|
| |
|
Area Coordinator: John Van Dinter, N-LAW |
State Liaison: John Van Dinter |
|
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Coast Guard Auxiliary District: 8WR and 9WR Coast Guard District: 8th and 9th
First Quarter Report, 2008:
In January 2007, bills AB45 and SB16 were introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature. These two PFD bills mirrored Federal law. I testified in uniform on both bills (USCG-Aux uniform). SB16 passed the Senate. AB45 was held up in committee and died without action. The Wisconsin Legislative Session ended without further action on the Assembly Bill. These bills most likely will be reintroduced in the next legislative session.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fourth Quarter Report, 2007: Nothing of note has happened in the Wisconsin legislature. The mandatory PFD bill for children which is designed to mimic Federal PFD requirements passed the Senate early in the year. It was heard in the Assembly Tourism Committee and was not reported out to the Assembly for a vote. It will probably die in committee and need to be introduced in the 2009 legislative session. This will be the second time in a row that it did not get out of the assembly committee to which it was referred. Third Quarter Report, 2007:
SB 16 passed the Senate on 05 May 2007. This bill, requiring children wear PFD’s, mirrors the current Federal Statute The Assembly version, AB45, was introduced on 30 January 2007, and a public hearing was held on 29 March 2007. The legislation has languished in Committee since the public hearing although there was no testimony against the Bill.
Our legislature is embroiled in a partisan dispute over the budget which was due on 01 July 2007. Once the budget is passed, it is possible to finish the PFD legislation before the session ends. If the PFD bill doesn’t pass by then we will go repeat the whole process in 2008.
Second Quarter Report, 2007: The Bill AB45, requiring Mandatory PFD wear for children 12 and under, came before the Assembly Tourism Committee for a public hearing on 29 March 2007. Our Rear Commodore, Maureen Van Dinter, and I, John Van Dinter, testified in uniform after having our testimony approved by the DIRAUX. There were no questions asked of either of us. The committee members seemed in favor of the bill with exception of the Committee Chair Dean Kaufert. As of this date the bill has not been referred out of committee to the entire assembly for action. Contacts in the DNR are still hopeful that the bill will be referred out for a vote in this session. On 01 May, the Senate Version of the Bill SB16 received a public hearing. I testified in uniform on the bill before the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. On 03 May, the Bill was referred out of Committee on a vote of 5-0. On 09 May, the Bill passed the floor vote 22-11 and was sent back to the Assembly for action. We are still waiting for the Bill to make it out of the Assembly Tourism Committee. There are no other boating initiatives that have been presented to the Legislature. First Quarter Report, 2007: We have just begun the 2007 session of both houses of the legislature. We have a PFD bill introduced into both houses. The bills are identical and mirror the Federal Regulation requiring anyone under 13 years old to wear a PFD unless they are in a cabin or below decks. There is a minor difference in that the proposed Wisconsin statutes specify that anyone 12 years old or younger are required to wear the PFD where the Federal law states under 13 Years of age. The Wisconsin legislation applies only to boats under 26 feet. It is not what we want but it is a start. The bills are numbered as SB16 &AB45. I expect that a joint bill will ultimately be introduced at some later date. I’ve requested permission for both my wife and me to testify in uniform. She’s a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and teaches in the department of Family Practice at the University of Wisconsin. Her testimony can reinforce mine with additional information on the developmental capabilities of children under 13 years old. If she is not granted permission to testify in uniform she will testify with the same material as a Legislative Liaison representative for her Professional Organization (WAPNAP). I submitted a draft of my proposed testimony and then modified it on the recommendation of Frank Jennings, the RBS Specialist for District 9. I am awaiting final approval. I feel that the current system for getting approval is cumbersome, slow and unnecessarily complex. I believe that we should work for more streamlined system at the National Level of the USCGAUX. If we don’t improve the system I fear we will miss deadlines and be unable to testify on this type of important RBS legislation. Passed: (April 1, 2006) We passed a mandatory boater education law requiring everyone born after January 1, 1989, to take an approved boater education course in order to operate a motor boat in the state. We have reciprocity with other states that have courses that are essentially in compliance with our requirements. That really means that any state course that is in compliance with NASBLA conforms to the law. The Bill has not yet been signed into law by Governor Doyle but is expected to be signed within the next two months. I'll be notified of the signing date and plan to attend the ceremony. I will notify you when the bill is signed.
We also had a bit of bad news in Wisconsin. We had a bill on Mandatory PFD wear that passed the Senate but was not put to a vote in the Assembly and died as a consequence. I expect that the same bill will be introduced into our next legislative session.
Updated Wednesday June 11, 2008 | |
|
| Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer |
Accessibility
| | |
