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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Steve McMullen Phone: 717-783-5043 |
State Rep. Ed Staback |
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Staback: Boating under the influence bill to become law
HARRISBURG, July 5 – State Rep. Ed Staback, D-Lackawanna/Wayne, announced that a bill that he authored (H. B. 778) that gives the Fish and Boat Commission the full authority to prosecute boating under the influence in Pennsylvania was passed by the House of Representatives unanimously Tuesday. The bill had previously passed the Senate as amended.
Staback’s legislation gives the Fish and Boat Commission additional authority to combat BUI and to enforce the laws relating to it. The bill was written to coincide with Act 149 of 2006 and links enforcement regulations of boating under the influence to those of the recently revised driving under the influence law, including the lowering of the legal blood-alcohol content to 0.08 percent.
“The Fish and Boat Commission was involved at every step of the way with this legislation,” Staback said. “They, along with the Department of Health, the state police, the District Attorneys Association and several concerned advocacy groups, all contributed valuable insights and efforts in the drafting and passage of this bill.
“This legislation ties the DUI and BUI offenses together, as they have been for decades. Whether getting behind the wheel of a car or taking control of a watercraft, doing so while under the influence of alcohol is a dangerous mistake, with consequences that are too often tragic. With my bill becoming law, the penalties will now be in place to punish and hopefully prevent boating under the influence on Pennsylvania’s waterways,” Staback added.
The bill now goes to the governor for his expected signature.
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