Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) recently announced that a bill he sponsored to extend a state law authorizing the operation of personal watercraft without a boating safety certificate was signed into law (Ch. 169 of 2021). The law was set to expire in January 2021, and Jones’ bill will extend its expiration and repealer to January 2023.

“COVID-19 hit upstate New York’s tourism industry hard, as many people chose to forgo traveling or taking vacations due to health and safety concerns,” Assemblyman Jones said. “However, now that COVID cases have significantly dropped and restrictions have eased, folks are starting to hit the road again. Extending this law will help provide livery operators with a critical source of revenue by allowing them to lease their equipment to people vacationing in the area and stimulate tourism as the North Country’s economy continues to recover.”

Jones’ bill extends a state law that allows person over 18 years of age to operate a personal watercraft or specialty prop-craft without a certificate when such operation is restricted by the operator of a livery to a specified area. While the law expired on Jan. 1, 2021, Jones’ legislation extends the provision until January of 2023. This two-year sunset provides the legislature with an opportunity to monitor the practice and its benefits for the industry and consumers. Extending this law to make boating more accessible to visitors will provide communities that depend on tourist revenue with a much-needed boost, especially after the financial challenges brought about by the pandemic, Jones noted.