HB3020 S JUDICIARY AM #1

Baker x7816

    The Committee on the Judiciary moved to amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

    That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §20-9-1, §20-9-2, §20-9-3, §20-9-4, §20-9-5 and §20-9-6, all to read as follows:

ARTICLE 9. BOAT DOCK AND MARINA SAFETY REQUIREMENTS -- THE MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM ACT.

§20-9-1. Definitions.

    As used in this article:

    (1) "ABYC" means the American Boat and Yacht Council;

    (2) "Boat dock" means a man-made structure that protrudes into a body of water for the purpose of mooring a boat or for other water-related recreation, including boat liveries, and that is connected to an electrical power source in any manner: Provided, That “boat dock” does not include structures that are privately owned and used exclusively by the owner or the owner’s guests for non-commercial purposes;

    (3) "Boat dock or marina owner or operator" means any person who:

    (A) Has an ownership interest in a boat dock or marina, other than a lienholder; or

    (B) Operates a boat dock or marina;

    (4) "Ground fault circuit interrupter" means a device that functions to de-energize a circuit, or a portion thereof, within an established period of time when current to ground exceeds a predetermined value that is less than required to operate the over current protective device of the supply circuit;

    (5) "Marina" means a dock including a boat dock or basin providing moorings for motorboats and offering supply, repair or other services, including electrical power supply, for remuneration: Provided, That “marina” does not include docks that are privately owned and used exclusively by the owner or the owner’s guests for non-commercial purposes;

    (6) "Motorboat" means any vessel propelled by an electrical, steam, gas, diesel or other propelled or driven motor, whether or not the motor is the principal source of propulsion, but does not include a vessel with a valid marine document issued by the United States Bureau of Customs or any federal agency that is the successor to the Bureau of Customs;

    (7) "Person" means an individual, partnership, firm, corporation, association or other entity; and

    (8) "Vessel" means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on the water.

§20-9-2. Boat Dock and Marina Safety Requirements - Swimming               and Signage.

    All boat dock or marina owners or operators shall install permanent safety signage with print legible at eighty feet of distance and placed to give adequate notice, to persons using the boat dock or marina or swimming near the boat dock or marina, of the electric shock hazard risks of the waters around the boat dock or marina. The signage shall state: “ELECTRIC SHOCK HAZARD RISK: NO SWIMMING WITHIN 100 YARDS OF THE BOAT DOCK”.

§20-9-3. Boat Dock and Marina Safety Requirements-Electrical Shock and Electrocution.

    (a) All boat dock or marina owners or operators shall comply with the following requirements to prevent electrical shock, electrocution or injury to users of their facilities and the surrounding areas:

    (1) All electrical wiring involving 110 AC or 220 AC shall be installed by and maintained by a holder of a valid West Virginia journeyman electrician license or master electrician license in accordance with the most recently adopted versions of the National Fire Protection Association's Standards for Marinas and Boatyards (NFPA 303) and the National Electric Code (NFPA 70);

    (2) Install ground fault circuit interrupters on all boat dock and marina electrical wiring circuits; and

    (3) Cause annual inspection by a West Virginia licensed electrical inspector of all sources of electrical supply, including ship-to-shore power pedestals, submergible pumps, and sewage pump-out facilities, that could result in unsafe electrical current in the water: Provided, That the inspection required by this subdivision be done between January 1 and May 1 each year.

§20-9-4. Compliance date and Enforcement.

    Each boat dock and marina shall be in full compliance with this article by August 1, 2014. The penalties contained in section seven of this article apply only to conduct on or after August 1, 2014. Enforcement of sections three and four of this article regarding the work of electricians shall be conducted by the State Fire Marshal.

§20-9-5. Rule-making Authority.

    The State Fire Marshal may promulgate emergency rules pursuant to the provisions of section fifteen, article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code and shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to implement the provisions of this article and incorporate boat dock and marina safety standards for electricians, including but not limited to the National Fire Protection Association's Standards for Marinas and Boatyards (NFPA 303), Article 555 of the National Electric Code and ABYC Standards Projects E-2, E-10 and E-11, as appropriate to the West Virginia waterways.

§20-9-6. Penalties.

    (a) A boat dock or marina owner or operator who violates sections two or three of this article and the violation does not result in the injury or death of a person, shall, for the first offense, be issued a warning citation with no court appearance or penalty, and for a second or subsequent offense, be fined $100. After a boat dock or marina owner or operator is put on notice of a violation of sections two or three of this article and is directed to cure the violation within a certain amount of time, each and every day that the violation continues after the time given to cure shall constitute a separate offense.

    (b) A boat dock or marina owner or operator who violates sections two or three of this article, and the violation results in the injury of a person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $500, and for a second offense or subsequent offense shall be fined not more than $1,000 or confined in jail for not more than six months, or both fined and confined.

    (c) A boat dock or marina owner who violates sections two or three of this article, and the violation results in the death of a person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction, shall fined not more than $1,000 or confined in jail for not more than one year, or both fined and confined. 

Adopted

Rejected