The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 86B.501, subdivision 3, to enhance safety regulations for children aboard watercraft. It requires that personal flotation devices (life jackets) for children under ten years of age must include specific reflective material. The new requirements stipulate that starting January 1, 2027, each personal flotation device must have at least 31 square inches of retroreflective material on the front, back, and, if reversible, on each side. This reflective material must be evenly distributed in the upper quadrants of the device, close to the shoulder area.

Additionally, the bill removes a provision that previously allowed for a first violation of the life jacket requirement prior to May 1, 2006, to result only in a safety warning. It introduces a new clause stating that before May 1, 2028, a first violation of the reflective material requirement will also not incur a penalty, but will be punishable only by a safety warning. This aims to encourage compliance with the new safety standards without immediate penalties for initial infractions.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 86B.501