00 CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 148(RES) 01 "An Act relating to required boating safety education; relating to operating a boat; 02 providing for an effective date by repealing the effective dates of secs. 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 03 16, 18, 20, 23, 26, and 27, ch. 28, SLA 2000, sec. 3, ch. 119, SLA 2003, sec. 2, ch. 31, SLA 04 2012, and secs. 5 and 8, ch. 111, SLA 2018; and providing for an effective date." 05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06  * Section 1. AS 05.25.053(b) is amended to read: 07 (b) The department shall cooperate with local, state, and federal agencies, 08 private and public organizations, and individuals to provide for 09 (1) a statewide boating safety education program; [THE PROGRAM 10 MUST 11 (A) DEVELOP EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS RELEVANT 12 TO THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF URBAN AND RURAL BOATERS IN THIS 13 STATE; 14 (B) SUPPORT STATEWIDE BOATING SAFETY 01 TRAINING PROGRAMS; 02 (C) SUPPORT BOATING SAFETY EDUCATION AND 03 TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND OTHER HIGH RISK 04 GROUPS; 05 (D) TRAIN, CERTIFY, AND SUPPORT BOATING SAFETY 06 INSTRUCTORS; 07 (E) EVALUATE, ON AN ONGOING BASIS, THE 08 EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAMS FUNDED UNDER THIS CHAPTER;] 09 (2) a boating safety advisory council as described in AS 05.25.057; 10 (3) a uniform state waterway marking system; and 11 (4) a boat registration and numbering system through the Department 12 of Administration. 13  * Sec. 2. AS 05.25.053 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 14 (d) When providing for a statewide boating safety education program, the 15 department shall  16 (1) establish, by regulation, a minimum standard of boating safety 17 education; 18 (2) develop a boating safety course that includes educational materials 19 relevant to the unique needs of urban and rural boaters in this state; 20 (3) develop an examination that will test a boater's knowledge of the 21 minimum standard of boating safety education; 22 (4) allow a boater, instead of taking the boating safety course, to take 23 or provide proof of passing a commercial boating safety course that meets the 24 department's minimum standard of boating safety education; 25 (5) support statewide boating safety training programs and volunteer 26 boating safety education programs; 27 (6) establish fees for administering the statewide boating safety 28 education program; 29 (7) support boating safety education and training programs for children 30 and other high risk groups; 31 (8) train, certify, and support boating safety instructors; 01 (9) promote the availability of insurance discounts for a boater who 02 has completed a boating safety course that is consistent with boating safety standards 03 established by the department. 04 (e) The department shall evaluate, on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of 05 programs funded under this chapter. 06  * Sec. 3. AS 05.25 is amended by adding a new section to read: 07 Sec. 05.25.054. Boating safety education card; operating a boat. (a) The 08 department shall issue a boating safety education card to a person who 09 (1) passes 10 (A) the boating safety course and examination developed under 11 AS 05.25.053(d)(2) and (3); or 12 (B) a boating safety course that meets the department's 13 minimum standard of boating safety education, as allowed under 14 AS 05.25.053(d)(4); 15 (2) pays the fee established by the department under 16 AS 05.25.053(d)(6). 17 (b) A person may not operate a boat with an engine of 10 horsepower or more 18 unless 19 (1) the person is carrying the person's boating safety education card on 20 the boat; 21 (2) the person rents a boat and completes a required dockside safety 22 checklist before operating the boat; 23 (3) the person possesses a current commercial fishing license; 24 (4) the person possesses a valid United States Coast Guard merchant 25 mariner credential; or 26 (5) the person has in the person's possession a valid Alaska driver's 27 license or Alaska identification card and the license or identification card designates 28 that the person has completed a boating safety course that meets the minimum 29 standard of boating safety education established by the department. 30  * Sec. 4. AS 18.65.310 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 31 (s) At the request of an eligible person, the department shall designate with a 01 symbol placed on the person's identification card that the person is eligible to operate a 02 boat. To receive the designation, the person shall provide proof that the person 03 possesses a boating safety education card issued under AS 05.25.054(a), a current 04 commercial fishing license, or a valid United States Coast Guard merchant mariner 05 credential. The department may charge a fee of $5 for replacement of a valid 06 identification card with a new identification card that includes a boat operation 07 designation, with the new card retaining the expiration date of the card being replaced. 08  * Sec. 5. AS 28.15.111 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 09 (g) The department shall provide a method, at the time that a driver's license is 10 issued, by which the owner of a license may voluntarily designate on the license that 11 the owner is eligible to operate a boat. The department shall create a symbol to place 12 on the driver's license of a person requesting the designation. To receive the 13 designation, the person shall provide proof that the person possesses a boating safety 14 education card issued under AS 05.25.054(a), a current commercial fishing license, or 15 a valid United States Coast Guard merchant mariner license. The department may 16 charge a fee of $5 for replacement of a valid driver's license with a new license that 17 includes a boat operation designation, with the new license retaining the expiration 18 date of the license being replaced. 19  * Sec. 6. Sections 1(2), 3, 5, 7, 11, 14, and 16, ch. 28, SLA 2000; sec. 9, ch. 28, SLA 2000, 20 as amended by sec. 3, ch. 119, SLA 2003, and sec. 4, ch. 121, SLA 2003; sec. 18, ch. 28, SLA 21 2000, as amended by sec. 8, ch. 29, SLA 2010, and sec. 2, ch. 31, SLA 2012; sec. 20, ch. 28, 22 SLA 2000, as amended by sec. 5, ch. 111, SLA 2018; sec. 23, ch. 28, SLA 2000, as amended 23 by sec. 8, ch. 111, SLA 2018; sec. 26, ch. 28, SLA 2000, as amended by sec. 41, ch. 12, SLA 24 2006, and sec. 24, ch. 29, SLA 2010; and sec. 27, ch. 28, SLA 2000, as amended by sec. 33, 25 ch. 111, SLA 2018, are repealed. 26  * Sec. 7. Section 30, ch. 28, SLA 2000, as amended by sec. 3, ch. 34, SLA 2004, sec. 1, ch. 27 19, SLA 2009, sec. 1, ch. 47, SLA 2010, and sec. 3, ch. 31, SLA 2012; sec. 5, ch. 119, SLA 28 2003; sec. 64, ch. 29, SLA 2010; sec. 4, ch. 31, SLA 2012; and secs. 37 and 38, ch. 111, SLA 29 2018, are repealed. 30  * Sec. 8. This Act takes effect January 1, 2023.