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Utah House debates motorboat-operator licensing; floor amends small-craft exemption
Summary
The House debated House Bill 4, a five-year plan to require testing and endorsements for motorboat operators and to strengthen boating-under-the-influence penalties; lawmakers amended a technical exemption (changing a 10-horsepower threshold to 20) and exchanged extended questions about enforcement, nonresident compliance and whether licensing should be tied to a driver’s license.
Representative Lorraine Pace told colleagues the bill aims to reduce accidents through education and a phased rollout, saying the state now has "over 80,000 registered watercraft" and warning, "By the time this bill takes effect, we could have over 10,000 additional watercraft on our waters." She listed five objectives for licensing motorboat operators, including education, convenient licensing via the Driver License Division, and stronger consequences for boating under the influence (BUI).
Supporters framed the measure as a public-safety step. Representative Butters said the education requirement and DUI provisions would "make our waterways a lot safer places to operate…
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