Senate Bill 431 relative to wake surfing did not pass

Senate President Bradley:
− Senator Ricciardi moves that the Senate non-concur with the House amendment on Senate Bill 431.
− Senator Ricciardi for discussion.
Senator Ricciardi ((R) District 9, and Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee)):
− Thank you, Mr. President.
− I rise to ask my colleagues to maintain the Senate position on Senate Bill 431 relative to wake surfing and nonconcur with the House amendment.
− The Senate position balanced all interests.
− Those of safety, education, enforcement, the environment, and the economy.
− We passed a specific 200-foot setback and additional education for the sport of wake surfing.
− The House amendment increased the set-back to 300 feet.
− This will create less area for the popular water sport that will cause more dangerous and unsafe conditions on
our waterways.
− This whole debate has made more boaters aware of the problems of going too close to shore.
− With additional education on best practices that come from our state’s marinas, businesses, and tourism leaders
and the Department of Safety we should see improved operation on the waterways.
− Should this issue come back in the future, it would behoove all stakeholders to work together towards a
compromise.
− The continued division among shorefront owners and boaters needs to come to an end.
− The waterways are for everyone.
− It’s time to get along.
− Please vote in favor of the motion to non-concur.
Senate President Bradley:
− Thank you, Senator Ricciardi.
− Senator Watters.
Senator Watters (D) District 4:
− Thank you, Mr. President.
− This is a tough bill.
− I wish we’d gone to Committee of Conference on it.
− I do appreciate, very much, the leadership of the Chair of Senate Transportation and you, Mr. President, and
others who have worked on this.
− It’s not an issue that’s going to go away since other states around us have now gone to a 500-foot limit.
− I think we have the opportunity this year to figure out what’s right for New Hampshire and how to get to a
compromise but the parties did not seem that interested in getting to a compromise, unfortunately, and so this
will be back.
− I think we learned a lot this year.
− I think we still might have found a way to get a bill this year, but I just wanted to remark that we all ought to be
ready for seeing this next year, and maybe we’ll be able to find some way to find accommodation.
− Thank you, Mr. President.
Senate President Bradley:
− Thank you, Senator Waters.
− Is there any further discussion?
− Seeing none, all in favor of the motion to non-concur, please say “Aye.”
− Opposed?
− The “Aye’s” have it.
− The Senate refuses to concur with the House on Senate Bill 431.