Committee hears bill to require reflective material on children's life jackets; amendment allows retrofit option

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 members. Jeff Pilgrim, sole proprietor of Pilgrim Paddles and an American Canoe Association–certified paddling safety instructor, told the committee that manufacturers do not currently make state‑specific life jackets and that many high‑quality jackets are made abroad. Pilgrim recommended working with the U.S. Coast Guard to update standards rather than creating a state approval pathway. He also questioned whether the proposed reflective-area requirement would be feasible for many existing designs.

Colonel Rodman Smith, director of enforcement for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said the DNR has raised concerns and welcomed the additional time the bill’s implementation schedule would provide. He told the committee there are currently no Coast Guard‑approved children's life jackets with reflective material and said the DNR will work with Representative Tabke over the summer to refine the proposal.

Committee members pressed on scope and enforcement. Representative Michael Nelson raised questions about how much of a jacket must be above water to be effective; Tabke said the bill uses Coast Guard language and specifies the reflective material be on the upper portion of the jacket. Representative Dean Jacob asked whether recreational users on nonmotorized rivers would be affected; Tabke said the bill would apply to all waters in Minnesota and that enforcement would follow existing mechanisms for life jacket laws, which are currently petty misdemeanors.

Chair Fisher moved the A1 author's amendment to allow retrofitting with reflective tape and to set the warning period; that amendment was adopted. The committee laid House File 2419 over for possible inclusion in a future bill. Members and DNR staff indicated they expect continued negotiations over the summer.

The bill as amended does not set a final mandatory compliance date in committee discussion; the author referenced a later compliance target but did not state a definitive date on the record. Further drafting and DNR consultation were requested.

Representative Tabke said he is open to additional changes and to working with the DNR to make the proposal workable.