Page 10 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2025 Hanson Milone Safe Boating Act signed into law B OSTON — On Wednesday, January 8, 2025 Governor Maura Healey signed a safe boater bill establishing a boater education program. The bill is the HansonMilone Act (S3011 Amendment to H4941). This legislation will mandate that boat operators in the Commonwealth obtain a boater safety certifi cate. The legislation was fi rst drafted over ten years ago by previous State Rep. Thomas Calter. It was most recently sponsored and championed by Rep. Kathleen LaNatra (Democrat 12th Plymouth) and former State Senator Susan Moran. The new law will require all who operate a boat in the Commonwealth fi rst to pass a boater safety test and be issued a boater safety certificate, which must be present on the boat being operated at all times. The legislation provides certain exemptions to the requirements for individuals such as merchant mariners, active members of the Armed Forces who are qualified to operate motorboats, or students of a secondary or maritime school or college who operate motorboats as part of instruction. Individuals who previously possessed a boater safety certifi cate will not be required to receive another certifi cate or retake an examination. There are also inclusions for reciprocity for boaters with NASBLA-approved certifi cates from other states or MA boaters who already have a boater safety certifi cate. Massachusetts Marine Trades Association Executive Director Randall Lyons — “The signing of the Hanson Milone safe boating bill provides a gateway to further education for the recreational boating industry in Massachusetts, leading to lives saved on the waterways for years to come. Thank you to many involved in passing the bill, especially Rep. LaNatra and Christopher Jean, her Chief of Staff , for their many years of working on this bill. Thank you also to Governor Healey, Lt. Governor Driscoll, Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, and Chairman Michael Rodrigues for their support and fi nal approval of the bill. An element of the new law can be directly related to a recent statistic released by the US Coast Guard — “Where instruction was known, 75% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator did not receive boating safety education”. — As the late great Paul Milone frequently said — “Safe Boating is no Accident.”. The bill is named after David Hanson, a young man who tragically lost his life in a boating accident in 2010, and Paul Milone, the late harbormaster from Weymouth who dedicated his life to boat safety and was a major proponent and advocate for this legislation. The Hanson and Milone families have been strong advocates for passing this crucial legislation and were able to participate in the offi cial announcement of the bill passing at an event at the Discover Boating New England Boat Show on Wednesday night. Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll presented the signed bill to Lisa Milone, Paul’s widow, and Eric Hanson, David’s brother. The timeline for implementation of the HansonMilone Act is as follows: • Guidance will be published by the offi ce of law enforcement no later than October 1, 2025 • Anyone born after January 1, 1989, has until April 1, HANSON MILONE SAFE BOATING BILL PASSES Massachusetts Boaters are now safer on the waterways with the passage of the Hanson Milone Act “SAFE BOATING IS NO ACCIDENT!” THANKTHANK YOU!OU! Governor Healey, Lt. Governor Driscoll, Chairman Rodrigues, Chairman Michlewitz, Representative LaNatra, and the entire MA State Administration for helping to pass this extremely important safe boating bill 2026, to obtain their certifi - cate, provided that no operator shall be assessed a penalty until September 1, 2026. • Anyone born on or before January 1, 1989, must obtain their certifi cate before April 1, 2028. Shown above, Eric Hanson, Rep. Bruce Ayers, Rep Joan Meschino, Rep. Kathleen LaNatra, Lisa Milone, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, MMTA Boating Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jessica Giannino & Chairman James Murphy.
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