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Maine committee hears bill to match Coast Guard: require PFDs for children under 13
Summary
The Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee took public testimony on LD 10 42, which would require all passengers under 13 on recreational watercraft to wear U.S. Coast Guard–approved personal flotation devices. Supporters urged alignment with federal guidance; the Department flagged drafting inconsistencies and enforcement questions.
Representative Lisonbee Hepler, sponsor of LD 10 42, told the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee that the bill would place into statute a requirement that “children who have not attained the age of 13” wear U.S. Coast Guard–approved personal flotation devices while on recreational watercraft.
The bill, Hepler said, is intended to bring Maine into alignment with 33 CFR 175.25 and to make enforcement simpler by matching federal language. “PFDs save lives,” Hepler said, citing U.S. Coast Guard national statistics showing drowning as the leading known cause of fatal boating accidents and that 87 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets.
Supporters at the public hearing said the change is practical and long overdue. Pete Asquith, a certified boating…
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