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Committee advances bill to criminalize abandonment of vessels and expand DNR removal authority
Summary
Lawmakers advanced HB115 to create procedures for identifying, notifying and removing abandoned vessels, and to add misdemeanor and felony penalties aimed at holding owners accountable; members pressed the department on costs, funding and enforcement limits.
A House Natural Resources committee advanced a bill aimed at addressing derelict and abandoned vessels on Georgia’s coastal and inland public waters, saying the measure would create a process for tagging, notification, removal and, in some cases, criminal penalties for abandonment.
Chairman Petrie (presenting the sponsor text) described a long-standing problem of abandoned boats "floating off" coastal waterways and inland lakes and told the panel that removal of sunken vessels can cost taxpayers "from 32,000 to 42,000" per vessel to recover…
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