CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20252026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Resolution No. 39Introduced by Senator RichardsonApril 21, 2025 Relative to National Safe Boating Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSR 39, as introduced, Richardson. Digest KeyBill TextWHEREAS, The Department of Parks and Recreation estimates that 4,000,000 Californians engage in boating, fishing, and other recreational activities on Californias navigable waters; andWHEREAS, The Division of Boating and Waterways estimates that Californians own 2,600,000 registered and nonregistered recreational boats; andWHEREAS, In 2023, the United States Coast Guard counted 339 boating accidents in California that involved 33 deaths, 164 injuries, and approximately $4,600,000 of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents; andWHEREAS, The majority of accidents are caused by human error or poor decisions, not by the boat, equipment, or environmental factors; andWHEREAS, Alcohol use remains the leading contributing factor in all fatal boating accidents at 14 percent; andWHEREAS, Operator inattention and inexperience are also leading contributing factors in mishaps, annually causing hundreds of accidents and dozens of fatalities; andWHEREAS, Navigation rule violations were a contributing factor in 53 percent of accidents, 34 percent of deaths, and 60 percent of injuries in 2023; andWHEREAS, Eighty-seven percent of reported boating accident victims who drowned in 2023 were not wearing life jackets; andWHEREAS, A significant number of boaters who lose their lives by drowning each year would be alive today had they worn their life jackets; andWHEREAS, Boating safety courses and boating safety campaigns can teach people how to adhere to better boating practices and make safer decisions; andWHEREAS, United States Coast Guard statistics show that, of the accidents where the level of operator education was known, 75 percent of boating deaths occurred on boats where the boat operator had never received boating education instruction; andWHEREAS, The United States Coast Guard considers the use of engine cut-off switches by powerboat operators important because powerboat propellers may injure persons in the water when operators are ejected or fall overboard; now, therefore, be itResolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate recognizes May 17 through May 23, 2025, inclusive, as National Safe Boating Week, and the start of a year-round effort to promote safe boating in California; and be it furtherResolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20252026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Resolution No. 39Introduced by Senator RichardsonApril 21, 2025 Relative to National Safe Boating Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSR 39, as introduced, Richardson. Digest Key
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20252026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Resolution
No. 39
Introduced by Senator RichardsonApril 21, 2025
Introduced by Senator Richardson
April 21, 2025
Relative to National Safe Boating Week.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SR 39, as introduced, Richardson.
## Digest Key
## Bill Text
WHEREAS, The Department of Parks and Recreation estimates that 4,000,000 Californians engage in boating, fishing, and other recreational activities on Californias navigable waters; and
WHEREAS, The Division of Boating and Waterways estimates that Californians own 2,600,000 registered and nonregistered recreational boats; and
WHEREAS, In 2023, the United States Coast Guard counted 339 boating accidents in California that involved 33 deaths, 164 injuries, and approximately $4,600,000 of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents; and
WHEREAS, The majority of accidents are caused by human error or poor decisions, not by the boat, equipment, or environmental factors; and
WHEREAS, Alcohol use remains the leading contributing factor in all fatal boating accidents at 14 percent; and
WHEREAS, Operator inattention and inexperience are also leading contributing factors in mishaps, annually causing hundreds of accidents and dozens of fatalities; and
WHEREAS, Navigation rule violations were a contributing factor in 53 percent of accidents, 34 percent of deaths, and 60 percent of injuries in 2023; and
WHEREAS, Eighty-seven percent of reported boating accident victims who drowned in 2023 were not wearing life jackets; and
WHEREAS, A significant number of boaters who lose their lives by drowning each year would be alive today had they worn their life jackets; and
WHEREAS, Boating safety courses and boating safety campaigns can teach people how to adhere to better boating practices and make safer decisions; and
WHEREAS, United States Coast Guard statistics show that, of the accidents where the level of operator education was known, 75 percent of boating deaths occurred on boats where the boat operator had never received boating education instruction; and
WHEREAS, The United States Coast Guard considers the use of engine cut-off switches by powerboat operators important because powerboat propellers may injure persons in the water when operators are ejected or fall overboard; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate recognizes May 17 through May 23, 2025, inclusive, as National Safe Boating Week, and the start of a year-round effort to promote safe boating in California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.