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Senate approves limited exemption from life‑preserver rule for personal watercraft passengers
Summary
Senate File 5‑48 exempts adult passengers on personal watercraft from wearing a life preserver when the craft is traveling 10 mph or slower or in no‑wake zones; minors remain required to wear life preservers. The bill passed on final reading (ayes 29, nays 17).
Senate File 5‑48, addressing the use of personal flotation devices on personal watercraft, passed the Senate after the sponsor described the narrowly tailored exemption. Senator Evans said the bill allows adult passengers to be exempted from the life‑preserver requirement when the craft is moving at 10 miles per hour or less or traveling in a no‑wake zone, while minors remain required to wear a life preserver.
"Under the bill, adult passengers are exempted from this requirement if the personal watercraft is moving at 10 miles an hour or less or traveling in a no wake zone," Senator Evans said. The Senate read the bill for the final time and recorded a roll call showing final passage.
Supporters emphasized public‑safety exceptions for minors and narrow speed‑based exemptions for adults; the floor record shows no extended opposition on the floor.
