(i) A demand deposit account. See Michigan Laws 400.231

accumulated contributions: means the amounts deducted from the compensations of a member of a reciprocal retirement system and credited to his individual account in the system, together with interest, if any, credited thereon. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

Address: means the primary address shown on the records of a financial institution used by the financial institution to contact an account holder. See Michigan Laws 400.231

Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.

Adult responsible for the child: means a parent, relative who has physically cared for the child, putative father, or current or former guardian of a child, including an emancipated or adult child. See Michigan Laws 400.231

Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.

Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.

Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization

Approved: means acceptable to the department. See Michigan Laws 333.13301

Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.

Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}

Board: means the board of a health endowment fund corporation incorporated under this part. See Michigan Laws 550.1651

Charitable organization: means a benevolent, educational, philanthropic, humane, patriotic, or eleemosynary organization of persons that solicits or obtains contributions solicited from the public for charitable purposes. See Michigan Laws 400.272

Charitable sales promotion: means any advertising or sales activities that include a statement or representation that the purchase or use of the goods or services offered for sale will benefit, in whole or in part, a charitable organization or charitable purpose. See Michigan Laws 400.272

Clothing donation box: means a receptacle in which a person may place clothing or other items of personal property he or she intends to donate to a charitable organization and that has a capacity of at least 27 cubic feet. See Michigan Laws 400.272

Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.

Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.

Contribution: means a promise, grant, or payment of money or property of any kind or value, including a promise to pay, except payments by members of an organization for membership fees, dues, fines, or assessments, or for services rendered to individual members, if membership in the organization confers a bona fide right, privilege, professional standing, honor, or other direct benefit, other than the right to vote, elect officers, or hold offices, and except money or property received from a governmental authority or foundation restricted as to use. See Michigan Laws 400.272

Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.

Current employment: means employment within 1 year before a friend of the court request for information. See Michigan Laws 400.231

Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.

Department: means the family independence agency. See Michigan Laws 400.231

Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.

Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:

Donor: The person who makes a gift.

Dry cleaning: includes dry dyeing and means the process of removing dirt, grease, paints, and other stains from wearing apparel, textiles, fabrics, and rugs by use of nonaqueous liquid solvents, including:

  (i) Immersion and agitation in open vessels. See Michigan Laws 333.13301

Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}

Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.

Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.

Executive director: means the executive director of a fund appointed by the board. See Michigan Laws 550.1651

Final average salary: means the salary or the average of salaries used in computing a retirement allowance, as set forth in the retirement system plan. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

Financial institution: means any of the following:

  (i) A state or national bank. See Michigan Laws 400.231

Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.

Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.

Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. ^{Source: OCC}

Friend of the court case: means that term as defined in section 2 of the friend of the court act, 1982 PA 294, MCL 552. See Michigan Laws 400.231

Fund: means a health endowment fund corporation organized as a nonprofit corporation under section 653. See Michigan Laws 550.1651

Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor

Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.

Governmental unit: means the state to the extent the employees of the state are covered under an applicable state unit; and any municipal unit. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.

in writing: shall be construed to include printing, engraving, and lithographing; except that if the written signature of a person is required by law, the signature shall be the proper handwriting of the person or, if the person is unable to write, the person's proper mark, which may be, unless otherwise expressly prohibited by law, a clear and classifiable fingerprint of the person made with ink or another substance. See Michigan Laws 8.3q

Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.

Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}

Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.

Legislative body: means the county board of commissioners of a county, the board of trustees of a township, or the council or other elected governing body of a city or village. See Michigan Laws 125.3803

Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.

Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.

local unit: means a county or municipality. See Michigan Laws 125.3803

Majority leader: see Floor Leaders

Master plan: means either of the following:

  (i) As provided in section 81(1), any plan adopted or amended before September 1, 2008 under a planning act repealed under section 85. See Michigan Laws 125.3803

Minority leader: See Floor Leaders

month: means a calendar month; the word "year" a calendar year; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the words "year of our Lord". See Michigan Laws 8.3j

municipal: means or refers to a city, village, or township. See Michigan Laws 125.3803

Municipal unit: means a county, city, village, township or school district of the first class; any separate corporation or instrumentality established by 1 or more counties, cities or villages, as permitted by law; any corporation or instrumentality supported in most part by counties, cities and villages, or any of them; any public corporation charged by law with the performance of a governmental function and whose jurisdiction is coextensive with 1 or more counties, cities and villages. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. ^{Source: OCC}

Oath: A promise to tell the truth.

oath: shall be construed to include the word "affirmation" in all cases where by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath; and in like cases the word "sworn" shall be construed to include the word "affirmed". See Michigan Laws 8.3k

Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.

Office: means the office of child support. See Michigan Laws 400.231

Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.

Person: means a person as defined in section 1106 or a governmental entity. See Michigan Laws 333.13301

Person: means an individual, organization, group, association, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, trust, any other legal entity, or any combination of legal entities. See Michigan Laws 400.272

person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals. See Michigan Laws 8.3l

Personal property: All property that is not real property.

Planning commission: means either of the following, as applicable:

  (i) A planning commission created pursuant to section 11(1). See Michigan Laws 125.3803

Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.

Probate: Proving a will

Professional fund raiser: means a person who plans, conducts, manages, or carries on a drive or campaign of soliciting contributions for or on behalf of a charitable organization, religious organization, or any other person in exchange for compensation or other consideration; or who engages in the business of or holds himself or herself out as independently engaged in the business of soliciting contributions for those purposes. See Michigan Laws 400.272

Professional solicitor: means a person who is employed or retained for compensation by a professional fund raiser to solicit contributions for charitable purposes. See Michigan Laws 400.272

Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.

Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.

Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.

reciprocal retirement system: means a state unit which elects to become a reciprocal unit. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

Reciprocal unit: means any state unit or municipal unit which elects to come under the provisions of this act. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.

Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.

Retirement: means the withdrawal of a member of a reciprocal retirement system from the employ of a reciprocal unit with a retirement allowance payable from funds of the reciprocal retirement system. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

Retirement allowance: means the annuity, pension or retirement allowance payable to a member of a reciprocal retirement system on account of his employment with a reciprocal unit. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

Retirement system: means the retirement, pension or annuity system, plan or fund under which a governmental unit covers its employees. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

SDU: means the entity established in section 6 for centralized state receipt and disbursement of support and fees. See Michigan Laws 400.231

Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.

Solicitor: means a person who solicits on behalf of a charitable organization. See Michigan Laws 400.272

state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o

State unit: means the state employees' retirement system, established by Act No. See Michigan Laws 38.1102

Street: means a street, avenue, boulevard, highway, road, lane, alley, viaduct, or other public way intended for use by motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, and other legal users. See Michigan Laws 125.3803

Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.

Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.

Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.

Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.

United States: shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o