SENATE BILL No. 116

 

 

February 1, 2005, Introduced by Senators McMANUS, BASHAM, GEORGE, JELINEK, CROPSEY, SANBORN, KUIPERS, VAN WOERKOM, ALLEN, GARCIA, GOSCHKA and BIRKHOLZ and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled

 

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"

 

by amending sections 80102 and 80124 (MCL 324.80102 and 324.80124),

 

as added by 1995 PA 58.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 80102. As used in this part:

 

     (a) "Dealer" means a person,  and  or an authorized

 

representative of  that  a person, who annually purchases from a

 

manufacturer, or who is engaged in selling or manufacturing, 6 or

 

more vessels that require certificates of number under this part.

 

     (b) "Historic vessel" means a vessel that is over 25 years old

 

and that is owned solely as a collector's item and for

 

participation in club activities, exhibitions, tours, parades, and

 


similar uses, including mechanical testing, but is not used for

 

general transportation.

 

     (c)  (b)  "Identification document" means any of the

 

following:

 

     (i) A valid Michigan operator's or chauffeur's license.

 

     (ii) A valid driver's or chauffeur's license issued by an

 

agency, department, or bureau of the United States or another

 

state.

 

     (iii) An official identification card issued by an agency,

 

department, or bureau of the United States, this state, or another

 

state.

 

     (iv) An official identification card issued by a political

 

subdivision of this state or another state.

 

     (d)  (c)  "Issuing authority" means the United States coast

 

guard or a state that has a numbering system approved by the United

 

States coast guard.

 

     (e)  (d)  "Law of another state" means a law or ordinance

 

enacted by another state or by a local unit of government in

 

another state.

 

     (f)   (e)  "Lifeboat" means a small boat designated and used

 

solely for lifesaving purposes, and does not include a dinghy,

 

tender, speedboat, or other type of craft that is not carried

 

aboard a vessel for lifesaving purposes.

 

     (g)  (f)  "Long-term incapacitating injury" means an injury

 

that causes serious impairment of a body function.

 

     Sec. 80124. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section,

 

the owner of a vessel required to be numbered and to display a

 


decal shall file an application for a certificate of number with

 

the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall prescribe and

 

furnish certificate of title application forms. If a vessel

 

requiring a certificate of title under part 803 is sold by a

 

dealer, that dealer shall combine the application for a certificate

 

of number that is signed by the vessel owner with the application

 

for a certificate of title. The dealer shall obtain the certificate

 

of number in the name of the owner. The owner of the vessel shall

 

sign the application. A person shall not file an application for a

 

certificate of number that contains false information. A dealer who

 

fails to submit an application as required by this section is

 

guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more

 

than 90 days, or a fine of not more than $100.00, or both.

 

     (2) A dealer who submits an application for a certificate of

 

number as provided in subsection (1) may issue to the owner of the

 

vessel a 15-day temporary permit, on forms prescribed by the

 

secretary of state, for the use of the vessel while the certificate

 

of number is being issued.

 

     (3) A dealer may issue a 15-day permit, on a form prescribed

 

by the secretary of state, for the use of a vessel purchased in

 

this state and delivered to the purchaser for removal to a place

 

outside of this state, if the purchaser certifies by his or her

 

signature that the vessel will be registered and primarily used and

 

stored outside of this state and will not be returned to this state

 

by the purchaser for use or storage. A certificate of number shall

 

not be issued for a vessel  holding a permit  for which a permit

 

has been issued under this subsection.

 


     (4) A 15-day temporary permit issued under subsection (2) or

 

(3) shall not be renewed or extended.

 

     (5) A person shall operate or permit the operation of a vessel

 

for which a 15-day temporary permit has been issued under this

 

section only if the temporary permit is valid and displayed on the

 

vessel as prescribed by rule promulgated by the department under

 

this part.

 

     (6) Except as otherwise provided in this section and section

 

80123, an applicant shall pay the following applicable fee at the

 

time of application:

 

     (a) A 15-day temporary permit issued under

 

subsection (3).............................................. $  10.00

 

     (b) Nonpowered vessels, other than nonmotorized canoes

 

or kayaks , except as provided in section 80123.............     9.00

 

     (c) Nonmotorized canoes or kayaks  except as provided in

 

section 80123...............................................    5.00

 

     (d) Motorboats less than 12 feet in length.............    14.00

 

     (e) Motorboats 12 feet or over but less than 16 feet in

 

length......................................................    17.00

 

     (f) Motorboats 16 feet or over but less than 21 feet in

 

length......................................................    42.00

 

