REQUIRE I.D. ON FLOATING RAFTS
House Bill 4145
Sponsor: Rep. Gary A. Newell
Committee: Conservation and Outdoor Recreation
Complete to 3-14-01
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4145 AS INTRODUCED 2-7-01
Currently, Part 801 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA), which regulates marine safety, specifies only that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may order the removal or relocation of an anchored raft it considers a hazard to navigation. House Bill 4145 would amend Part 801 to specify that an anchored raft could not be set, placed, erected, or used at any time upon state waters unless the owner's name and address was affixed to each side of the outside of the raft in legible letters. The letters would have to be at least two inches high, readily visible, and consist of materials that were not water-soluble. Placing the owner's name and address on a piece of wood, plastic, or other material, and affixing that to a raft, would not constitute compliance with this provision. A person who violated the bill's requirements would be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 30 days, a fine of not less than $100 or more than $500, or both, and costs of prosecution. Upon conviction, the court would be required to order reimbursement of an amount equal to three times the cost of removal to the governmental entity that removed the raft from the water, or that provided for its removal.
MCL 324.80163
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.