HOUSE BILL No. 5614

 

May 9, 2012, Introduced by Rep. Huuki and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation.

 

     A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled

 

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"

 

by amending sections 71108, 81101, and 81102 (MCL 324.71108,

 

324.81101, and 324.81102), section 71108 as amended by 2004 PA 587,

 

section 81101 as amended by 2009 PA 200, and section 81102 as added

 

by 1995 PA 58.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 71108. (1) The state treasurer shall annually review and

 

make recommendations to the legislature on the distributions of the

 

recreation improvement account, including recreational projects and

 

geographic locations.

 

     (2) Money in the recreation improvement account shall be

 

distributed as follows:

 

     (a) Eighty Seventy percent of the money shall be annually

 


transferred to the waterways account.

 

     (b) Fourteen percent of the money shall be annually

 

transferred to the snowmobile account.

 

     (c) Ten percent of the money shall be annually transferred to

 

the off-road vehicle account.

 

     (d) (c) The remainder of the money that is not transferred

 

under subdivisions (a), (b), and (b) (c) shall be used, upon

 

appropriation, for recreation projects and for the administration

 

of the recreation improvement account. Of the money credited to

 

recreational projects in a fiscal year, not less than 25% shall be

 

expended on projects to repair damages as a result of pollution,

 

impairment, or destruction of air, water, or other natural

 

resources, or the public trust in air, water, or other natural

 

resources, as a result of the use of off-road vehicles.

 

     Sec. 81101. As used in this part:

 

     (a) "ATV" means a 3-, 4-, or 6-wheeled vehicle designed for

 

off-road use that has low-pressure tires, has a seat designed to be

 

straddled by the rider, and is powered by a 50cc to 1,000cc

 

gasoline engine or an engine of comparable size using other fuels.

 

     (b) "Code" means the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL

 

257.1 to 257.923.

 

     (c) "Dealer" means a person engaged in the sale, lease, or

 

rental of an ORV as a regular business or, for purposes of selling

 

licenses trail permits under section 81116, any other person

 

authorized by the department to sell licenses or permits, or both,

 

under this act.

 

     (d) "Designated", unless the context implies otherwise, means

 


posted open for ORV use with appropriate signs by the department.

 

     (e) "Enforcement officer" means any of the following:

 

     (i) A sheriff.

 

     (ii) A sheriff's deputy.

 

     (iii) An individual who is authorized by a sheriff to enforce

 

this part and who has satisfactorily completed at least 40 hours of

 

law enforcement training, including training specific to this part.

 

     (iv) A village or township marshal.

 

     (v) An officer of the police department of any municipality.

 

     (vi) An officer of the Michigan state police.

 

     (vii) The director and conservation officers employed by the

 

department.

 

     (viii) A law enforcement officer who is certified under the

 

commission on law enforcement standards act, 1965 PA 203, MCL

 

28.601 to 28.616, while performing his or her duties within his or

 

her jurisdiction.

 

     (f) (e) "Farm vehicle" means either of the following:

 

     (i) An implement of husbandry as that term is defined in

 

section 21 of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.21.

 

     (ii) A vehicle used in connection with a farm operation as that

 

term is defined in section 2 of the Michigan right to farm act,

 

1981 PA 93, MCL 286.472.

 

     (g) (f) "Forest road" means a hard surfaced road, gravel or

 

dirt road, or other route capable of travel by a 2-wheel drive, 4-

 

wheel conventional vehicle designed for highway use, except an

 

interstate, state, or county highway.

 

     (h) (g) "Forest trail" means a designated path or way capable

 


of travel only by a vehicle less than 50 inches in width.

 

     (i) (h) "Highway" means the entire width between the boundary

 

lines of a way publicly maintained when any part of the way is open

 

to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.

 

     (j) (i) "Highly restricted personal information" means an

 

individual's photograph or image, social security number, digitized

 

signature, and medical and disability information.

 

     (k) (j) "Late model ORV" means an ORV manufactured in the

 

current model year or the 5 model years immediately preceding the

 

current model year.

 

     (l) (k) "Manufacturer" means a person, partnership,

 

corporation, or association engaged in the production and

 

manufacture of ORVs as a regular business.

 

     (m) (l) "Off-road vehicle account" means the off-road vehicle

 

account of the Michigan conservation and recreation legacy fund

 

established in section 2015.

 

     (n) (m) "Operate" means to ride in or on, and be in actual

 

physical control of, the operation of an ORV.

 

     (o) (n) "Operator" means a person who operates or is in actual

 

physical control of the operation of an ORV.

