| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 relating to natural resources; requiring life jackets for children aboard watercraft |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 to have reflective material; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 86B.501, |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | 1.4 subdivision 3. |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | 1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 86B.501, subdivision 3, is amended to read: |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | 1.7 Subd. 3.Grant Allen Law; life jacket required for children.(a) No person may operate |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | 1.8a watercraft under way with a child under ten years of age aboard unless the child is: |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | 1.9 (1) wearing an appropriate personal flotation device approved under subdivision 1; or |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | 1.10 (2) below the top deck or in an enclosed cabin. |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | 1.11 (b) Paragraph (a) does not apply to commercial watercraft where the child is a passenger |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | 1.12and the operator is licensed by the state of Minnesota or the United States Coast Guard to |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | 1.13carry passengers for hire. Paragraph (a) also does not apply if the watercraft is anchored for |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | 1.14the purpose of swimming or diving. |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | 1.15 (c) A first violation of this subdivision prior to May 1, 2006, shall not result in a penalty, |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | 1.16but is punishable only by a safety warning. |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | 1.17 (d) Any (c) A violation other than a violation addressed in paragraph (c) of this |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | 1.18subdivision is to be considered a petty misdemeanor. |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | 1.19 (d) Beginning January 1, 2027, a personal flotation device required under this subdivision |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | 1.20must have at least 31 square inches of retroreflective material attached to its front side, at |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | 1.21least 31 square inches of retroreflective material on its back side, and, if the item is reversible, |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | 1.22at least 31 square inches of retroreflective material on each of its reversible sides. The |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | 1Section 1. |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | 25-04485 as introduced02/28/25 REVISOR CKM/VJ |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | SENATE |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | STATE OF MINNESOTA |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | S.F. No. 2767NINETY-FOURTH SESSION |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | (SENATE AUTHORS: HAUSCHILD) |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | Introduction and first reading03/20/2025 |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | Referred to Environment, Climate, and Legacy 2.1retroreflective material attached on each side of the device must be divided equally between |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 2.2the upper quadrants of the side, and the retroreflective material in each quadrant must be |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 2.3attached as closely as possible to the shoulder area of the item. |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 2.4 (e) Before May 1, 2028, and notwithstanding paragraph (c), a first violation of paragraph |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 2.5(d) does not result in a penalty, but is punishable only by a safety warning. |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 2Section 1. |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 25-04485 as introduced02/28/25 REVISOR CKM/VJ |
|---|