H-3618.1

HOUSE BILL 2431

ByRepresentative Klippert

AN ACT Relating to criminal offenses involving watercraft; amending RCW 79A.60.010, 79A.60.040, 79A.60.050, 79A.60.060, 79A.60.190, and 46.61.506; reenacting and amending RCW 9.94A.515; adding a new section to chapter 79A.60 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 79A.60.010 and 2005 c 392 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Accredited course" means a mandatory course of instruction on boating safety education that has been approved by the commission.

(2) "Boat wastes" includes, but is not limited to, sewage, garbage, marine debris, plastics, contaminated bilge water, cleaning solvents, paint scrapings, or discarded petroleum products associated with the use of vessels.

(3) "Boater" means any person on a vessel on waters of the state of Washington.

(4) "Boater education card" means a card issued to a person who has successfully completed a boating safety education test and has paid the registration fee for a serial number record to be maintained in the commission's database.

(5) "Boating educator" means a person providing an accredited course.

(6) "Carrying passengers for hire" means carrying passengers in a vessel on waters of the state for valuable consideration, whether given directly or indirectly or received by the owner, agent, operator, or other person having an interest in the vessel. This shall not include trips where expenses for food, transportation, or incidentals are shared by participants on an even basis. Anyone receiving compensation for skills or money for amortization of equipment and carrying passengers shall be considered to be carrying passengers for hire on waters of the state.

(7) "Certificate of accomplishment" means a form of certificate approved by the commission and issued by a boating educator to a person who has successfully completed an accredited course.

(8) "Commission" means the state parks and recreation commission.

(9) "Darkness" means that period between sunset and sunrise.

(10) "Environmentally sensitive area" means a restricted body of water where discharge of untreated sewage from boats is especially detrimental because of limited flushing, shallow water, commercial or recreational shellfish, swimming areas, diversity of species, the absence of other pollution sources, or other characteristics.

(11) "Guide" means any individual, including but not limited to subcontractors and independent contractors, engaged for compensation or other consideration by a whitewater river outfitter for the purpose of operating vessels. A person licensed under RCW 77.65.480 or 77.65.440 and acting as a fishing guide is not considered a guide for the purposes of this chapter.

(12) "Marina" means a facility providing boat moorage space, fuel, or commercial services. Commercial services include but are not limited to overnight or live-aboard boating accommodations.

(13) "Motor driven boats and vessels" means all boats and vessels which are self propelled.

(14) "Motor vessel safety operating and equipment checklist" means a printed list of the safety requirements for a vessel with a motor installed or attached to the vessel being rented, chartered, or leased and meeting minimum requirements adopted by the commission in accordance with RCW 79A.60.630.

(15) "Muffler" or "muffler system" means a sound suppression device or system, including an underwater exhaust system, designed and installed to abate the sound of exhaust gases emitted from an internal combustion engine and that prevents excessive or unusual noise.

(16) "Operate" means to steer, direct, or otherwise have physical control of a vessel that is underway.

(17) "Operator" means an individual who steers, directs, or otherwise has physical control of a vessel that is underway or exercises actual authority to control the person at the helm.

(18) "Observer" means the individual riding in a vessel who is responsible for observing a water skier at all times.

(19) "Owner" means a person who has a lawful right to possession of a vessel by purchase, exchange, gift, lease, inheritance, or legal action whether or not the vessel is subject to a security interest.

(20) "Person" means any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, nonprofit corporation or organization, limited liability company, firm, association, or other legal entity located within or outside this state.

(21) "Personal flotation device" means a buoyancy device, life preserver, buoyant vest, ring buoy, or buoy cushion that is designed to float a person in the water and that is approved by the commission.

(22) "Personal watercraft" means a vessel of less than sixteen feet that uses a motor powering a water jet pump, as its primary source of motive power and that is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on, or being towed behind the vessel, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside the vessel.

(23) "Polluted area" means a body of water used by boaters that is contaminated by boat wastes at unacceptable levels, based on applicable water quality and shellfish standards.

(24) "Public entities" means all elected or appointed bodies, including tribal governments, responsible for collecting and spending public funds.

(25) (("Reckless" or "recklessly" means acting carelessly and heedlessly in a willful and wanton disregard of the rights, safety, or property of another.

(26))) "Rental motor vessel" means a motor vessel that is legally owned by a person that is registered as a rental and leasing agency for recreational motor vessels, and for which there is a written and signed rental, charter, or lease agreement between the owner, or owner's agent, of the vessel and the operator of the vessel.

(((27)))(26) "Sewage pumpout or dump unit" means:

(a) A receiving chamber or tank designed to receive vessel sewage from a "porta-potty" or a portable container; and

(b) A stationary or portable mechanical device on land, a dock, pier, float, barge, vessel, or other location convenient to boaters, designed to remove sewage waste from holding tanks on vessels.

(((28)))(27) "Underway" means that a vessel is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore, or aground.

(((29)))(28) "Vessel" includes every description of watercraft on the water, other than a seaplane, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on the water. However, it does not include inner tubes, air mattresses, sailboards, and small rafts or flotation devices or toys customarily used by swimmers.

(((30)))(29) "Water skiing" means the physical act of being towed behind a vessel on, but not limited to, any skis, aquaplane, kneeboard, tube, or any other similar device.

(((31)))(30) "Waters of the state" means any waters within the territorial limits of Washington state.

