House Bill No. 756, introduced by Representative Fontenot, amends several provisions related to the operation and regulation of personal watercraft in Louisiana. The bill modifies the language surrounding the careless operation of watercraft, changing terms such as "right-of-way" to "give way" and "collision" to "boating incident." It also updates the requirements for motorboats, mandating that they maintain a safe speed and use caution when passing manually propelled vessels, and specifies that all mechanically propelled vessels must operate at a safe speed when near swimmers. Additionally, the bill raises the threshold for reporting property damage from $500 to $2,000 and requires notification in cases of complete vessel loss.

Furthermore, the bill enhances enforcement provisions by limiting the authority of wildlife agents and peace officers to stop or board vessels only when there is reasonable suspicion of a violation. It also clarifies that agents or officers must identify themselves when boarding a vessel and will not be liable for trespass while performing their duties. The definition of "personal watercraft" is expanded to include vessels using other machinery as a primary source of motive power, and it establishes stricter regulations regarding personal flotation devices, requiring that all individuals on board a personal watercraft wear one and prohibiting the use of inflatable devices as compliance.

Statutes affected:
HB756 Original: 34:4(A)(2), 34:3(A)