Sponsored by:
Senator CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.
District 9 (Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Codifies certain State Police regulations on pre-rental boat safety record retention; requires Superintendent of State Police to audit and publish certain boat rental instruction records.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning power vessels and supplementing chapter 7 of Title 12 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A boat rental business shall maintain a written record of individuals who receive approved pre-rental instruction provided by that business as required pursuant to subparagraph (b) of paragraph (3) of subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.1987, c.453 (C.12:7-61) for a term and in a manner prescribed by the Superintendent of State Police.
b. The superintendent shall annually audit the records required pursuant to subsection a. of this section and publish the results of the audit on the Internet website of the division.
c. The superintendent shall issue or amend guidelines to implement the provisions of this section.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month after enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Superintendent of the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety to annually audit the records a boat rental business maintains concerning required pre-rental safety instruction the business provides to operate a power vessel.
Under current law, a person who has not completed a State-approved boat safety course may rent a power vessel from a boat rental business if the person rents from a business engaged in renting power vessels for use on New Jersey’s waters; the person successfully completes a State-approved pre-rental instruction course by the owner or lessor prior to use; and, the owner of the rental business is experienced in operating power vessels on the State’s waters and has completed a boat safety course approved by the Superintendent of State Police. Current State Police regulations require that the original proof of completion indicating that a boat renter has finished the pre-rental instruction be maintained by the boat rental business for three years.
The bill also requires the superintendent to annually audit the pre-rental safety instruction records and publish the results of the audit on the State Police website.
The penalty for violating the bill’s provisions is consistent with the statutory penalties for general violations of the State’s boating laws regulating power vessels: a fine of $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second offense, and $100 for a third or subsequent offense.