PERSONAL ASSISTED MOBILITY DEVICE
Senate Bill 1016 (Substitute H-3)
Sponsor: Sen. Bill Bullard, Jr.
Addendum to SFA Analysis (5-30-02)
Senate Committee: Transportation and Tourism
House Committee: Transportation
ADDENDUM TO SENATE FISCAL AGENCY ANALYSIS OF SB 1016 DATED 5-8-02:
HOUSE COMMITTEE ACTION:
The members of the House Transportation Committee made three changes to the Senate-passed version of the bill, all found on page 5, and all made to modify the manner in which local units of government can regulate the new personal assistive mobility devices.
Under the Senate-passed version of the bill, the governing body of a county, city, village, or township may, by ordinance which is based on the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens, regulate but not prohibit the operation of electric personal assistive mobility devices on sidewalks or crosswalks. The members of the committee retained this sentence, but removed the phrase "but not prohibit," and also added the word "roadways." With these two changes the sentence reads:
The governing body of a county, city, village, or township may, by ordinance which is based on health, safety, and welfare of the citizens, regulate the operation of electric personal assistive mobility devices on sidewalks, roadways, or crosswalks.
In addition, the committee members added "a trailway" to the adjacent pedestrian areas where the devices could be prohibited, if the regulated area were properly signed. With this third change the sentence reads:
Except as otherwise provided, a governing body of a county, city, village, or township may prohibit the operation of electric personal assistive mobility devices in an area open to pedestrian traffic adjacent to a waterfront or on a trailway.
POSITIONS:
The Department of State Police is neutral on the bill. (5-29-02)
Segway LLC supports the bill. (5-29-02)
The Delphi Corporation supports the bill. (5-30-02)
The Michigan Grocers Association supports the bill. (5-29-02)
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy supports the bill. (5-29-02)
The Michigan Townships Association is neutral on the bill. (5-29-02)
The West Michigan Trails Coalition supports the bill. (5-29-02)
Friends of Fred Meijer Heartland Trail supports the bill. (5-29-02)
The Michigan Environmental Council opposes the bill. (5-29-02)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.