     (g) Motorboats 21 feet or over but less than 28 feet in

 

length....................................................... 115.00

 

     (h) Motorboats 28 feet or over but less than 35 feet in

 

length....................................................... 168.00

 

     (i) Motorboats 35 feet or over but less than 42 feet in

 

length....................................................... 244.00

 


     (j) Motorboats 42 feet or over but less than 50 feet in

 

length....................................................... 280.00

 

     (k) Motorboats 50 feet in length or over................ 448.00

 

     (l) Pontoon vessels regardless of size...................  23.00

 

     (m) Motorized canoes regardless of size.................  14.00

 

     (n) Vessels licensed under part 473.....................  15.00

 

     (o) Vessels carrying passengers for hire that are

 

in compliance with part 445, or under federal law; and

 

vessels carrying passengers and freight or freight only

 

and owned within this state or hailing from a port within

 

this state...................................................  45.00

 

     (7) The length of a vessel is the distance from end to end

 

over the deck, excluding the longitudinal upward or downward curve

 

of the deck, fore and aft. A pontoon boat shall be measured by the

 

length of its deck, fore and aft.

 

     (8) Payment of the fee specified in this section exempts the

 

vessel from the tax imposed by the general property tax act,  Act

 

No. 206 of the Public Acts of 1893, being sections 211.1 to 211.157

 

of the Michigan Compiled Laws  1893 PA 206, MCL 211.1 to 211.157.

 

     (9) Upon receipt of an initial application for a certificate

 

of number in approved form and payment of the required fee, the

 

secretary of state shall enter the information upon the official

 

records and issue to the applicant a certificate of number

 

containing the number awarded to the vessel, the name and address

 

of the owner, and other information that the secretary of state

 

determines necessary. The secretary of state shall issue a

 

certificate of number that is pocket size and legible. Except as

 


provided in subsection (13), a person operating a vessel shall

 

present that vessel's certificate of number to a peace officer upon

 

the peace officer's request.

 

     (10) If a check or draft payable to the secretary of state

 

under this part is not paid on its first presentation, the fee or

 

tax is delinquent as of the date the draft or check was tendered.

 

The person tendering the check or draft remains liable for the

 

payment of each fee or tax and a penalty.

 

     (11) Upon determining that a fee or tax required by this part

 

has not been paid and remains unpaid after reasonable notice and

 

demand, the secretary of state may suspend a certificate of number.

 

     (12) If a person who tenders a check or draft described in

 

subsection (10) fails to pay a fee or tax within 15 days after the

 

secretary of state gives him or her notice that the check or draft

 

described in subsection (10) was not paid on its first

 

presentation, the secretary of state shall assess and collect a

 

penalty of $5.00 or 20% of the amount of the check or draft,

 

whichever is larger, in addition to the fee or tax.

 

     (13) The owner or authorized agent of the owner of a vessel

 

less than 26 feet in length that is leased or rented to a person

 

for noncommercial use for not more than 24 hours may retain, at the

 

place from which the vessel departs or returns to the possession of

 

the owner or the owner's representative, the certificate of number

 

for that vessel if a copy of the lease or rental agreement is on

 

the vessel. Upon the demand of a peace officer, the operator shall

 

produce for inspection either the certificate of number or a copy

 

of the lease or rental agreement for that vessel. The lease or

 


rental agreement shall contain each of the following:

 

     (a) The vessel number that appears on the certificate of

 

number.

 

     (b) The period of time for which the vessel is leased or

 

rented.

 

     (c) The signature of the vessel's owner or that person's

 

authorized agent.

 

     (d) The signature of the person leasing or renting the vessel.

 

     (14) Upon receipt of a certificate of number for a vessel, the

 

owner of that vessel shall paint on or attach in a permanent manner

 

to each side of the forward half of the vessel the number

 

identified in the certificate of number, in the manner prescribed

 

by rules promulgated by the department. The secretary of state

 

shall assign to the owner of vessels for rent or lease a block of

 

numbers sufficient to number consecutively all of that owner's

 

rental or lease vessels. The owner shall maintain the numbers in a

 

legible condition. A vessel documented by the United States coast

 

guard or a federal agency that is the successor to the United

 

States coast guard is not required to display numbers under this

 

part but shall display a decal indicating payment of the fee

 

prescribed in subsection (6), and shall otherwise be in compliance

 

with this part. This subsection does not apply to a nonpowered

 

vessel 12 feet or less in length.

 

     (15) Upon receipt of an application for a certificate of

 

number in an approved form and payment of the fee required by this

 

part, the secretary of state shall issue a decal that is color-

 

coded and dated to identify the year of its expiration, and that

 


indicates that the vessel is numbered in compliance with this part.

