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2010 Comprehensive OHV Legislation
On May 11, 2010, four bills regarding Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) were enrolled in the House. They are HB 6159, HB 6160, HB 6161 and HB 6162. These four bills are subject to amendments by any member of the House and concurrence of the House Committee of Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources before they are voted on from the House floor. These bills could be voted on in the House the second week of June, with amendments.
To view a copy of each bill, go to legislature.mi.gov. You will see a search box where you can enter the bill number. The resulting page will give you lots of options, including a link to add that bill to your RSS feed so you can be notified when things happen.
An item not included in the bills but that still plays a very important role: Prior to establishment of a proposed permit fee, there were five Long Range Financial Planning meetings. It was the consensus of that group that a $30 fee (including Safety Education cost) would enhance the program to the levels desired by the user community. Once the permit fee is decided by legislature, financial planning can resume.
Below you will find a summary of each bill. They will affect OHV sports for years, if not decades, in the future. If you have any questions you'd like to ask or suggestions you'd like to submit, please contact Dick Ranney, coordinator of the Michigan Motorized Recreation Council, at 989-469-2405 or dranney1@charter.net.
HB 6159:
- All references to ORV (Off Road Vehicle) shall now be OHV (Off Highway Vehicle)
- Defines an enforcement officer and level of certification required
- Defines “other road”
- DNRE Chief Safety instructor shall complete all nationally recognized safety training programs.
- All OHV’s must be registered, fee is $20. for 3 years. All OHV’s will be entered into the LEIN system. $3. will go to SOS for decal, $2. for Safety Education, 4% to administration and the balance to County Sheriffs, city and municipal enforcement agencies, based upon lane miles of roadway open within their jurisdiction for OHV travel. All monies remaining at the end of the “grant cycle”, shall be placed in the Off-highway Vehicle Account.
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HB 6160:
- OHV TRAIL PERMIT is not required for operation on private property
- OHV TRAIL PERMIT is not required on the frozen surface of a lake, river or stream, for the purpose of ice fishing. (You must unload on the ice.)
- Cost of TRAIL PERMIT, affective April 1st of 2011, $30.50 with adjustments made to the formula, with 50% going to on the ground efforts, 31.25% to enforcement and 24% of that going to County Sheriffs for trail enforcement efforts. A review every 5 years regarding COL adjustment and raised to the nearest dollar.
- Any group of 20, or less than 75 vehicles shall notify the Department they are having an event on the trail system to coordinate with other users groups. There shall be no fee for events of 75 vehicles or less.
- To be amended, language requiring the DNRE to publish on their web-site, an annual accounting of receipts and expenditures of OHV funds.
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HB 6161:
- There will be a Safety Training Academy for instructors. All new instructors must complete and all current instructors must be re-certified within 3 years. Cost is free to instructors. Program instructors will no longer be limited to enforcement personal or those associated with a school of learning.
- The maximum fee charged to any student for enrolling in the DNRE Safety Education program shall be no greater than $20 for classroom instruction. Parents are encouraged to sit in, free of charge, unless requesting a certificate.
- DNRE shall develop a “hands on” OHV Safety Training program within 2 years.
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HB 6162:
- No county or township shall charge a fee for OHV operation on their roadways.
- “Roads” include any of those passing through or along Federal Land within a Township, if more than 50% funds used to maintain the road come from state or local sources.
- Road closure by counties and townships reduced from 30% to 10%.
- Five-year sunset on PA 240 rescinded.
- MDOT may authorize operation of OHV’s on the highway, portion of the highway and shoulders of the highway. MDOT shall not charge a fee for such.
- Headlight and taillight not required for a permitted event.
- Liability relief for those doing trail maintenance.
- Fines increased to $250 minimum/$1,000 maximum for not wearing a helmet, lack of adult visual supervision. Including Environmental violations of section 81133, (1) (E), (I), (L), (M) or (N).
- All Michigan counties given the option to open their roadways under PA 240.
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| Step |
Date |
Activity |
| 1 |
Done |
Bills are drafted in “blueback” form and submitted.
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| 2 |
Done |
Bills are introduced to the House by their respective Representatives. The Bills then have official numbers and are available on the House.Michigan.gov website. Shortly thereafter, Michigan Motorized Recreation Council publishes its analysis.
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| 3 |
Done |
Testimony day. Various governmental agencies present their position before the the House Committee. Very short time frame. This is where your e-mails to members of the Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee are extremely important. We need all eleven members to receive plenty of response from Michigan ORV users. Can do so until the end of the business day on June 7th.
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| 4 |
Tuesday, June 1 |
The House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural resources Committee votes on the bills.
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| 5 |
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After July 15th, write Sub-Bills to include Amendments. Ten key Amendments will require discussions and meetings with various bureaucracies and lobbyists.
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| 6 |
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Present Sub-Bills when the House Committee's session reconvenes after Labor Day.
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| 7 |
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Lobby the House Committee in support of the bills from now until the vote is taken.
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| 8 |
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Bills pass House Committee.
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| 9 |
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Lobby the House beginning now and until the bills pass in the House.
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| 10 |
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The bills pass the House.
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| 11 |
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Lobby the Senate Committee once the verbage is passed by the House Committee.
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| 12 |
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The bills pass the Senate Committee.
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| 13 |
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Begin lobbying the Governor after verbage is adopted by the Senate Committee.
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| 14 |
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Lobby the Senate beginning now, for awareness.
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| 15 |
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The bills pass the Senate prior to the Senate's adjournment in mid-December.
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| 16 |
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The Governor signs the bills into law! Don't forget to thank your Congresspeople and Senators!
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If any vote fails, we start over again with new Legislators and a new Governor in January. We cannot expect to get every single thing we desire, but we can certainly try to gain as much as possible for the future of our sports!
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| The House Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources |
Chair: Representative Joel Sheltrown
District 103,(D), West Branch
e-mail: joelsheltrown@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-3817
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Vice-Chair: Representative Jim Slezak
District 50 (D) Davison
e-mail: jimslezak@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-3906
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Representative Kate Ebli
District 56 (D) Monroe
e-mail: kateebli@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-2617
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Representative Mike Huckleberry
District 70 (D) Greenville
e-mail: mikehuckleberry@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-0834
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Steven W. Lindberg
District 109 (D) Marquette
e-mail: lindberg@housedems.com
phone: 517-373-0498
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Representative Mike Simpson
District 65 (D) Jackson
e-mail: mikesimpson@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-1775
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Representative Woodrow Stanley
District 34 (D) Flint
e-mail: woodrowstanley@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-8808
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Representative Jim Stamas
District 98 (R) Midland
e-mail: jimstamas@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-1791
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Representative James “Jase” Bolger
District 63 (R) Marshall
e-mail: jamesbolger@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-1787
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Representative Goeff Hansen
District 100 (R) Hart
e-mail: goeffhansen@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-7317
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Representative Kenneth B. Horn
District 94 (R) Frankenmuth
e-mail: kennethhorn@house.mi.gov
phone: 517-373-0837
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Please remember the following points in any correspondence (either verbal, written, or email)
- Keep it simple
- Use YOUR OWN WORDS
- Say Thank You
- Provide your name and address.
Click here for examples on proper salutations and guides on what to say.
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Each step along the way is a hoop we must get through. We need your help in getting thousands of e-mails sent to Lansing. The more support we can show from the ORV user community, the more Lansing will take us seriously, so send your emails then tell your neighbors, friends and relatives to send theirs. You are not limited to one email. Feel free to send as many as you want at each step in the process.
WATCH THIS SITE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN HAVE AN INFLUENCE.
Produced by AMA-D14
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