By: Parker (Senate Sponsor - Harris) H.B. No. 3108

(In the Senate - Received from the House April 23, 2009; April 24, 2009, read first time and referred to Committee on Administration; May 13, 2009, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 13, 2009, sent to printer.)

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 3108 By: Uresti

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to an interim study of recreational boating safety in Texas.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. ADVISORY PANEL; STUDY. (a) The governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives shall each appoint three members to an advisory panel on recreational boating safety. The appointments by each shall include at least one representative from a boat dealer, distributor, or manufacturer licensed under Section 31.041, Parks and Wildlife Code.

(b) The panel appointed under Subsection (a) of this section shall conduct a study assessing current conditions and making recommendations regarding:

(1) boating safety generally and ways to improve boating safety on lakes and rivers in this state;

(2) the effect of boater education on boating safety and the boat rental, boat sales, and tourism industries;

(3) the effect of requiring every boat owner to carry liability insurance on boating safety and the boat rental, boat sales, and tourism industries;

(4) the effectiveness of law enforcement on lakes and rivers and ways to increase the effectiveness of law enforcement, including possible increases in the number of enforcement officers and state or local responsibility for the increases; and

(5) any other issue the advisory panel finds relevant to boating safety in this state.

(c) For each area of the study, the panel shall provide an estimate of the costs to boaters and the boating and tourism industries if the panel's recommendations were implemented.

(d) One member of the panel appointed by the governor shall serve as the panel's presiding officer.

(e) The panel shall convene at the call of the presiding officer.

(f) From the contingent expense fund of the senate and the contingent expense fund of the house of representatives equally, the members of the panel may be reimbursed for expenses incurred in carrying out the provisions of this Act in accordance with the rules of the senate and house of representatives and the policies of the senate and house committees on administration.

(g) Not later than December 31, 2010, the panel shall report the results of the study conducted under this section to the Parks and Wildlife Department, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the members of the committee in each house of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over recreational boating.

SECTION 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.

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