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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to requiring certain persons to wear a personal flotation |
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device while a passenger on motorboats. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 31.066(b), (d), and (e), Parks and |
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Wildlife Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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(b) The operator of a motorboat less than 26 feet in length, |
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while underway, shall require every passenger born on or after |
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September 1, 2003, [under 13 years of age] to wear a wearable |
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personal flotation device of the sort prescribed by the regulations |
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of the commandant of the Coast Guard. A life belt or ring buoy does |
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not satisfy this requirement. |
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(d) A person born on or after September 1, 2003, who is |
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[under 13 years of age] on board a vessel described by Section |
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31.073(a) or (b) must wear a wearable personal flotation device of |
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the sort prescribed by the commandant of the Coast Guard while the |
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vessel is under way. |
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(e) An adult operator of a vessel described by Section |
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31.073 may not permit a person born on or after September 1, 2003, |
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[under 13 years of age] to be on board the vessel while the vessel is |
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under way if the person born on or after September 1, 2003, [under
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13 years of age] is not wearing a wearable personal flotation device |
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required by Subsection (d). |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |