Suffolk Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On June 27, 2023, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) introduced The Brianna Lieneck Boating Safety Act of 2023. The legislation directs the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to study and submit to Congress a report on recreational vessel operator education and training in order to improve boating safety and reduce the number of boating accidents that occur due to untrained boat operators. Joining Rep. Garbarino as original co-sponsors of the bill are Representatives Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY-04) and Nick LaLota (R-NY-01).

The legislation is named in honor of a young girl from Long Island who was killed in a tragic boating accident. In August 2005, a 25-foot boat driven by Steven Fleisher, an air traffic controller, collided with a boat carrying 11-year-old Brianna Lieneck and her family in the Great South Bay off the coast of Bay Shore. Brianna was killed, her parents suffered severe head and facial injuries, and her sister’s arm was nearly severed. Criminal charges of boating while intoxicated were dismissed. The driver did not have a boating license. Since then, her mother, Gina Lieneck, has advocated for mandatory licenses for all boaters.

“Many Long Islanders spend their summers enjoying boating and other water activities, but if we don’t proactively prioritize safety that’s when tragedies, like the one that befell the Lieneck family, happen,” said Rep. Garbarino. “According to a 2020 USCG report, boat operators who did not receive boating safety instruction were involved in 77% of fatal recreational boating accidents nationwide. The Brianna Lieneck Boating Safety Act of 2023 will help eliminate these incidents and keep boaters on Long Island and around the country safe through education and training programs.”

According to records kept by USCG’s recreational boating statistics, there have been 6,477 deaths by boating accident from 2012-2021. Boating deaths have remained consistent across the decade, averaging between 560-760 deaths each year. USCG has determined alcohol to be a factor in 15 boating deaths in NY state since 2018. 

“As a Navy man, boater, and Long Islander, I understand that increasing boating education and safety training will go a long way to preventing injuries and fatalities like what happened to Brianna Lieneck,” said Rep. LaLota. “Our legislation will save lives and ensure that families can safely enjoy our waters. I am proud to join my Long Island colleagues in introducing this bill to keep more Americans safe.”

"Boating has long been a favorite pastime of Long Islanders as well as Americans across the country, and it is imperative that the federal government does more to ensure the safety of boaters," said Rep. D'Esposito. "Regretfully, we have seen far too many preventable deaths caused by boaters operating vessels under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In light of this history of tragedies, I am proud to co-sponsor the Brianna Lieneck Boating Safety Act of 2023, legislation that musters the capabilities of the federal government to review the current landscape of boater education programs which is an important step towards improving the programs and enhancing safety on the water." 

"I lost my beautiful daughter Brianna to a horrific boating accident 18 years ago on the great South Bay,” said Gina Lieneck. “Besides losing our precious daughter, myself and my husband were critically injured. Life changed in a matter of seconds. We lost our daughter, we almost lost our lives, and we lost everything financially. Our life has never been the same since our tragedy on August 17th 2005. Each year too many Americans are injured or killed due to preventable recreational boating accidents on our waterways. All boat operators, passengers, or concerned individuals can make a difference. Understanding the ins and outs of boater’s safety protects your family. Beginner boaters and experienced experts alike need to be familiar with the boating safety rules of operation. I never want another family to have go through what my family went through. I ask all the members of Congress to please sign on to the Brianna Lieneck Boating Safety Act of 2023.”

Specifically, The Brianna Lieneck Boating Safety Act of 2023 would require the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to study and report to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation regarding recreational vessel operator training. The study and report shall include a review of Coast Guard Auxiliary and Power Squadron training programs, existing state boating education programs, and other hands-on training programs available to recreational vessel operators. Among other things, the legislation would also require the report to include:

• A section layout steps the USCG and National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) have taken to encourage States to adopt mandatory recreational vessel operator training;
• A section outlining the minimum standards for education of recreational vessel operators;
• A section analyzing how the Coast Guard would administer a Federal boating education, training, and testing program, and;
• An analysis of the extent to which a Federal boating education, training, and testing program should be required for all waters of a State, including internal waters.

 The full text of the bill can be found here.

Original source can be found here.