Michigan State House Rep. Jason Sheppard (56th District) helped introduce a bill this year that would address inland lake boating regulation.
House Bill No. 4362 is proposed as an amendment to the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994. It is calling for clarity on Michigan's inland lake boating curfews and hours of access.
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Here's what this proposed bill calls for:
Sec. 30602 -- Subject to section 30603, the department shall determine the hours of operation of all public boating access sites in or around public inland lakes. The department shall post a notice at the entrance of each public boating access site that states the regular hours of operation of that public boating access site. The notice shall be posted in a visible location, and the lettering of the notice shall be of a sufficient type size to be easily read by visitors.
Sec. 30603 -- Operation of a vessel on a public inland lake is limited to between the hours of 8 a.m. and sunset, unless further limited by special rules promulgated by local ordinance recommended by the department under section 80110.
The second part, obviously, is what has created some outrage among Michigan boaters. Sheppard, along with State Rep. David LaGrand (75th District), first introduced this bill on March 13. By March 20 he posted the following on his Facebook page in an effort to explain the bill's true intent:
"I recently introduced legislation that has caused some concern among the boating and fishing communities. I would like to clarify my intent for House Bill 4362.
I have observed over the years that many inland lakes have set their own hours, through DNR rules, for activities such as high-speed boating and water skiing. These activities are prohibited in many lakes from the hours of 6:30pm until 10am the following day. Many of these rules were adopted in the mid-1960s. Clearly, these hours do not represent today’s families and their schedules.
I introduced HB 4362 to allow for more time to enjoy on Michigan’s inland lakes—unfortunately, the way the bill was written does the opposite. Please know that I am in the process of drafting alternative language to more clearly attain my goal of making our state’s waters more accessible to all."
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