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The legislation honors the memory of Brianna Lieneck, an 11-year-old Long Island girl whose life was tragically cut short in a boating accident in 2005. The incident involved a 25-foot boat, operated by an unlicensed individual, colliding with a boat carrying Brianna and her family. Since then, Gina Lieneck, Brianna's mother, has become an active advocate for mandatory boating licenses.
"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. He cited a USCG report from 2020 that revealed a startling statistic: untrained boat operators were implicated in 77% of fatal recreational boating accidents nationwide.
Between 2012 and 2021, USCG records indicate that boating accidents have claimed the lives of 6,477 people. Furthermore, alcohol has been identified as contributing to 15 boating deaths in New York state since 2018.
Representative LaLota added, "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." Meanwhile, Representative D'Esposito also affirmed the significance of the federal government's role in ensuring boater safety, spotlighting the preventable tragedies resulting from intoxicated boaters.
Gina Lieneck shared her heart-wrenching personal experience and called upon Congress members to support the Brianna Lieneck Boating Safety Act of 2023. "Understanding the ins and outs of boater's safety protects your family," she said. "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."
The Act specifically calls for a comprehensive study and subsequent report on recreational vessel operator training. The resulting report would cover existing training programs, steps taken by USCG and NASBLA to advocate for mandatory operator training, the minimum standards for operator education, the administration of a federal boating education program, and the extent of its applicability to all state waters.