Wisconsin New Spotter Law Needing Support

[RedOwl]

13 hours ago, Sixball said:

I tried the verbiage when we got nailed. The LEO knew the law. He asked if we were practicing for a tournament.  I was honest No. are you A  certified driver, No. guess what I got.    He did comment on a nice boat and asked if the registration was correct. He thought it was a new boat. Seven or eight years old at the time. 

Stoopid ?:

If you were a certified driver (tournaments, ski teams, etc) but were just out with family and friends for the day, would that certification get you a pass on the PFD issue?

*I always assumed it wouldn't - but I don't know

Edited March 2, 2017 by RedOwl

[Sixball]

I have not looked to see if the law is different on the PDF in organized events.  I don't recall seeing any carve outs.

[minnmarker]

I emailed the State Senator and Representative for my cabin's district.  Got a nice quick reply.  Hoping they get it passed.

[RedOwl]

I just spoke w/ Rep. Mursau and I think this bill has legs.

[UWSkier]

Emailed my reps as well

[onwi]

The bill's mirror, Assembly Bill 100 has been introduced and sent to the Assembly Committee on Environment and Forestry.  Rep. Mursau is the chair of that committee.  So just as RedOwl did, please contact Rep. Mursau to ensure the bill does not linger in committee.  Did rep Mursau give you any specifics on timeline for review, @RedOwl? 

Edited March 2, 2017 by onwi

[RedOwl]

2 hours ago, onwi said:

The bill's mirror, Assembly Bill 100 has been introduced and sent to the Assembly Committee on Environment and Forestry.  Rep. Mursau is the chair of that committee.  So just as RedOwl did, please contact Rep. Mursau to ensure the bill does not linger in committee.  Did rep Mursau give you any specifics on timeline for review, @RedOwl? 

He didn't give me specifics on dates, but he did tell me that the bill would move along quickly - despite the fact that he didn't believe it actually belonged in his committee (and I personally agree with him).

Just two things to remember when you contact Jeff:

1) He is a certified driver for a waterski team and is passionate about the sport and growth of the industry

2) Be nice to his aid(es): like many offices, secretaries/assistants/aides are the ones who make the world go 'round.

 

[onwi]

4 hours ago, RedOwl said:

Just two things to remember when you contact Jeff:

1) He is a certified driver for a waterski team and is passionate about the sport and growth of the industry

2) Be nice to his aid(es): like many offices, secretaries/assistants/aides are the ones who make the world go 'round.

 

That's great information.  And I fully agree with #2.  For everyone's information - Zach in Senator Moulton's office (author) has been very helpful.

[minnmarker]

Here's what I received back from Rep. Jarchow, the Bills author:

"Mark, Thanks so much for the support. I am the author of this bill and am looking forward to it being signed into law someday. When this bill comes up in committee, we will need people to come to Madison and testify or provide written testimony. Please let me know if you are willing to do one of those things. That makes a huge difference in getting bills passed. All the best, Rep. Jarchow"

Unfortunately, I am not a Wisconsin resident (voter), but one of you well spoken Madison area crew members could help a lot by testifying for the Bill.

Rep Jarchow's email address is: [email protected]

Thanks!

[Woodski]

Perhaps if non WI residents are interested in a similar bill for their state, Rep. Jarchow would be willing to assist your local representative.  Given the information he has provided or was gleaned, he has expertise and knowledge of the industry / sport and has introduced a bill that is thoughtfully considered and researched.

[UWSkier]

2 hours ago, minnmarker said:

Here's what I received back from Rep. Jarchow, the Bills author:

"Mark, Thanks so much for the support. I am the author of this bill and am looking forward to it being signed into law someday. When this bill comes up in committee, we will need people to come to Madison and testify or provide written testimony. Please let me know if you are willing to do one of those things. That makes a huge difference in getting bills passed. All the best, Rep. Jarchow"

Unfortunately, I am not a Wisconsin resident (voter), but one of you well spoken Madison area crew members could help a lot by testifying for the Bill.

Rep Jarchow's email address is: [email protected]

Thanks!

I'm a bit over an hour away and will be onsite for the committee session if I can.  I emailed Rep Jarchow and asked to be notified when the public hearing will be.

[Sixball]

50 minutes ago, Woodski said:

Perhaps if non WI residents are interested in a similar bill for their state, Rep. Jarchow would be willing to assist your local representative.  Given the information he has provided or was gleaned, he has expertise and knowledge of the industry / sport and has introduced a bill that is thoughtfully considered and researched.

So should we look and see if we could find a sponger ?    Just what I need is to get involved with more politics and comity's.  As busy as many of our lakes get I could see it tied to a time or activate level.  But then a poor tug driver is a poor tug driver no matter!  

[MalibuNation]

If this passes maybe we should try to get the same law passed here in MI using WI and MN as an example.  Anyone game?

[granddaddy55]

On 2/25/2017 at 11:52 AM, ksdaoski said:

Without a doubt, with or without a spotter, you need to be responsible on the water.  I'm reviewing my mirror pretty regularly while driving and pulling, just like I would while driving a car, checking my cars and remaining aware of my surroundings.  

