Gov. Cuomo signs Brianna’s Law Requiring Boater Safety Courses and One-Time Test

ALBANY — A new law aimed at making New York’s waterways safer has brought a sense of closure to a grieving Long Island mother.

Gov. Cuomo signed Brianna’s Law on Tuesday, a measure requiring all boaters take a safety course and exam before they take the helm. It is named after 11-year-old Brianna Lieneck, from Deer Park, who was killed in a boating accident in 2005.

Brianna’s mother, Gina Lieneck, has been fighting for tighter boating safety regulations since she lost her daughter.

“Today’s bill signing speaks to the power of many things, but none so significant as the power of what can happen when good people come together to keep their community safe,” Lieneck said at a signing ceremony on Long Island. “While our family still grieves the loss of our beloved daughter and sister the hope of knowing that no one else will feel what we feel shines bright.”

The law requires anyone who operates a mechanically propelled vessel in state navigable waters to complete an eight hour boating safety course. There is a five-year phase-in to allow boaters plenty of time to comply with the new requirement.

A prior law only required safety courses for those born after May 1, 1996.

“Boating has become much more popular and our rules and our laws really have not kept pace with it,” Cuomo said. “There should be a basic level of knowledge that you have before you’re given the permission to go out there and operate a boat, and making a safety course mandatory is common sense.”

The bill was approved by Democrats in both chambers earlier this year after stalling in the Republican-led Senate last year.

Sen. John Brooks (D-Suffolk), the bill’s senate sponsor, said he is confident the legislation will make New York’s waterways safer.

“We must all recognize how critically important boating safety is to our waterways and I am confident that the training associated with this law will save lives,” he said.