05-19-2005, 03:48 PM
ST. PAUL, MN— A new life jacket requirement for children under 10 years of age was signed into law by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty earlier this month and went into effect May 6. Called the "Grant Allen Law," the law was named in memory of a child who drowned after falling out of his father's boat in 2003.
The law requires that a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket be worn by children younger than 10 years of age in boats that are underway or otherwise not tied to a dock or permanent mooring.
Children, however, aren't required to wear a life jacket if they're in a boat's enclosed cabin or below decks, or on an anchored boat that's being used as a platform for swimming or diving. Also, children aboard commercial or charter vessels with a licensed captain are exempt.
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The law requires that a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket be worn by children younger than 10 years of age in boats that are underway or otherwise not tied to a dock or permanent mooring.
Children, however, aren't required to wear a life jacket if they're in a boat's enclosed cabin or below decks, or on an anchored boat that's being used as a platform for swimming or diving. Also, children aboard commercial or charter vessels with a licensed captain are exempt.
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