GOVERNOR'S VETO EXPLANATION

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, I am vetoing House Bill 2237.

If this bill were to become law, it would lead to disparate and multiple local regulation on a given river or body of water and add unnecessary inconvenience to the enjoyment of the boating public. Such a law could create a patchwork of varying ordinances which would confuse boaters and law enforcement officials.

If the intent of the bill is to control wake, the speed of the boat does not always equate to the wake generated; depending on the usage of the boat, slower boats may create larger wakes. Localities can currently enact and control wake problems without regard to the element of speed per se. Further, there is another bill which I have signed which directly addresses the issue of wake control (HB 2880).

This bill would impose significant expense on boaters and public agencies by requiring a specific speed determination for operation and enforcement. Unlike cars, most boats do not have speedometers and those that do are notoriously inaccurate. Likewise, water law enforcement generally does not have radar or other accurate speed measuring equipment for the boating environment.

Accordingly, I am disapproving this bill.