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Bill to give more teeth to boating safety law
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Posted on Oct 03 2004
The CNMI House of Representatives has passed legislation giving boating safety officers the authority to issue citations for violations.
Introduced by Rep. Claudio K. Norita, House Bill 14-216 will allow boating safety officers to issue citations to erring boat operators, as traffic enforcers do to violators of traffic rules.
The bill was passed upon the recommendation of the House Committee on Judicial and Governmental Operations, which noted that the bill would provide convenience to boaters by giving them the option to pay the fine without having to appear before a judge.
“The Legislature finds that boat operators are burdened by having to appear before a judge for all violations, including minor infractions of Boating Safety Regulations,” a portion of the measure read.
The bill added, “Having to appear before a judge for all violations is cumbersome for boat operators and places an extra burden on the CNMI’s already overextended court calendar. Although boat operators are willing to pay such fines and are eager to comply with Boating Safety Regulations, they are often reluctant and find it unnecessary to appear before a judge for minor violations.”
Under the bill, boat operators may be able to pay their fines to the clerk of court, similar to that of a traffic citation and other payable offenses. Such offenses, however, should be limited to violations subject to fines not more than $250, and do not include offenses resulting in an accident. (Agnes E. Donato)
