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Council hears legislative update: SB27, SB52, new boating grant tax and mandatory education proposal
Summary
Division staff briefed the council on recent legislation (SB27 and SB52), a statutory change that creates a new boating grant account effective Jan. 1, 2026, an initiative to pursue mandatory boating education, and a one‑time $60,000 search‑and‑rescue grant program offering up to three awards of $20,000 each.
Division staff gave a legislative and program update that covered recent statutes affecting vessel registration and enforcement, the creation of a new boating grant funding mechanism, and planned education and grant initiatives.
Staff summarized two recently enacted bills: SB27, which clarified enforcement and insurance‑reporting language for certain motorboats (noting an exemption threshold the staff described as “motorboat greater than 50 horsepower” and seasonal restrictions on registration revocation), and SB52, which staff said clarified tax‑commission authority to use insurance‑reported data for determining a vessel’s state of operation. Staff also described a statutory change that will redirect a portion of length‑based fees into a new “Utah boating grant” account, effective Jan. 1, 2026.
Division staff told the council that the state will pursue mandatory boating education for all operators—expanding beyond existing personal‑watercraft requirements—and that staff are pursuing an accredited course (described in the meeting as a National Association of State Voting Law Administrators–style accreditation in the transcript) so certificates could be recognized across state lines. Staff framed the initiative as intended to align Utah with other states that require boating education.
Staff announced a pilot search‑and‑rescue (SAR) funding opportunity: $60,000 total, with up to three awards of up to $20,000 each for sheriff search and rescue teams. The division has distributed application materials to all 29 counties and reported initial applications are under way.
The division also updated the council on two grant programs that will require council review later in the year: boating access grant funding (sometimes referred to during the meeting as the Utah boating grant) and Clean Vessel Act (CVA) applications. Staff said CVA applications are due Oct. 30 and that council review of boating‑access and CVA proposals will likely fall in October; the council set its next meeting for Oct. 21 to align with review timing.
Staff described ongoing training for division officers who patrol waterways and provide public safety and education services; they also noted that processing of some federal grant approvals has been delayed by federal agency staffing issues and expected decisions around July 1 for certain U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant submissions.
Council members thanked staff for the update and supported pursuing statewide boating education and grant program development. Members asked staff to provide more detail on grant timelines and to circulate materials to the council ahead of the October meeting for grant scoring and funding recommendations.
