April 19
, 2007 Update
Virginia Boating Safety Bill Passed
The
Virginia Legislature has passed House Bill 1627, Boating
Safety Education, that will require all motorboat and PWC
operators to take a boating safety course and carry a
certificate showing successful completion of a written test,
phasing in all boaters through 2016.
Official Summary:
Mandatory boating safety education; civil penalty.
Makes it $100 civil penalty for anyone to operate a
motorboat with a motor of 10 horsepower or greater without
having successfully completed an approved boating safety
education course. The education requirement is phased-in so
that by July 1, 2016, all motorboat operators will have been
required to complete and pass the course or an equivalency
exam.
The Board is directed to develop
and administer the boating safety education program through
the promulgation of regulations, taking into account
comments from the public. There are a number of ways a
person can comply with the law other than successfully
completing an approved course, such as passing an
equivalency examination, possessing a valid license issued
to maritime personnel, being registered as a commercial
fisherman, etc. This bill is identical to SB 1241.
The following is an excerpt from
the bill.
D. Such regulations shall
include provisions that phase-in the requirements for
boating safety education according to the following:
1. Personal watercraft
operators 20 years of age or younger to meet the
requirements by July 1, 2009;
2. Personal watercraft
operators 35 years of age or younger to meet the
requirements by July 1, 2010;
3. Personal watercraft
operators 50 years of age or younger to meet the
requirements by July 1, 2011;
4. All personal watercraft
operators, regardless of age, to meet the requirements by
July 1, 2012;
5. Motorboat operators 20
years of age or younger to meet the requirements by July 1,
2011;
6. Motorboat operators 30
years of age or younger to meet the requirements by July 1,
2012;
7. Motorboat operators 40
years of age or younger to meet the requirements by July 1,
2013;
8. Motorboat operators 45
years of age or younger to meet the requirements by July 1,
2014;
9. Motorboat operators 50
years of age or younger to meet the requirements by July 1,
2015; and
10. All motorboat operators,
regardless of age, to meet the requirements by July 1, 2016.
SOURCE:
Virginia General Assembly Legislative Information System
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=071&typ=bil&val=hb1627&Submit=Go
Information about Boating in
Virginia: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/
