What's happening
This bill, "Aaron's Law," requires accessible ring life buoys on piers, wharfs, locks, and docks in New York's canal system.
Why it matters
Mandates life-saving equipment in high-risk areas. By requiring ring life buoys on all piers, wharfs, locks, and docks, the bill directly addresses accidental drownings and water emergencies in the canal system, potentially saving lives where quick rescue tools are most needed.
Ensures equipment is functional and accessible. The law specifies not just the presence but also the visibility (bright yellow stations), accessibility (not permanently secured), and condition (protected from weather) of life buoys, increasing the likelihood that they will be usable in an emergency.
Sets high safety standards for equipment. The bill requires that life buoys and their associated lines meet specific U.S. Coast Guard standards and be equipped with reflective tape, ensuring effectiveness and compliance with proven safety criteria.
Allows for adaptive implementation. By permitting the responsible corporation to issue further rules for locations not explicitly mentioned, the bill provides flexibility to adapt safety requirements as new risks or canal features are identified.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Life Buoys on Piers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
233
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the canal law, in relation to requiring the accessibility of ring life buoys on piers in the canal system
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as "Aaron's Law".
§ 2. The canal law is amended by adding a new section 135 to read as follows:
§ 135. Life buoys required on all piers, wharfs, locks and docks. 1. On each pier, wharf, lock and dock, as defined in section two of the navigation law, in the canal system, the corporation must locate one ring life buoy on each side of the pier, wharf, lock and dock as well as one near each external stairway leading to water. One buoy per side of the pier may be used to satisfy both of these requirements.
2. Each ring life buoy must be stowed inside a station to protect it from constant weather exposure. The station must be a bright yellow color for high visibility and allow for quick access to the ring. The ring life buoy must not be permanently secured in any way to the station, rack, or the pier.
3. Ring life buoys must meet the following qualifications:
(a) The ring life buoy shall be approved under approval series 160.050 or 160.150 for SOLAS-approved equipment or successor standards issued by the United States Coast Guard.
(b) To each ring life buoy, there shall be attached a buoyant line of at least one hundred feet in length, with a breaking strength of at least five kilonewtons force. The end of the line must not be secured to the pier.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05514-01-9
S. 233 2
(c) Each ring life buoy shall be marked with Type II reflective tape, approved under approval series 164.018.
4. The corporation may promulgate rules and regulations as to the applicability and placement of ring life buoys in locations on the canal system not covered in this section.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the canal law, in relation to requir- ing the accessibility of ring life buoys on piers in the canal system
Purpose
To provide safety equipment for all those working on and enjoying the canal system
Summary of provisions
Requires ring life buoys to be installed on each pier, wharf; lock, and Dock of the canal system.
Existing law
There is no current requirement.
Justification
On a sunny afternoon in May, Aaron Teater was sitting on a pier in on the Erie Canal, when his tackle box, full of heirloom lures given to him by his deceased grandfather who taught him how to fish, fell off the pier into the canal. Aaron dove in after it to rescue those precious memories. Icy cold water and a strong undercurrent pulled Aaron away from the pier once he retrieved his tackle box, eventually leading to his drowning.
Aaron did not have any life saving equipment or flotation devices on him or with him as he was sitting on the pier fishing and there were none in sight on the pier. This legislation would require ring life buoys to be located on every pier, wharf, lock, and dock to be used as emergency equipment in the event that anyone who, like Aaron, may fall into the Canal while working on or enjoying the historic canal system.
Legislative history
2017-2018: S.1860 (Valesky)/A.5990 (Magee)
08/12/16 REFERRED TO RULES
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
180 days from which it became law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.