entries of the Stanley Herman Trust for example on 
the MCB books. That is on their gift fund entry line. But, where is the 
money?

Moreover, as we've seen with the recent fiasco on the System Seven MCB 
cannot account for expenditures or even deliniate them.

I also refer to the RSA monitoring and former Attorney General Kelly's 
opinon on BEP and rent. For years that money has come out of the MCB 
account, cannot be matched legally for fed funds, and thus deprives blind 
folks of valuable services across the board from transition to adjustment to 
assistive technology to college tuition and things like room and board. Not 
to mention Newsline, of course.

It is remarkable to me that the state and others demand (rightfully) a full 
accounting of expenditures related to say Camp T or Newsline, but 
particularly DELEG and MCB do not recripocate.

I suggest that just like in the sale of the School for the Blind where the 
bulk of money went into the general fund and blind folks got a few crumbs 
that this too has been the over all approach of MCB, MRS, and local and 
state educational facilities.

And rather than MCB advocating throughout the system I suggest it has done 
the exact opposite, likely to appease Cannon's political masters.

No doubt Michigan has been on very tough times. But, I suggest that 
misappropriating monies  earmarked for the blind and others with 
disabilities is an evil solution to these issues.

It, however sadly has been going on for a decade.

There is hope however for at least Newsline. And as I suggested on Thursday 
we should simply call it an accessable video game and certain parties can 
purchase it with their procurement card so that staff in the Fetzer center 
can test it out.

Smiles...

Joe
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at comcast.net>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 11:18 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] whateverhappened to newsline for blind fund?


> Hi Joe,
>
> This may be worth following up on.  We may be able to go directly back to
> the legislature to restore this.
>
> Good work.
>
> Fred
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
> Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 11:19 AM
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] whateverhappened to newsline for blind fund?
>
> http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?hl=en&q=cache:oQLhAtM5oHUJ:http
> ://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2005-S
> FA-5354-S.pdf+michigan+trust+fund+school+for+blind&ct=clnk
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Page 1 of 2 5354/0506 LAND CONVEYANCE H.B. 5354 (H-3): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
> House Bill 5354 (Substitute H-3 as passed by the House
>
> This is the html version of the file
>
> http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/20
> 05-SFA-5354-S.pdf.
>
>
>
> Google automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the
> web.
>
>
>
> Page 1
>
> Page 1 of 2
>
> Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa
>
> 5354/0506
>
> LAND CONVEYANCE
>
> H.B. 5354 (H-3): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
>
> House Bill 5354 (Substitute H-3 as passed by the House)
>
> Sponsor: Representative Michael C. Murphy
>
> House Committee: Regulatory Reform
>
> Senate Committee: Appropriations
>
> Date Completed: 5-9-06
>
> CONTENT
>
> The bill would authorize the State Administrative Board to convey the site
> of the former
>
> Michigan School for the Blind (approximately 35 acres), located in the 
> City
> of Lansing, under
>
> the jurisdiction of the Department of Education (DOE), at fair market 
> value,
> as determined
>
> by independent appraisals. The bill also would create the "Newsline for 
> the
> Blind Fund"
>
> within the Department of Treasury.
>
> The Director of the Department of Management and Budget (DMB) would have 
> to
> offer the
>
> property for sale first to the Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy (a 
> nonprofit
> public school
>
> academy), which would have the first right to purchase the property for up
> to 180 days
>
> after the effective date of the bill. If the property were not sold to the
> Mid-Michigan
>
> Leadership Academy, the DMB would have to convey the property in a way to
> realize the
>
> best value to the State, by competitive bidding, public auction, use of a
> real estate
>
> brokerage, or offering the property for sale at fair market value to a 
> local
> unit of
>
> government. If a local unit of government purchased the property, and then
> intended to
>
> convey it within 10 years of the conveyance from the State, the local unit
> of government
>
> would have to notify the DMB director in writing of its intent to convey 
> the
> property. The
>
> DMB would retain a first right to purchase the property within 90 days at
> the original sale
>
> price, plus the costs of improvements as determined by an appraiser. If 
> the
> State waived
>
> its first refusal right, the local unit of government would have to pay 
> the
> State 50% of the
>
> difference between the sale price of the original conveyance and the sale
> price of the
>
> subsequent sale to a third party.
>
> The net revenue received from the sale of the property would be 
> distributed
> as follows:
>
> . 5% or $50,000 (whichever was less) to the Newsline for the Blind Fund;
>
> . 5% or $50,000 (whichever was less) to the Michigan School for the Blind
> Trust Fund
>
> (managed by the DOE) for the support of Camp Tuhsmeheta in Greenville,
> Michigan;
>
> . the balance to be deposited into the State's General Fund.
>
> The Newsline for the Blind Fund would be managed by the State Treasurer, 
> who
> would
>
> direct the investment of the Fund. Interest and earnings from the Fund 
> would
> be credited
>
> to it. The Michigan Commission for the Blind could spend money from the
> Fund, upon
>
> appropriation, only for distribution to the National Federation of the 
> Blind
> (NFB) of Michigan
>
> for the purpose of the NFB-newsline program.
>
> "Net revenue" would be defined as the proceeds of the sale less
> reimbursement for any
>
> costs to the State associated with the sale of property.
>
>
>
> Page 2
>
> Page 2 of 2
>
> Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa
>
> 5354/0506
>
> The State would not reserve the oil, gas, or mineral rights, but if the
> purchaser or any
>
> grantee developed oil, gas, or minerals found on, within, or under the
> conveyed property,
>
> the purchaser would have to pay the State half of the gross revenue
> generated from that
>
> development. The payment would have to be deposited into the Natural
> Resources Trust
>
> Fund. The State would reserve all aboriginal antiquities, including 
> mounds,
> earthworks,
>
> forts, burial and village sites, mines, and other relics lying on, within,
> or under the property.
>
> FISCAL IMPACT
>
> The bill would provide a one-time revenue increase for the State. A 
> current
> appraisal of the
>
> property indicates a value of $960,000. If one assumes that the net 
> revenue
> from the sale
>
> would provide $960,000, then $48,000 (5%) would be deposited into the
> Newsline for the
>
> Blind Fund, $48,000 (5%) to Michigan School for the Blind Trust Fund, and
> the balance
>
> ($864,000) would be deposited into the State's General Fund.
>
> Fiscal Analyst: Mike Hansen
>
> SAS\S0506\s5354sa
>
> This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the 
> Senate
> in its deliberations and does not constitute an
>
> official statement of legislative intent.
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