This presentation tackles the exciting subject of reciprocity. What do I mean when I say “Reciprocity”? Today I am specifically discussing how states address boater education requirements for people visiting their state and recreating on their waters.

1. State Reciprocity for
Boating Safety
Education
The Reciprocity Challenge

4. If Ed comes to Florida with
his NASBLA boating safety
course completion card from
Louisiana – can he operate a
boat in Florida?
What if he travels to
Rhode Island?

5. Provide models and standards that foster
best practices and uniformity among the
states and territories.

6. 2014 Education and Outreach
Subcommittee
 How do states treat boating visitors
to their state
 Are there enough similarities
between the states commonalities
for NASBLA to formulate a general
recommendation on how states’
address visiting boaters?

8. 2014 Reciprocity Survey

12. Question 11: Does your state exempt NON-
RESIDENTS from having to meet your state's
mandatory boating education requirements?
6.5%
30.4%
63.0%
Yes, always
Yes, with limitations
(explain limitations
below)
No

13. Question 14: If applicable, what information is
required on an out-of-state education
certificate for acceptance in your state?
 Various responses include:
 The NASBLA approval logo
 Operator photograph, name, DOB,
issuing state
 Course provider if not state issued
 Physical characteristics

14. Question 17: Does your state accept Canada's
Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) to meet
your mandatory education requirement?
40.0%
24.4%
35.6%
Yes, always
Yes, with limitations
(explain limitations
below)
No

15. Question 18: Does your state accept a boating
education certificate from another country,
other than Canada, to meet your mandatory
education requirement (i.e., certificate issued
under United Nations Resolution 40)?
16.7%
38.1%
45.2%
Yes, always
Yes, with limitations
(explain limitations
below)
No

17. Question 3: “If a boater can produce proof of having
successfully completed any NASBLA-approved
boating education course, then that boater’s education
course completion will be considered acceptable when
operating a boat in any other state.”
73%
15%
7%
6% I support this draft statement
as written.
I support this draft statement
in concept, but believe the
language should be revised
(explain below).
I neither support nor oppose
this draft statement as written.
I do not support this draft
statement as written (explain
below).

18. Top 10
Lakes in the US (By Surface Area)

19. Top 10
Lakes in the US (By Surface Area)
 Lake Superior
 Lake Huron
 Lake Michigan
 Lake Erie
 Lake Ontario
 Great Salt Lake
 Lake of the Woods (Minnesota)
 Iliamna Lake (Alaska)
 Lake Oahe (North Dakota and South Dakota)
 Lake Okeechobee (Florida)

21. National Boaters Survey from 2012 (Fact
Sheet from 2015)
 15.4% of 3,584 million exposure hours were
spent on out-of-state boats (550 million
exposure hours)
 Boating Accident data from the BARD
database revealed that 18.4% of the boat
operators involved in boating accidents
reside outside of the state where the
accident took place.

24. Next Steps
2015 NASBLA Committee Work
 Finalize NASBLA membership position (white
paper) on reciprocity for Visiting Boaters
 Update NASBLA Mandatory Education Model Act to
reflect this position
 Reciprocity statement for visiting boaters for states
with existing mandatory education to consider
 Interactive Reciprocity Map for NASBLA reference
materials (on NABLA website)

25. Things to Watch For
USCG Trust Fund Re-Authorization Act for 2016
 Would put in place a national recreational vessel
operator education requirement
 Specifies that “an operator of a vessel with a
certificate, card, or other proof of successful
completion, issued by the appropriate State
agency in the State in which the vessel is
numbered, then such operator shall be entitled to
operate lawfully such vessel equipped in any
State.”

27. Let’s make it easy
on Ed.
Let’s tell Ed, that as
long as he has a
NASBLA approved
boating safety
course completion
card, he can visit
any state and boat
with confidence that
he will have a great
vacation!