The N.C. General Assembly will consider two bills this session that would bring relief to recreational and tournament anglers who tow their boats on the state’s highways.
The bills, Senate Bill 1695 and House Bill 2408, would relax time and travel restrictions for some over-width boats and trailers (wider than 102 inches).
During the past year, the N.C. Highway Patrol has been stopping and ticketing over-wide recreational boats and issuing citations to drivers and sometimes requiring them to pay large fines and purchase costly additional licenses before they could move their boats.
State law also has banned the towing of large boats on Sundays and at night, creating hardships for anglers, particularly those who live out of the state and need to return home following tournaments or weekend anglers who plan to travel on Sundays.
Opponents of recently-increased boat-towing enforcement have noted the practice may negatively affect all sections of N.C.’s marine industry, along with coastal, lakeside and riverside economies that depend upon visiting anglers who may not wish to return to North Carolina if required to purchase thousands of dollars of additional towing licenses.
A study has shown no significant number of accidents caused by the towing of over-wide boat trailers.
The bill would eliminate the requirement for a Class A operator’s license to tow a GVWR of 26,000 pounds or a trailer with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds. Owners of boats of less than 120 inches in width could tow their boats at night, but boats wider than 120 inches couldn’t be towed at night.
The bill initially eliminated the costly permit for boats between 102 and 120 inches and only required permits for boats wider than 120 inches (which still will not be allowed to be towed at night). However, the permit provision was re-inserted by the Finance Committee.
The bill rewrites Section 1, General Statute 20-7(a)(3) to read as rewritten that a Class C license authorizes the holder to drive “a combination of motor vehicles that has a combined actual weight of less than 26,001 pounds, and includes as part of the combination a boat and boat trailer, or a boat trailer.”
Section 7. G.S. 20-116 was amended by adding a new subsection to read: “Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the towing of any boat or boat trailer in excess of 102 inches in width shall require a permit to be issued pursuant to the requirements of G.S. 20-119 and may take place on any day of the week, including weekends and holidays, and may take place at night. With a properly issued permit, the towing of any boat or boat trailer of 120 inches or more in width may take place on any day of the week, including weekends and holidays, but shall not take place at night.”
The Senate bill was sponsored by Sen. Clark Jenkins and co-sponsored by Senators Jean Preston, Jerry Tillman and Julia Boseman and currently is before the Senate Finance Committee.
Anyone wishing to offer support for Senate Bill 1695 may contact the following senators on the Finance Committee and tell them why it’s important to N.C. citizens and businesses that the legislature adopt the bill:
Co-chairmen: Daniel G. Clodfelter; David W. Hoyle; John H. Kerr III.
Vice chairmen: Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr.; Larry Shaw.
Members: Charles W. Albertson, Austin M. Allran, Tom Apodaca, Bob Atwater, Philip E. Berger, Harris Blake, Julia Boseman, Andrew C. Brock, Harry Brown, Peter S. Brunstetter, Janet Cowell, Walter H. Dalton, Charlie S. Dannelly, Linda Garrou, W. Edward (Eddie) Goodall, Steve Goss, Kay R. Hagan, Neal Hunt, Clark Jenkins, Eleanor Kinnaird, Floyd B.
McKissick, Jr., Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr., Jean Preston, William R. Purcell, Joe Sam Queen, Tony Rand, Fred Smith, R. C. Soles, Jr., Richard Stevens, A. B Swindell, Jerry W. Tillman, David F. Weinstein.
The N.C. General Assembly home page is at http://www.ncga.state.nc.us . Contact numbers, including e-mail addresses, for senators and representatives are available at that web site.
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