House committee hears bill to set 0.02 blood-alcohol limit for 18–20-year-old boat operators, to align maritime and road rules

SAN JUAN (May 14, 2025) — The Puerto Rico House of Representatives’ Comisión de Recursos Naturales on May 14 heard testimony on Proyecto de la Cámara 317, a measure that would amend Article 7 of Law 4-30 of 2000 (the Navigation and Aquatic Safety Act) to: set a 0.02 blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for operators aged 18–20; clarify that a 0.08 BAC applies only to people 21 and older; and prohibit government employees from operating government-owned vessels with a BAC of 0.02 or higher.

The hearing drew presentations from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, DNA) and the Department of Public Safety’s police branch (Negociado de la Policía, including the maritime rapid-response unit FURA). Luis A. Márquez Ruiz, Comisionado de la Oficina de Navegación at the DNA, and Glendalis Rodríguez Morales of the Department of Public Safety presented the agencies’ analyses.

The measure is intended to harmonize maritime BAC thresholds with the age-differentiated limits already in Law 22 of 2000 (the Vehicles and Traffic Act). In opening remarks, Márquez described the bill as an effort to “alinear el marco legal marítimo con la normativa vigente aplicable al tránsito terrestre” and said the proposed changes aim to “promover una cultura de responsabilidad en la navegación, especialmente entre los jóvenes y los servidores públicos.”

Why it matters: supporters said lower limits for young operators and clear rules for government vessel operators would reduce accident risk by treating maritime operation similarly to road driving. Agencies backing the harmonization noted that even low alcohol levels impair judgment and coordination and that clear, consistent thresholds help enforcement and public education.

What agencies said

- DNA (Luis A. Márquez Ruiz, Comisionado de Navegación): The DNA supported the three core amendments as a way to strengthen maritime safety and align waterborne rules with Law 22-2000. Márquez said the agency is working with other entities on a broader update to the navigation law and offered to supply accident-count data and related breakdowns within five days to the committee.

- Department of Public Safety / FURA (Glendalis Rodríguez Morales and Teniente Wilberto Pérez de la Torre): The department said it supports the measure’s harmonizing approach but urged a stricter workplace standard for government vessel operators, recommending a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol while on duty. As stated in the hearing: “Es nuestro interés que prevalezca la política de 0 tolerancia al alcohol en el escenario laboral,” Rodríguez said. FURA’s maritime coordinator, Teniente Wilberto Pérez, described current operational roles and explained that maritime interventions follow procedures similar to traffic stops: an initial field test followed, when necessary, by an evidentiary breath test administered by transit units.

Enforcement, capacity and data gaps

Committee members pressed agencies on enforcement capacity and incident data. DNA and FURA provided the following specifics or commitments during questioning: - FURA’s maritime division has roughly 62–70 agents assigned to maritime duties. - FURA currently operates about 21 patrol boats and 18 personal watercraft (jet skis) distributed across the island’s 12 units; DNA reported about 18 government patrol vessels in service and that three Metal Shark boats were under manufacture and expected to arrive in December. - DNA said two recent cadet classes amount to roughly 48 new cadets in training, plus a prior class of about 50; the DNA secretary’s stated goal is two new vessels per region to strengthen patrol capacity. - Agencies acknowledged they do not yet have a consolidated, published annual statistic for alcohol-related maritime accidents. DNA and the police agreed to provide the committee with an accident count and a breakdown of incidents involving alcohol within five days of the hearing.

Agencies and members discussed logistical limits to enforcement: marshals and DNA vigilantes can detain suspected impaired operators and call FURA or transit units for breath testing, but travel time to an evidentiary test can reduce measured BAC and complicate prosecutions—an issue agencies said the updated navigation law draft seeks to address.

Geographic notes and common incident areas

Witnesses identified areas that have seen repeated incidents during peak periods, including Cayo Matías, parts of Salinas, Palguera and Caracoles, Vega Baja, and the corridor between Palomino, Fajardo, Culebra and Vieques. DNA staff said small boats and personal watercraft (jet skis) — typically 25 feet or less — account for a large share of incidents.

Formal action

The May 14 session was an informational hearing; no committee vote on P. de la C. 317 was recorded. The commission adjourned at 11:04 a.m.

Next steps and committee expectations

Agencies said they are drafting a comprehensive update to the navigation law and will continue interagency coordination (including the Department of Health and the Institute of Forensic Sciences, at the Department of Public Safety’s recommendation). DNA committed to deliver requested accident and alcohol-related data to the committee within five days. Lawmakers indicated they will review those figures and continue work on the bill and a broader navigation-law revision expected later in 2025 or early 2026.

(Committee session concluded May 14, 2025.)