[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 606

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED JANUARY 29, 1996

 

 

By Senator SCHLUTER

 

 

An Act establishing an Advisory Council on Delaware River Power Boating and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. The Legislature finds and declares that 1[:

    a.]1 the Delaware River offers both scenic beauty and recreational opportunities;

    1[b.] that1 the use of power boats, especially personal watercraft, on the Delaware River from Trenton northward has increased markedly in recent years;

    1[c.]that1 this activity often competes with the ability of persons to engage in other forms of recreation on the river;

    1[d.] and that1 the noise generated by certain vessels, in particular by multiple personal watercraft engaged in repetitive maneuvers, is sometimes disturbing to visitors, local residents and business owners in the municipalities along the Delaware 1[; and

    e.].

    The Legislature therefore determines that1 there is a need to create an advisory council to study options for using the river which balance the interest of power boaters and jetskiers in operating their vessels and the interest of other persons in quiet enjoyment of the Delaware River.

 

    2. There is hereby established an Advisory Council on Delaware River Power Boating. The advisory council shall consist of 1[17]131 members. 1[Four] Three1 public members shall be appointed by the President of the Senate. 1[Four] Three1 public members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly. In making appointments, the President and the Speaker shall consult with, and accept recommendations from, members of the Senate and the General Assembly who represent legislative districts which border on the Delaware River from Trenton northward. 1[Nine] Seven1 members shall be appointed by the Governor as follows: three public members, 1[two officials] one official1 of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 1[two officials] one official1 of 1a1 law enforcement 1[agencies] agency1 having jurisdiction over power boating 1[and two persons], one person1 who 1[are] is1 engaged in the manufacture, sale or distribution of power boats 1[or] and one person1 who 1[are owners] is an owner1 or 1[operators] operator1 of 1a1 power 1[boats] boat1. Public members of the advisory council shall have an active interest in the Delaware River and in issues relating to the effects of power boating thereon. Persons holding elective public office in the counties and municipalities bordering on the river may be appointed to the council by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly or the Governor to serve as public members of the advisory council. The advisory council shall organize as soon as possible after the appointment of its members. The members shall select one person from among the members of the advisory council to serve as the chairperson thereof. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the advisory council shall serve without compensation but, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the advisory council, shall be eligible for reimbursement of necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

 

    3. It shall be the duty of the advisory council to study the use of power boats, and especially personal watercraft, on the Delaware River from Trenton northward and the impact of this activity on persons who engage in other forms of recreation on the river or who visit, live or work in the municipalities along the river. The advisory council shall make recommendations to the Legislature, to the boating regulatory agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and to other State or local officials, as appropriate, concerning ways in which the interests of power boaters and of other persons can best be balanced so that all can share in the scenic, recreational and other uses of the Delaware River.

 

    4. The advisory council may meet and hold hearings at any place or places it shall designate during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature. The commission may meet with any similar body created by the State of Pennsylvania for the purpose of exchanging views, analyzing problems and making recommendations, with the goal of encouraging both states to establish uniform boating policies and enforcement procedures.


    5. The advisory council may request the assistance and services of the employees of any State, county or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, task force or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes. It may also, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the advisory council for its purposes, employ stenographic and clerical assistants and incur travel and miscellaneous expenses necessary for the performance of its duties.

 

    6. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

                             

Establishes an Advisory Council on Delaware River Power Boating.