SENATE BILL No. 934

 

 

October 21, 2009, Introduced by Senators JELINEK and VAN WOERKOM 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 section 81101 (MCL 324.81101), as amended by 2004 PA

 

587.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 81101. As used in this part:

 

     (a) "ATV" means a 3- or 4-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 500cc 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 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) "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.

 

     (f) (e) "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.

 

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

 

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

 

     (h) (g) "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.

 

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

 

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

 

signature, and medical and disability information.

 

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

 

current model year or the 5 model years immediately preceding the

 

current model year.

 

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

 

corporation, or association engaged in the production and


 

manufacture of ORVs as a regular business.

 

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

 

account of the Michigan conservation and recreation legacy fund

 

provided for established in section 2015.

 

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

 

physical control of, the operation of an ORV.

 

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

 

physical control of the operation of an ORV.

 

     (o) (n) "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, or 4-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.

 

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

 

     (i) A vendee or lessee of an ORV which 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.

 

     (q) (p) "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.

 

     (r) (q) "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.

 

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

 

federal unit of government.

 

     (t) (s) "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.

 

     (u) (t) "Route" means a forest road or other road that is

 

designated for purposes of this part by the department.

 

     (v) (u) "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.

 

     (w) (v) "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.