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HB 3484

Relating to water; declaring an emergency.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Ken Helm and 1 co-sponsor

HB 3484 tightens boat safety rules and licensing for passenger-for-hire and rental boats, adding kill-switch use, signaling, lighting, and age/area rules.

In committee upon adjournment.
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Bill Summary · HB 3484

HB 3484 – DNR-Boat Registration/Safety: Summary

Overview and purpose
- Legislative intent: Amend the Boat Registration and Safety Act to strengthen boat safety requirements, clarify operating rules, update equipment standards, and enhance licensing processes for passenger-for-hire and rental boats.
- Status and timeline: Introduced Feb 18, 2025 by Rep. Michael J. Kelly; referred to Rules Committee. Legislative actions indicate consideration in a subcommittee with public hearings (scheduled May 1, 2025) and ongoing referrals within State-Federal Relations as of spring 2025.

Key provisions and changes
- Prohibition on falsifying information
- Makes it unlawful to provide false information on any application to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) required by the Act.

  • Navigation lights and signaling equipment

    • Requires navigation lights to have minimum intensity visible at ranges defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

  • Audible signals

    • Requires a motorboat to have a whistle, horn, or equivalent capable of producing a 2-second blast with an audible distance as specified by CFR (replacing a prior standard referencing a half-mile audible requirement).

  • Engine cutoff switch (kill switch) and lanyard

    • For motorboats less than 26 feet in length, if the manufacturer installed an engine cutoff switch, it must be used while the boat is on plane or at displacement speed.
    • Requires verification that the engine cutoff switch is operational and that the lanyard (or wireless attachment) is properly attached to the operator or the operator’s clothing/PFD.

  • Right-of-way in narrow channels

    • In narrow channels, a power-driven vessel proceeding downbound with a following current shall have the right-of-way over an upbound vessel, shall determine the method and place of passage, and shall imitate required maneuvering signals as provided by law (clarifies downbound/following current as the controlling factors).

  • Operator age and vessel speed

    • Alters the age at which a person may operate a motorboat, with the applicable age tied to the boat’s speed. Specific age thresholds by speed are not enumerated in the provided text.

  • Marijuana use restrictions on watercraft

    • Prohibits certain marijuana use within designated areas of a watercraft while operating on state waters (exact areas and limits are not specified in the excerpt).

  • Passenger-for-hire and rental boat licensing

    • Requires the Department to outline, by administrative rule, the application process for passenger-for-hire licenses and rental boat licenses (clarifies licensing pathways and administrative procedures).

  • Additions and definitional updates

    • Adds new sections (5-24 and 5-25) and revises multiple definitions to align with the Act’s updated safety and operational standards (definitions cover terms like “airboat,” “motorboat,” “passenger,” “passenger for hire,” “owner,” “operator,” “personal flotation device,” etc.).

Who is affected
- Boat owners, operators, and renters under the Boat Registration and Safety Act.
- Passenger-for-hire operators and rental boat businesses seeking licensing.
- DNR for enforcement, rulemaking, and administration.
- General boating public who must comply with updated signaling, safety equipment, and right-of-way requirements.

Procedural and timeline notes
- Introduced February 2025; referred to Rules Committee.
- Subsequent actions included referral to a subcommittee within State-Federal Relations, with public hearings and testimony in May 2025; left pending in subcommittee as of the latest update.
- The bill would amend several sections of the act (1-2, 2-2, 3-11, 4-2, 4-4, 4-11, 5-13, 5-18, 7-1, 7-2) and add new sections (5-24, 5-25).

Impact considerations
- Enhanced safety compliance for equipment and signaling.
- Potential updates needed for boaters and operators to meet kill-switch and lanyard requirements.
- Administrative rulemaking could affect licensing timelines and costs for passenger-for-hire and rental operations.
- Ambiguities exist in the exact age thresholds by speed and the precise areas where marijuana use is restricted on watercraft; these would be clarified in the bill’s full text or subsequent rulemaking.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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