2008 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 499<br /> – Boat/personal watercraft, operation

HOUSE BILL NO. 499

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Bill Status



H0499.........................................by RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION
BOATING - Amends existing law relating to boating to provide certain
restrictions relating to overloading and to provide an exception; to
provide a reference relating to violations of rules of the road and to
provide that such violations shall constitute interference with navigation;
and to prohibit certain operation of personal watercraft or motorized
vessels.

02/08    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/11    Rpt prt - to Res/Con

Bill Text




                                                                       
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-ninth Legislature                   Second Regular Session - 2008

                                                                       

                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 499

                          BY RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE

  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO BOATING; AMENDING SECTION 67-7022, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE  CERTAIN
  3        RESTRICTIONS RELATING TO OVERLOADING AND TO PROVIDE AN EXCEPTION; AMENDING
  4        SECTION 67-7025, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE A REFERENCE RELATING TO VIOLATIONS
  5        OF  RULES OF THE ROAD AND TO PROVIDE THAT SUCH VIOLATIONS SHALL CONSTITUTE
  6        INTERFERENCE WITH NAVIGATION; AND AMENDING SECTION 67-7077, IDAHO CODE, TO
  7        PROHIBIT CERTAIN OPERATION OF PERSONAL WATERCRAFT OR MOTORIZED VESSELS.

  8    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

  9        SECTION 1.  That Section 67-7022, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
 10    amended to read as follows:

 11        67-7022.  OVERLOADING.  It shall be unlawful for any person to operate any
 12    vessel loaded with, or having in tow, passengers or cargo beyond its safe car-
 13    rying capacity taking into consideration weather and other existing  operating
 14    conditions.  It  is also unlawful for any vessel to exceed the capacity estab-
 15    lished by a capacity plate required in this chapter or to exceed  the  capaci-
 16    ties  established  by  manufacturer  recommendations.  For the purpose of this
 17    chapter, passengers and cargo in tow shall not include a separate vessel being
 18    towed, or its cargo.

 19        SECTION 2.  That Section 67-7025, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
 20    amended to read as follows:

 21        67-7025.  INTERFERENCE  WITH NAVIGATION. It shall be unlawful for any per-
 22    son to operate any vessel on the water of this state in a  manner  that  shall
 23    unreasonably  or  unnecessarily  interfere with other vessels or with free and
 24    proper navigation on the waterways of the state. Violation of the rules of the
 25    road as defined in the U.S. coast guard's inland  rules  of  navigation  shall
 26    constitute interference with navigation.

 27        SECTION  3.  That  Section 67-7077, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 28    amended to read as follows:

 29        67-7077.  OPERATION OF VESSELS. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to
 30    operate any vessel on the water of this state:
 31        (a)  In a negligent manner as prescribed in section 67-7017,  Idaho  Code,
 32        while within one hundred (100) feet of another vessel; or
 33        (b)  At  a  speed  greater  than  no wake or five (5) miles per hour while
 34        within one hundred (100) feet of a dock, swimmer or other  person  in  the
 35        water,  except  when  safely  pulling  a water skier  from a dock, or when
 36        safely dropping off a water skier at or near a dock, or when  the  swimmer
 37        or  other  person  in  the  water is the vessel's water skier. Except when
 38        dropping off a skier at or near a dock all efforts shall be made  to  rea-
 39        sonably  minimize the time and distance the vessel shall travel inside the

                                       2

  1        one hundred (100) foot zone while operating at speeds greater than no wake
  2        or five (5) miles per hour; or
  3        (c)  If the vessel is a personal watercraft equipped by  the  manufacturer
  4        with  a link-type engine cut-off switch without attaching such link to the
  5        operator, operator's clothing or the operator's personal flotation  device
  6        as appropriate for the personal watercraft.
  7        (2)  No  person  on  and after July 1, 2009, who is fourteen (14) years of
  8    age or younger, shall operate on the waters of this state a  motorized  vessel
  9    unless  the  operator has successfully completed a safe boater course approved
 10    by the department and the national association of state boating  law  adminis-
 11    trators,  and  has received a certificate as evidence of successful completion
 12    of the course of examination.
 13        (a)  A nonresident of the state, operating a  vessel  as  specified  above
 14        within  the  waters of this state, shall be subject to the requirements of
 15        this subsection unless such nonresident holds in his possession proof that
 16        he has completed a safe boater course within his state of residence,  pro-
 17        vided  the course is approved by the national association of state boating
 18        law administrators.
 19        (b)  Each resident or nonresident operator of a vessel as specified  above
 20        shall  have available proof of completion of such course on board the ves-
 21        sel while operating on the waters of this state.
 22        (c)  If the person operating a vessel as specified above is fourteen  (14)
 23        years  of age or younger, the person must be directly supervised by a com-
 24        petent adult who is at least eighteen (18) years of age.
 25             (i)   If the vessel is a personal  watercraft,  the  competent  adult
 26             must be visually supervising the personal watercraft.
 27             (ii)  If  the  motorized  vessel is other than a personal watercraft,
 28             the adult must be on board and in position to take immediate  control
 29             of the vessel.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                      STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                            RS 17839
                                
                                
     To ensure that unclear or outdated provisions in the Idaho Safe
Boating Act are not compromising the public's safety, this proposal
focuses on three sections that impact safe vessel operations.
     The first section provides that operating a vessel loaded with, or
having in tow, passengers or cargo that exceed the capacities established
by the boat manufacturer's recommendations would be unlawful.
     The second section addresses the unlawful activity of operating a
vessel in the state in a manner that will unreasonably or unnecessarily
interfere with other vessels. Existing statutory language should be
modified to define unlawful interference consistent with U.S. Coast Guard
Inland Rules of Navigation.
     The third proposal establishes mandatory boating safety education
for operators 14 years of age and younger. Mandatory use of cut-off
switches on personal watercraft (PWC), a critical safety feature, would
also be required.  This will provide a safer environment for PWC
operators as well as other recreational boaters.  



                          FISCAL NOTE

     There will be no fiscal impact to the General Fund or any IDPR
funding resources relating to Sec. 67-7022 or 67-7025.  There will be no
fiscal impact to the General Fund relating to Sec. 67-7077.  Programming
costs are associated with the education component to properly inform and
educate the public.  These one-time costs will amount to $10,000 and will
be borne entirely from dedicated funds provided by the U.S. Coast Guard.






CONTACT:
Name:     Dean Sangrey
Agency:   Parks and Recreation, Dept. of
Phone:    514-2260



STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                                  H 499