| 1 | 1 | | 81R10169 SLB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Harris S.B. No. 1746 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to an interim study of recreational boating safety in |
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| 8 | 8 | | Texas. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. ADVISORY PANEL; STUDY. (a) The governor, |
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| 11 | 11 | | lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives |
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| 12 | 12 | | shall each appoint three members to an advisory panel on |
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| 13 | 13 | | recreational boating safety. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (b) The panel appointed under Subsection (a) of this section |
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| 15 | 15 | | shall conduct a study assessing current conditions and making |
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| 16 | 16 | | recommendations regarding: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) boating safety generally and ways to improve |
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| 18 | 18 | | boating safety on lakes and rivers in this state; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) the effect of boater education on boating safety |
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| 20 | 20 | | and the boat rental, boat sales, and tourism industries; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) the effect of requiring every boat owner to carry |
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| 22 | 22 | | liability insurance on boating safety and the boat rental, boat |
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| 23 | 23 | | sales, and tourism industries; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (4) the effectiveness of law enforcement on lakes and |
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| 25 | 25 | | rivers and ways to increase the effectiveness of law enforcement, |
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| 26 | 26 | | including possible increases in the number of enforcement officers |
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| 27 | 27 | | and state or local responsibility for the increases; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (5) any other issue the advisory panel finds relevant |
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| 29 | 29 | | to boating safety in this state. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (c) For each area of the study, the panel shall provide an |
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| 31 | 31 | | estimate of the costs to boaters and the boating and tourism |
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| 32 | 32 | | industries if the panel's recommendations were implemented. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d) One member of the panel appointed by the governor shall |
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| 34 | 34 | | serve as the panel's presiding officer. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (e) The panel shall convene at the call of the presiding |
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| 36 | 36 | | officer. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (f) From the contingent expense fund of the senate and the |
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| 38 | 38 | | contingent expense fund of the house of representatives equally, |
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| 39 | 39 | | the members of the panel are entitled to reimbursement for expenses |
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| 40 | 40 | | incurred in carrying out the provisions of this Act in accordance |
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| 41 | 41 | | with the rules of the senate and house of representatives and the |
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| 42 | 42 | | policies of the senate and house committees on administration. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (g) Not later than December 31, 2010, the panel shall report |
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| 44 | 44 | | the results of the study conducted under this section to the Parks |
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| 45 | 45 | | and Wildlife Department, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the |
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| 46 | 46 | | speaker of the house of representatives, and the members of the |
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| 47 | 47 | | committee in each house of the legislature with primary |
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| 48 | 48 | | jurisdiction over recreational boating. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
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| 50 | 50 | | 1, 2009. |
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