This legislation requires the owner of a municipal solid waste landfill to notify (within 14 days of confirmation by the state Environmental Protection Division) the governing authority of the county or city where the landfill is of any confirmed release from the landfill site of a contaminant that is likely to pose a danger to human health. The landfill owner must also post notice in the legal organ of the county in which the landfill is located.    

This legislation changes probate courts' jurisdiction over game and fish code violations. Under current law, probate judges have jurisdiction over violations of the game and fish code except for a first violation of hunting deer at night with the aid of a light and violation of any laws considered to be a high and aggravated nature. This legislation removes these exceptions.This legislation may increase the caseload in probate court, especially in the rural areas.

This legislation, a compromise from an array of stakeholders, is aimed at resolving an ongoing dispute on establishing and measuring marshland buffers. It establishes a 25-foot buffer along coastal marshlands, as measured horizontally from the coastal marshland-upland interface. County transportation, utility, drainage and stormwater infrastructure are exempt so long as adequate erosion control measures are in place. The DNR Board is charged with promulgating rules pertaining to buffer variances.

 This legislation establishes the first Monday in May as Water Professionals Appreciation Day.