 

The decal for a vessel numbered as a historic vessel under

 

subsection (21) shall bear the inscription "historic vessel". The

 

department shall promulgate a rule or rules to establish the manner

 

in which  the  a decal under this subsection is to be displayed.

 

     (16) A decal is valid for a 3-year period that begins on April

 

1 and expires on March 31 of the third year. However, a decal for a

 

vessel numbered as a historic vessel under subsection (21) is valid

 

for a 10-year period that begins on April 1 and expires on March 31

 

of the tenth year. An original certificate of number may be issued

 

up to 90 days prior to April 1. A numbering renewal decal or other

 

renewal device may be issued up to 90 days prior to the expiration

 

of a certificate.

 

     (17) Upon receipt of a request for renewal of a decal and

 

payment of the fee prescribed in subsection (6), the secretary of

 

state shall issue to the applicant a decal as provided in

 

subsection (15).

 

     (18) The numbering system adopted pursuant to this part shall

 

be in accordance with the standard system of numbering established

 

by the secretary of the department in which the United States coast

 

guard operates.

 

     (19) An agency of this state, a political subdivision of this

 

state, or a  state  state-supported college or university of this

 

state that owns a vessel that is required to be numbered under this

 

part shall register that vessel and upon payment of either of the

 

following shall receive from the secretary of state a certificate

 

of number for that vessel:

 


     (a) A fee of $3.00, for a vessel that is not used for

 

recreational, commercial, or rental purposes.

 

     (b) The fee required under subsection (6), for a vessel that

 

is used for recreational, commercial, or rental purposes.

 

     (20) The secretary of state shall, upon receipt of payment of

 

the fee required under subsection (19), issue a certificate of

 

number for each vessel subject to subsection (19).

 

     (21)  A vessel that is 30 years of age or older and not used

 

other than in club activities, exhibitions, tours, parades, and

 

other similar activities is a historic vessel.  The secretary of

 

state shall make available to the public application forms for

 

certificates of number for historic vessels.  and, upon  Upon

 

receipt of a completed application form,  and fee,  a certificate

 

of the owner that the vessel is owned and operated solely as a

 

historic vessel, and a certificate that the vessel has been

 

inspected and found safe to operate on the waters of this state,

 

the secretary of state shall number a historic vessel as a historic

 

vessel. The fee for the numbering of a historic vessel is 1/3 of

 

the otherwise applicable fee specified in subsection (6). The

 

certificate of number issued under this subsection is transferable

 

to another historic vessel upon completion of the application for

 

transfer and payment of the fee in the manner described in section

 

80125.

 

     (22) Upon application to the secretary of state, the owner of

 

a nonmotorized canoe or kayak who registered that vessel under

 

former Act No. 303 of the Public Acts of 1967 between January 1,

 

1989 and April 17, 1990 shall receive a refund of a portion of the

 


registration fee equal to the difference in the amount that owner

 

paid and the fee amount provided in subsection (6)(c).

 

     (22) After affording an opportunity for a hearing, the

 

secretary of state may revoke a vessel's certificate of number and

 

decal as a historic vessel for any of the following reasons:

 

     (a) The owner failed to comply with this section in obtaining

 

the certificate of number or decal.

 

     (b) The vessel has been used for a purpose other than as a

 

historic vessel.

 

     (c) The vessel is not safe to operate on the waters of this

 

state.

 

     (23) The secretary of state shall refund to the owner of a

 

vessel registered under this part  or former Act No. 303 of the

 

Public Acts of 1967  all of the registration fee paid for that

 

vessel pursuant to this section  or section 33 of former Act No.

 

303 of the Public Acts of 1967  if all of the following conditions

 

are met during the period for which the registration fee was paid:

 

     (a) The owner transfers or assigns title or interest in the

 

registered vessel before placing the decal issued under subsection

 

(15) on the vessel.

 

     (b) The owner surrenders the unused decal to the secretary of

 

state within 30 days after the date of transfer or assignment.

 

     (24) The secretary of state shall refund to the surviving

 

spouse of a deceased vessel owner the registration fee paid

 

pursuant to this part, prorated on a monthly basis, upon receipt of

 

the decal issued under subsection (15) or evidence satisfactory to

 

the secretary of state that the decal issued under subsection (15)

 


has been destroyed or voided.

 

     (25) If the secretary of state computes a fee under this part

 

that results in a figure other than a whole dollar amount, the

 

secretary of state shall round the figure to the nearest whole

 

dollar.