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Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont requires life jackets on open vessel decks during cold weather months
Last action · February 11, 2025: Read first time and referred to the Committee on TransportationSponsor: Golrang Garofano
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What This Bill Would Do
Vermont requires all individuals on an open deck of a to wear a properly secured U.S. Coast Guard-approved from November 1 through May 1, starting July 1, 2025.
Boaters on Vermont waterways face a new mandatory safety requirement during cold months, carrying potential legal consequences for non-compliance while exempting commercial s.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
boaters
Boaters must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device on open decks between November 1 and May 1.
commercial vessel operators
U.S. Coast Guard-inspected commercial vessels are explicitly exempt from the cold weather personal flotation device requirement.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must wear a personal flotation device under this bill?
Are commercial boats exempt from this rule?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Feb 11, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time and referred to the Committee on Transportation
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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