The Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced its strong opposition to proposed changes in boater safety training requirements included in legislation before the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. A January 18, 2014 letter of opposition was delivered to each member of the two key committees considering the bills this week as well as local state legislators.
The legislation – HB 650 and SB 52 – creates a new exemption from the boater safety training requirements for anyone who is 45 years of age or older and has had a registered boat for five years or more. Additionally, the deadline for people 50 and older would be delayed by one year until July 1, 2016.
In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly enacted a law to establish the boating safety education compliance requirement. The requirement is phased-in over several years and applies to all PWC operators and operators of boats with motors of 10hp and greater. The boating safety education requirements began in 2011 and initially applied to younger boat operators, 20 years of age or younger. Currently, it applies to operators 40 years of age and younger. The requirement is set to expand to those 45 years and younger on July 1, 2014.
Roy Enslow, chairman of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, signed the letter to the Virginia legislators. Enslow notes, “With only two years left for this law to reach full implementation, we would be doing our community a disservice by rolling back the requirements as proposed in this legislation. In light of the strong downward trend in boating fatalities and boating incidents in Virginia, it is clear that the current law is working to save lives.”
