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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Bill would end reporting requirement for minor boating accidents

Mike Kane, lobbyist for the Idaho Sheriffs Association, proposes legislation to excuse boaters from reporting accidents with damage of $500 or more, in favor of a $1,500 threshhold, to match up with car accidents. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to introduce the bill. (Betsy Russell)
Mike Kane, lobbyist for the Idaho Sheriffs Association, proposes legislation to excuse boaters from reporting accidents with damage of $500 or more, in favor of a $1,500 threshhold, to match up with car accidents. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to introduce the bill. (Betsy Russell)

The Idaho Sheriff's Association says it's currently illegal for a boat operator to fail to report an accident, for a full county investigation, if the damage comes to $500 or more - and that's too low. "We are proposing $1,500, to be the same as cars," Sheriff's Association lobbyist Mike Kane told the Senate Judiciary Committee this afternoon. "It's a great imposition to the boating public to have to go through what is in the current law for very minor accidents, and also a waste of county resources," when all that's happened is "two Chris-Crafts kinda nudge each other." The committee voted unanimously to introduce the bill, with Sen. Patti-Anne Lodge, R-Huston, noting that it could save counties some money.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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