Boating safety education bill advances

A requirement to complete a boating safety education course would be expanded by a bill advanced from general file March 9.

Current law requires anyone under the age of 18 to complete a boating safety education course before operating a boat or watercraft on state waters.

LB105, introduced by Ogallala Sen. Ken Schilz, would require anyone born after Dec. 31, 1985, to complete such training before operating a boat. The bill would have an operative date of Jan. 1, 2012.

Schilz said all surrounding states except South Dakota require boating education. He said such education is important due to safety concerns resulting from untrained operators and sparse law enforcement monitoring state waters.

“We want to make sure that people who come to our parks to boat have a relaxing time and don’t have to worry about accidents on the water,” Schilz said.

Lawmakers voted 27-0 to advanced LB105 from general file.