NY Gov. signs law requiring all powerboat drivers take safety course
August 23, 2019
ALBANY, New York—All power boaters in the state of New York will need to take a boating safety course by 2025 before taking the helm.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Brianna’s Law, Aug. 6. It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020 and will be phased in over five years. The law requires anyone who operates a mechanically propelled vessel in state navigable waters to complete an eight hour boating safety course and pass an exam. A prior law only required safety courses for those born after May 1, 1996.
The legislation is named after Brianna Lieneck, an 11-year-old girl killed in a boating accident in Long Island’s Great South Bay in 2005. Brianna’s mother, Gina Lieneck, has been fighting for tighter boating safety regulations ever since.
