Bill requiring tape on ice shacks rejected

AUGUSTA – A bill submitted in response to a snowmobile-related fatality on a Down East lake was rejected in the state Senate last week after the House gave its approval.

The legislation would require that ice fishing shacks on inland waters be marked with reflective material. The bill specifies that the markings be placed midway up on four sides and that the material be government-approved and measure at least 12 square inches.

Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry, said he sponsored the bill as a result of an accident in his Washington County district in which a snowmobiler drove into an ice fishing shack and died. He said the bill could prevent similar accidents in the future.

Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, questioned the effectiveness of reflective tape, especially if a snowmobiler is speeding across the ice. Bryant is co-chairman of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, which split over whether the bill should pass.

The bill was rejected 26-5, leaving its chances of passage in doubt.