WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor                   Ch. 640

CHAPTER 640

(Senate Bill 795)

AN ACT concerning

Boating Safety Education for Youth and Future Generations

FOR the purpose of requiring certain persons to obtain and
possess a certificate of boating safety education to operate
certain vessels on certain waters of the State; designating
who may offer the boating safety course of instruction and
the equivalency examination; authorizing the Department of
Natural Resources to issue certificates of boating safety
instruction, to issue temporary certificates under certain
circumstances for specified period of time, to prescribe
the criteria for the course pursuant to certain standards,
to administer a certain test verbally where when
appropriate, to coordinate a statewide program of boating
safety instruction and certification, to adopt regulations
to implement the program, and to exempt certain persons from
the provisions of the program; providing that certain
entities designated by the Department may offer a certain
boating safety education course and equivalency examination
and recognizing the certificates issued by those entities;
requiring the Department to provide certain persons with
certain study materials; providing that certain entities
designated by the Department may offer certain temporary
certificates; providing that certain certificates of boating
safety education are valid for a lifetime and are
nonrevocable; providing for the replacement of certain lost
or destroyed certificates; requiring the Department to
request and maintain certain information; exempting certain
persons from the requirement to obtain and possess the
certificate of boating safety education; providing that
certain out-of-state certificates of boating safety
education be recognized in the State; providing that only
one person need possess a boating safety education
certificate on certain vessels under certain circumstances;
providing that juveniles shall be charged under a certain
provision of law; providing certain penalties for violation
of the requirement to obtain and possess the certificate;
specifying that certain Natural Resources Police Officers or
other law enforcement officers may enforce the provisions of
this Act only at a secondary action when detaining the
operator of a vessel for certain other suspected violations;
requiring certain persons convicted of certain boating
safety violations to successfully complete certain
instruction in boating safety; providing for a certain
delayed effective date; and generally relating to the
program of boating safety education and certification.

BY adding to

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