An Act To Improve Recreational Watercraft Safety
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0307
Committee Amendment CA_A_H850 (House)
Amends: 12 MRSA §13071-A

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ·A" to H. P. 231, L.D. 
Act To Improve Recreational Watercraft Safety" 
307, Bill, "An 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting 
clause and before the summary and inserting in its place the 
following: 
. Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §13071-A, sub-§5 is enacted to read: 
5. 
Qperating personal watercraft while 16 years of age or 
older and under 18 years of age: boater education. 
The following 
provisions apply to operating a personal watercraft by a person 
years of age or older and under 18 years of age. 
A. 
A person 16 years of age or older and under 18 years of 
age may not operate a personal watercraft unless: 
(1) 
That person is accompanied by a person 18 years of 
age 
or 
older 
who 
physically occupies 
the 
personal 
watercraft; or 
(2) 
While 
operating the 
personal watercraft, 
that 
person possesses on that person identification showing 
proof of age and proof of successful completion of a 
boater safety education course approved by a national 
association 
of 
state 
boating 
law 
administrators, 
including but not limited to courses offered by the 
U.S. 
Coast 
Guard 
Auxiliary 
or 
other 
organizations 
approved 
by 
the 
commissioner 
for 
providing 
boater 
safety 
education 
courses. 
The 
commissioner 
shall 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. (+ .. to H.P. 231, L.D. 307 
establish 
a 
list 
of 
approved 
organizations 
for 
providing boater safety education courses and make that 
list readily available to the public. 
B. 
The following penalties apply to violations of this 
subsection. 
(1) 
A person who violates this subsection commits a 
civil violation for which a fine of not less than $100 
and not more than $500 may be adjudged. 
(2) 
A person who violates this subsection after having 
been adjudicated as having committed 3 or more civil 
violations under this Part within the previous 5-year 
period commits a Class E crime. 
Sec. 2. Safety education program. 
The Commissioner of Inland 
Fisheries and wildlife and the Commissioner of Marine Resources 
shall work together and with other interested parties to study 
the 
feasibility 
of 
developing, 
implementing 
and 
funding 
a 
statewide boater safety education program. 
The Commissioner of 
Inland Fisheries and wildlife and the Commissioner of Marine 
Resources shall report to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature 
having 
jurisdiction 
over 
inland 
fisheries 
and 
wildlife 
matters 
and 
the 
joint 
standing 
committee 
of 
the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resources matters, 
respectively, 
by 
February 
1, 
2007, 
their 
findings 
and 
recommendations on the development and implementation of a boater 
education safety program. 
Sec. 3. Effective date. 
Section 1 takes effect January 1, 2007.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment is the majority report and prohibits a person 
years of age or older and under 18 years of age from operating 
a personal watercraft unless that person has a person 18 years of 
age or older physically on the watercraft during operation or 
that person possesses on that person proof of age and proof of 
having completed a boater safety course. 
This requirement takes 
effect January 1, 2007. 
The 
amendment 
also 
directs 
the 
Commissioner 
of 
Inland 
Fisheries and Wildlife and the Commissioner of Marine Resources 
to 
work 
together 
and with interested parties 
to 
study 
the 
feasibility of developing a 
statewide boater safety education 
program. 
The 
commissioners 
are 
required 
to 
report 
their 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 231, L.D. 307 
findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of 
the Legislature having jurisdiction over inland fisheries and 
wildlife 
matters 
and 
the 
joint 
standing 
committee 
of 
the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resources matters by 
February 1, 2007. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03116/06 :t;?ac 
LD307 
LR0217(02) 
An Act To Improve Recreational Watercraft Safety 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment '4" 
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Majority Report 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Minor revenue increase - General Fund 
Correctional and Judicial Impact Statements: 
Establishes a new civil violation and a Class E crime. 
The collection of additional fines may increase General Fund revenue by minor amounts. 
LR0217(2) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1