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Committee hears bill to require reflective material on children's life jackets; amendment allows retrofit option
Summary
A bill from Representative Tony Tabke proposing reflective material on youth life jackets was laid over after discussion and an author's amendment that permits retrofit tape; DNR and boating stakeholders urged further work over the summer.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee heard testimony on a bill seeking to increase the visibility of children in water by requiring reflective material on youth life jackets.
Representative Tony Tabke, the bill author, said the proposal stems from an incident at West Bridal Lake where a child who fell from a towable tube was nearly struck by a boat. Tabke said the bill would require reflective material on youth life jackets, include a first-time warning period through 2028 and allow retrofitting existing jackets with reflective tape rather than forcing immediate replacement.
The measure drew practical and enforcement questions from testifiers and committee…
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