ORV LICENSE SUNSET; ELIMINATE H.B. 4515:
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 4515 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Jenn Hill
House Committee: Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure
Senate Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure
CONTENT
The bill would amend Part 811 (Off-Road Recreation Vehicles) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to delete a provision prohibiting the collection of off-road vehicle (ORV) license fees after April 1, 2024.
The Act requires an individual to obtain an ORV license if operating an ORV under any of the following conditions:
-- Except as otherwise provided by law, on or over land, snow, ice, or other natural terrain.
-- On a forest trail or in a designated area.
-- On a street, county road, or highway.
An ORV is not required to be licensed if it is used in a comprehensive program for training, is operated solely on private property by the owner of the property or an authorized user, is being operated on a free ORV-riding day as provided by Department of Natural Resources (DNR), or if the DNR waives the licensure requirement pursuant to a reciprocal agreement with another state.
To receive a license, an individual must apply to the DNR and pay one of the following required fees: 1) $36.25, if the license authorizes operation of an ORV on State ORV trails; 2) for other uses, $26.25. A license is valid for the 12-month period beginning April 1 and ending the following March 31.
Under the Act, the DNR may not charge a fee for a license beginning April 1, 2024. The bill would delete this sunset.
(Under the Act, "ORV" 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. A multitrack or multi-wheel drive vehicle, a motorcycle or related two-wheel vehicle, a vehicle with three or more wheels, an amphibious machine, a ground effect air cushion vehicle, or other means of transportation may be an ORV. An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is an ORV. The term 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.)
MCL 324.81116 Legislative Analyst: Abby Schneider
FISCAL IMPACT
This bill would remove the sunset that prohibits the DNR from collecting fees after April 1, 2024. Removing this sunset would have a positive fiscal impact on the DNR as it could continue collecting fees that accounted for $11.4 million for the ORV Trail Improvement Fund and the ORV Safety Education Fund in Fiscal Year 2021-22. There is no anticipated fiscal impact for local units of government, and the DNR's costs are expected to remain consistent because the DNR already collects these fees.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.