Act No. 377

Public Acts of 2016

Approved by the Governor

December 21, 2016

Filed with the Secretary of State

December 22, 2016

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 22, 2016

STATE OF MICHIGAN

98TH LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2016

Introduced by Rep. Lyons

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 5484

AN ACT to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled “An act to protect the environment and natural resources of the state; to codify, revise, consolidate, and classify laws relating to the environment and natural resources of the state; to regulate the discharge of certain substances into the environment; to regulate the use of certain lands, waters, and other natural resources of the state; to protect the people’s right to hunt and fish; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state and local agencies and officials; to provide for certain charges, fees, assessments, and donations; to provide certain appropriations; to prescribe penalties and provide remedies; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,” by amending section 40116 (MCL 324.40116), as amended by 2009 PA 65.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 40116. (1) An individual shall not take game during the established daylight shooting hours from August 15 through April 30 unless the individual wears a cap, hat, vest, jacket, or rain gear of hunter orange or a color authorized by the commission under subsection (4). Hunter orange or a color authorized by the commission under subsection (4) includes camouflage that is not less than 50% hunter orange or a color authorized by the commission under subsection (4). The garments that are hunter orange or a color authorized by the commission under subsection (4) must be the hunter’s outermost garment and be visible from all sides of the hunter.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an individual engaged in the taking of deer with a bow or crossbow during archery deer season, an individual taking bear with a bow or crossbow, an individual engaged in the taking of turkey or migratory birds other than woodcock, an individual engaged in the sport of falconry, or an individual who is stationary and in the act of hunting bobcat, coyote, or fox.

(3) The failure of an individual to comply with this section is not evidence of contributory negligence in a civil action for injury to the individual or for the individual’s wrongful death.

(4) The commission shall review and determine whether hunter pink or any additional colors are effective and safe for individuals to wear while hunting. By October 1, 2017, the commission shall issue an order under section 40113a authorizing what additional garment colors may be worn under subsection (1) based on the determination made by the commission under this subsection.

(5) As used in this section:

(a) “Hunter orange” means the highly visible color commonly referred to as hunter orange and includes blaze orange, flame orange, and fluorescent blaze orange.

(b) “Hunter pink” means the highly visible color commonly referred to as hunter pink and includes blaze pink, flame pink, and fluorescent blaze pink.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved

Governor