(Wahpeton)– An organization that promotes water safety on the Iowa Great Lakes says several of its priorities for the legislative session may be in jeopardy with another so-called “funnel deadline” approaching.
Any bill that has not cleared a House or Senate committee on March 9th will be considered dead for the session.
Several proposals from the Water Safety Council are among them. They include measures that would decrease boat speed within 300 feet from shore from 10 miles-per-hour to five; another would make eluding a lake patrol officer a crime; a third would require a boat to maintain a distance of 100 feet from another boat, unless both boats are traveling less than five miles-per-hour; and another would require a person under 13-years-old to wear a life jacket on any boat that’s in operation.
Another measure that lowers the presumptive level of alcohol concentration for operating a boat from .10 to .08–the same as automobiles–passed the Senate January 31st. It was voted out of the House Natural Resources Committee February 14th but has gone no further in that chamber.
Water Safety Council officials say anyone concerned over those issues should contact local lawmakers.
