Michigan § 399.510 - Friends of the depot organization; establishment; powers; official recognition; qualifications; letter of certification; rules; use of museum facilities.

The department shall encourage the creation of an officially recognized friends of the depot organization designed to provide funding, promotional support, volunteer labor, and other forms of assistance to the railroad history museum.

If established, the officially recognized friends of the depot organization may do all of the following:

Make expenditures on behalf of the programs of the railroad history museum, if such expenditures are requested by the department.

Use the facilities of the railroad history museum without charge upon receipt of written permission from the department to do so. Use of the railroad history museum facilities shall be in keeping with the authorized purposes of the friends of the depot organization, shall not be made at times and places that would unreasonably interfere with opportunities of the general public to use the facilities for established purposes, and shall be subject to the other provisions of this section.

Engage in fund-raising activities at the railroad history museum.

Furnish volunteer labor to perform services in the railroad history museum store and in connection with other programs at the railroad history museum.

To qualify as the officially recognized friends of the depot organization, an organization shall do all of the following:

Incorporate under the laws of the state of Michigan.

Operate on a nonprofit basis.

Request written approval from the department, using procedures and forms prescribed by the department, to function as an officially recognized friends of the depot organization.

Except as provided in subsection (5), if an entity qualifies as the officially recognized friends of the depot organization, the department shall issue a letter of certification recognizing the organization's qualifications. The letter shall specify the conditions under which the friends of the depot organization may make expenditures on behalf of the railroad history museum and may include other appropriate provisions.

Nothing in this section requires the department to certify a friends of the depot organization that meets the qualifications prescribed in this section.

The department may promulgate rules pursuant to the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328, to establish special conditions with which the friends of the depot organization shall comply in order to use railroad history museum facilities.

The department shall not permit the use of railroad history museum facilities if the friends of the depot organization fails to provide membership and employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or physical disability.