Bill Would Lower Limit for Boating Under the Influence

Wyoming lawmakers took another step toward lowering the state’s legal limit for boating under the influence of alcohol.

The proposal, which earlier cleared the Senate 25-5, passed a second reading in the Wyoming House yesterday on a voice vote.

Cody Representative Sandy Newsome says that Wyoming’s current blood-alcohol limit for boating under the influence is 0.1 percent. The bill would reduce the threshold for driving a motorboat to 0.08 percent, the same as Wyoming’s legal limit for driving under the influence.

There was some debate whether to exempt people using unpowered watercraft and small motorboats – however, state representatives ultimately decided not to include such an exemption, as some argued that operating even the smallest watercraft under the influence can be dangerous.

The bill will be up for a third and final vote in the Wyoming House.