 

     (p) (o) "ORV" or "vehicle" means a motor-driven off-road

 

recreation vehicle capable of cross-country travel without benefit

 

of a road or trail, on or immediately over land, snow, ice, marsh,

 

swampland, or other natural terrain. ORV or vehicle includes, but

 

is not limited to, a multitrack or multiwheel drive vehicle, an

 

ATV, a motorcycle or related 2-wheel, 3-wheel, 4-wheel, or 6-wheel

 

vehicle, an amphibious machine, a ground effect air cushion

 


vehicle, or other means of transportation deriving motive power

 

from a source other than muscle or wind. ORV or vehicle does not

 

include a registered snowmobile, a farm vehicle being used for

 

farming, a vehicle used for military, fire, emergency, or law

 

enforcement purposes, a vehicle owned and operated by a utility

 

company or an oil or gas company when performing maintenance on its

 

facilities or on property over which it has an easement, a

 

construction or logging vehicle used in performance of its common

 

function, or a registered aircraft.

 

     (q) "Other route" means a linear route capable of sustaining

 

ORV traffic up to 72 inches in width that is not a highway or

 

forest road. Other route includes, but is not limited to, former

 

logging access roads, abandoned state or county roads, and

 

abandoned railroad beds that are not dedicated for other uses.

 

     (r) (p) "Owner" means any of the following:

 

     (i) A vendee or lessee of an ORV that is the subject of an

 

agreement for the conditional sale or lease of the ORV, with the

 

right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the

 

agreement, and with an immediate right of possession vested in the

 

conditional vendee or lessee.

 

     (ii) A person renting an ORV, or having the exclusive use of an

 

ORV, for more than 30 days.

 

     (iii) A person who holds legal ownership of an ORV.

 

     (s) (q) "Person with disabilities" means a person who has 1 or

 

more of the following physical characteristics:

 

     (i) Blindness.

 

     (ii) Inability to ambulate more than 200 feet without having to

 


stop and rest during any time of the year.

 

     (iii) Loss of use of 1 or both legs or feet.

 

     (iv) Inability to ambulate without the prolonged use of a

 

wheelchair, walker, crutches, braces, or other device required to

 

aid mobility.

 

     (v) A lung disease from which the person's expiratory volume

 

for 1 second, when measured by spirometry, is less than 1 liter, or

 

from which the person's arterial oxygen tension is less than 60

 

mm/hg of room air at rest.

 

     (vi) A cardiovascular disease from which the person measures

 

between 3 and 4 on the New York heart classification scale, or from

 

which a marked limitation of physical activity causes fatigue,

 

palpitation, dyspnea, or anginal pain.

 

     (vii) Other diagnosed disease or disorder including, but not

 

limited to, severe arthritis or a neurological or orthopedic

 

impairment that creates a severe mobility limitation.

 

     (t) (r) "Personal information" means information that

 

identifies an individual, including an individual's driver

 

identification number, name, address not including zip code, and

 

telephone number, but does not include information on ORV operation

 

or equipment-related violations or civil infractions, operator or

 

vehicle registration status, accidents, or other behaviorally-

 

related information.

 

     (u) (s) "Public agency" means the department or a local or

 

federal unit of government.

 

     (v) (t) "Roadway" means that portion of a highway improved,

 

designated, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel. If a highway

 


includes 2 or more separate roadways, the term roadway refers to a

 

roadway separately, but not to all roadways collectively.

 

     (w) (u) "Route" means a forest road or other road route that

 

is designated for purposes of this part by the department.

 

     (x) (v) "Safety chief instructor" means a person who has been

 

certified by a nationally recognized ATV and ORV organization to

 

certify instructors and to do on-sight evaluations of instructors

 

completed nationally recognized safety training for all ORV types.

 

     (y) "Vendor" means a person authorized by the department to

 

sell trail permits.

 

     (z) (w) "Visual supervision" means the direct observation of

 

the operator with the unaided or normally corrected eye, where the

 

observer is able to come to the immediate aid of the operator.

 

     Sec. 81102. (1) A vehicle registered under the code or a

 

vehicle registered under part 801 is exempt from the licensure

 

trail permit provisions of this part, unless the vehicle is

 

operated as an ORV off highways, roadways, streets, and forest

 

roads.

 

     (2) An ORV operated solely on private property by the owner of

 

the property, a family member of the owner, or an invited guest of

 

the owner is exempt from the licensure trail permit provisions of

 

this part.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect October

 

1, 2012.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless all of the following bills of the 96th Legislature are

 

enacted into law:

 


     (a) Senate Bill No. _____ or House Bill No. 5615(request no.

 

03046'11 *).

 

     (b) Senate Bill No. _____ or House Bill No. 5613(request no.

 

03046'11 b *).

 

     (c) Senate Bill No. _____ or House Bill No. 5612(request no.

 

03046'11 c *).