SF 108 (LSB 1638SS (3) 91)

SENATE FILE 108

BY  DICKEY

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the use of personal flotation devices on personal watercraft.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 462A.9, subsection 6, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   6.  a.  Every vessel shall carry at least one life preserver, life belt, ring buoy or other device, of the sort prescribed by the rules of the commission, for each passenger, so placed as to be readily accessible. This does not apply to a vessel which that is a racing shell used in the sport of sculling or to a sailboard while used for windsurfing.
   b.  A person shall not operate a personal watercraft on the waters of this state under the jurisdiction of the commission unless every person on board the personal watercraft is wearing a type I, II, III, or V personal flotation device that is approved by the United States coast guard, which may include a device known as a “float coat” that meets this standard, while the personal watercraft is under way. A personal flotation device described in this paragraph is not required to be worn by a passenger of a personal watercraft if the person satisfies all of the following:
   (1)  The person is at least eighteen years of age.
   (2)  The personal watercraft is moving at ten miles per hour or less or is traveling in a no-wake zone.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to the use of personal flotation devices on personal watercraft. The bill requires all persons on board a personal watercraft to wear a personal flotation device. The bill provides an exception to the personal flotation device requirement when the person is at least 18 years of age and the personal watercraft is traveling at 10 miles per hour or less or is in a no-wake zone. Under current administrative rules, all operators and passengers of personal watercraft must wear a specified personal flotation device. A “personal watercraft” means a vessel, less than 16 feet in length, which is propelled by a water jet pump or similar machinery as its primary source of motor propulsion and is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on the vessel, rather than being operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling inside the vessel. A person in violation of the personal flotation device requirement is guilty of a simple misdemeanor punishable by a scheduled fine of $30.