SACRAMENTO一 Governor Gavin Newsom, on July 9, signed AB 591 into law, which provides incentives for boaters to correct certain violations. It authorizes an officer to issue a written notice containing a violator’s promise to correct an alleged violation of various offenses relating to vessels.
Similar incentives have already been established in the California Vehicle Code. However, no such authority exists in the Harbors and Navigation Code for boating violations. AB 591 aims to correct this oversight.
The bill will require an officer, unless certain specified conditions exists, to permit a person arrested for the following vessel-related offenses to execute a notice containing a violator’s promise to correct the alleged violations: expired registration; failure to paint the vessel identification number on the forward half of the boat; operating a vessel propelled by an engine without possessing an operating license; failure to display registration stickers; using a recreational boat without a proper floatation device, as specified; operating a vessel without a properly serviced fire extinguisher; and having a fire extinguisher without the proper metallic name plate, as specified.
