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LD1042 • 2025

An Act to Require a Person Operating a Watercraft for Recreational Purposes to Ensure All Children Under 13 Years of Age Wear United States Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices

An Act to Require a Person Operating a Watercraft for Recreational Purposes to Ensure All Children Under 13 Years of Age Wear United States Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices

Children
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Allison Hepler
Last action
2025-05-29
Official status
Signed by the Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Require a Person Operating a Watercraft for Recreational Purposes to Ensure All Children Under 13 Years of Age Wear United States Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices

An Act to Require a Person Operating a Watercraft for Recreational Purposes to Ensure All Children Under 13 Years of Age Wear United States Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices Sponsor: Representative Allison Hepler Reference committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Governor action: Signed by the Governor

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Require a Person Operating a Watercraft for Recreational Purposes to Ensure All Children Under 13 Years of Age Wear United States Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices Sponsor: Representative Allison Hepler Reference committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Governor action: Signed by the Governor

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR0918(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR0918(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 1042 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Clerk of the House.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to H.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-29 Governor

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-05-27 House

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  3. 2025-05-27 Senate

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED , in concurrence.

  4. 2025-05-20 Committee

    Reported Out; OTP-AM

  5. 2025-04-16 Committee

    Work Session Held

  6. 2025-04-16 Committee

    Voted; OTP-AM

  7. 2025-03-20 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

  8. 2025-03-18 Committee

    Refer Approved by Chairs/Leads; REFER TO OTHER

  9. 2025-03-18 Committee

    Reported Out; REFER TO OTHER

Official Summary Text

An Act to Require a Person Operating a Watercraft for Recreational Purposes to Ensure All Children Under 13 Years of Age Wear United States Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices
Sponsor:
Representative Allison Hepler
Reference committee:
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Governor action:
Signed by the Governor

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Page 1 - 132LR0918(03)
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 671 - L.D. 1042
An Act to Require a Person Operating a Watercraft for Recreational
Purposes to Ensure All Children Under 13 Years of Age Wear United States
Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §13068-A, sub-§4, ¶A, as amended by PL 2023, c. 228, §§13
and 14, is further amended by enacting a new subparagraph (2-A) to read:
(2-A) Fails to ensure that a child who has not attained 13 years of age, including
the operator, is wearing an appropriate United States Coast Guard approved
personal flotation device while the watercraft is underway and used for recreational
purposes unless the child who has not attained 13 years of age is below decks or in
an enclosed cabin. This subparagraph does not apply to a watercraft with a United
States Coast Guard certificate of inspection.
Sec. 2. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
APPROVED
MAY 29, 2025
BY GOVERNOR
CHAPTER
148
PUBLIC LAW