While not official here's a list of states that currently do not require a spotter, and they seem to get along fine:

Florida

Texas

Minnesota

Louisiana

Missouri

Tennessee

South Carolina

Arkansas

Virginia 

Mostly common sense "suthen" states I note, with a "sprinkln" of Yankees thrown in "fa gud meshuh"

[onwi]

The senate bill will have a public comment hearing THIS THURSDAY at 9 am.  Listed location is 900 400 Southeast.  I assume this is a room at the Capitol building.  I just received this information.  Very last minute, but I hope we can get some people there.  

Edited March 7, 2017 by onwi
Correcting location - thanks to RedOwl below

[RedOwl]

8 minutes ago, onwi said:

The senate bill will have a public comment hearing THIS THURSDAY at 9 am.  Listed location is 900 Southeast.  I assume this is a room at the Capitol building.  I just received this information.  Very last minute, but I hope we can get some people there.  

I think it's 400 SE: http://committeeschedule.legis.wisconsin.gov/?committeeID=1762&viewType=List&filter=Upcoming

Senator Tiffany out of Rhinelander is a former owner of a dining/excursion/river boat in northern WI and should be open to this legislation. Keep in mind that Mursau is a representative in Tiffany's district and what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

 

[jrvs23]

Anyone know how the vote went yesterday?

[footndale]

Just now, jrvs23 said:

Anyone know how the vote went yesterday?

I heard it went well and a change might be in place for weekends and Holidays. No spotter needed except on weekends and holidays. 

Assembly bill meeting later this month.

[granddaddy55]

22 minutes ago, footndale said:

I heard it went well and a change might be in place for weekends and Holidays. No spotter needed except on weekends and holidays. 

Assembly bill meeting later this month.

That means you lost, patrol typicality in budget woes of gov only patrols the weekend and holidays in our state, we could cheat during the week as they are never there but in a common sense state like LA we have the mirror rule, sorry but that shows the bills sponsors are typical gutless politicians 

Edited March 10, 2017 by granddaddy55

[onwi]

43 minutes ago, footndale said:

I heard it went well and a change might be in place for weekends and Holidays. No spotter needed except on weekends and holidays. 

Assembly bill meeting later this month.

There was no vote yesterday.  Just a public hearing and testimony.  About 5 people, myself included, came out in support of the bill. 2 people showed up against the bill.  The Senators in the room were fully on the side of approving the law, as there are verifiable statistics that show that Minnesota has less boating accidents related to towed sports.  Lake Geneva patrol and a family from the area were the speakers who came out against the bill.  Lake Geneva believes the current law is common sense and the family thought people are currently unsafe.  There has been no discussion related to changing the times for the usage of a mirror.

[onwi]

That said, there will be another public hearing. This time it will be for the Assembly bill.  The bill's authors feel that Geneva may try and show up for that hearing with a larger group.  The Assembly requires public testimony to keep things moving.  The senate meeting felt last minute, but if we can get more people to come out and speak in support it would go a long way.  We have to show that there are people just as interested in passage as their are people willing to provide anecdotal emotional arguments against.

Written testimony would be helpful as well.  

[footndale]

13 minutes ago, onwi said:

That said, there will be another public hearing. This time it will be for the Assembly bill.  The bill's authors feel that Geneva may try and show up for that hearing with a larger group.  The Assembly requires public testimony to keep things moving.  The senate meeting felt last minute, but if we can get more people to come out and speak in support it would go a long way.  We have to show that there are people just as interested in passage as their are people willing to provide anecdotal emotional arguments against.

Written testimony would be helpful as well.  

Thanks for the update. If you by chance are connected with the show ski community, please get this information out.

 

[RedOwl]

3 hours ago, granddaddy55 said:

That means you lost, patrol typicality in budget woes of gov only patrols the weekend and holidays in our state, we could cheat during the week as they are never there but in a common sense state like LA we have the mirror rule, sorry but that shows the bills sponsors are typical gutless politicians 

With all due respect - I believe you are quite wrong. The legislative process wasn't designed for brave legislators to impose their will upon a legislature or the people they represent. Politicians aren't elected to be leaders - they are elected to be representatives in this Republic. It is silly to take a shot at an elected body because you dislike the concept of a proposed amendment. Someone had a different idea - someone wanted to tweak the recipe - and now the bill authors, constituents and sponsors will get to decide if they embrace those changes or not.
We as a people get to decide if we support the changes or not and we are free to offer our voice(s). 

Edited March 10, 2017 by RedOwl

[Sixball]

5 hours ago, footndale said:

I heard it went well and a change might be in place for weekends and Holidays. No spotter needed except on weekends and holidays. 

Assembly bill meeting later this month.

 I could see that working.  The weekends on our lake are a time I would not for the most part put anyone behind my boat. We ski early in the morning before most boaters even hit the water. We are out of the water and enjoying the show from shore if traffic picks up. At heavy boat traffic  times even I like more eyes.  

[jrvs23]

Doesn't the bill state that it can still be up to the local ordinances to decide what is best for "their" body of water. Why would Geneva or anyone else battle the bill as a whole? They could simply put rules in place for them. I know I wouldn't put anyone behind a boat on that lake on a weekend anyway.