(((32)))(31) "Whitewater river outfitter" means any person who is advertising to carry or carries passengers for hire on any whitewater river of the state, but does not include any person whose only service on a given trip is providing instruction in canoeing or kayaking skills.

(((33)))(32) "Whitewater rivers of the state" means those rivers and streams, or parts thereof, within the boundaries of the state as listed in RCW 79A.60.470 or as designated by the commission under RCW 79A.60.495.

Sec. 2. RCW 79A.60.040 and 2014 c 132 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) It is unlawful for any person to operate a vessel in a reckless manner. For purposes of this section, operating a vessel in a "reckless manner" means to operate a vessel in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.

(2) It is unlawful for a person to operate a vessel while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, marijuana, or any drug. A person is considered to be under the influence of intoxicating liquor, marijuana, or any drug if((, within two hours of operating a vessel)):

(a) The person has, within two hours after operating a vessel, an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher as shown by analysis of the person's breath or blood made under RCW 46.61.506; or

(b) The person has, within two hours after operating a vessel, a THC concentration of 5.00 or higher as shown by analysis of the person's blood made under RCW 46.61.506; or

(c) The person is under the influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor, marijuana, or any drug; or

(d) The person is under the combined influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor, marijuana, and any drug.

(3) The fact that any person charged with a violation of this section is or has been entitled to use such drug under the laws of this state shall not constitute a defense against any charge of violating this section.

(4)(a) ((Any person who operates a vessel within this state is deemed to have given consent, subject to the provisions of RCW 46.61.506, to a test or tests of the person's breath for the purpose of determining the alcohol concentration in the person's breath if arrested for any offense where, at the time of the arrest, the arresting officer has reasonable grounds to believe the person was operating a vessel while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or a combination of intoxicating liquor and any other drug.

(5) The test or tests of breath must be administered pursuant to RCW 46.20.308. The officer shall warn the person that if the person refuses to take the test, the person will be issued a class 1 civil infraction under RCW 7.80.120))It is an affirmative defense to a violation of subsection (2)(a) of this section, which the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence, that the defendant consumed a sufficient quantity of alcohol after the time of operating the vessel and before the administration of an analysis of the person's breath or blood to cause the defendant's alcohol concentration to be 0.08 or more within two hours after operating the vessel. The court shall not admit evidence of this defense unless the defendant notifies the prosecution prior to the omnibus or pretrial hearing in the case of the defendant's intent to assert the affirmative defense.

(b) Analyses of blood samples obtained more than two hours after the alleged operation of the vessel may be used as evidence that within two hours of the alleged operation of the vessel, a person had a THC concentration of 5.00 or more in violation of subsection (2)(b) of this section, and in any case in which the analysis shows a THC concentration above 0.00 may be used as evidence that a person was under the influence of, or affected by, marijuana in violation of subsection (2)(c) or (d) of this section.

(6) A violation of subsection (1) of this section is a misdemeanor. A violation of subsection (2) of this section is a gross misdemeanor. In addition to the statutory penalties imposed, the court may order the defendant to pay restitution for any damages or injuries resulting from the offense.

Sec. 3. RCW 79A.60.050 and 2000 c 11 s 94 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) When the death of any person ensues within three years as a proximate result of injury proximately caused by the operating of any vessel by any person, the operator is guilty of homicide by watercraft if he or she was operating the vessel:

(a) While under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, as defined by RCW 79A.60.040;

(b) In a reckless manner; or

(c) With disregard for the safety of others.

(2) When the death is caused by a skier towed by a vessel, the operator of the vessel is not guilty of homicide by watercraft.

(3) A violation of this section is punishable as a class A felony according to chapter 9A.20 RCW.

Sec. 4. RCW 79A.60.060 and 2000 c 11 s 95 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) (("Serious bodily injury" means bodily injury which involves a substantial risk of death, serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any part or organ of the body.

(2))) A person is guilty of assault by watercraft if he or she operates any vessel:

(a) In a reckless manner, and this conduct is ((the))a proximate cause of ((serious bodily injury))substantial bodily harm to another; ((or))

(b) While under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, as defined by RCW 79A.60.040, and this conduct is ((the))a proximate cause of ((serious bodily injury))substantial bodily harm to another; or

(c) With disregard for the safety of others, and this conduct is a proximate cause of serious bodily harm to another.

(((3)))(2) When the injury is caused by a skier towed by a vessel, the operator of the vessel is not guilty of assault by watercraft.

(((4)))(3) A violation of this section is punishable as a class B felony according to chapter 9A.20 RCW.

Sec. 5. RCW 79A.60.190 and 2000 c 11 s 101 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A person shall not operate a personal watercraft unless each person aboard the personal watercraft is wearing a personal flotation device approved by the commission. Except as provided for in RCW 79A.60.020, a violation of this subsection is a civil infraction punishable under RCW 7.84.100.

(2) A person operating a personal watercraft equipped by the manufacturer with a lanyard-type engine cutoff switch shall attach the lanyard to his or her person, clothing, or personal flotation device as appropriate for the specific vessel. It is unlawful for any person to remove or disable a cutoff switch that was installed by the manufacturer.

(3) A person shall not operate a personal watercraft during darkness.

(4) A person under the age of fourteen shall not operate a personal watercraft on the waters of this state.

(5) A person shall not operate a personal watercraft in a reckless manner, including recklessly weaving through congested vessel traffic, recklessly jumping the wake of another vessel unreasonably or unnecessarily close to the vessel or when visibility around the vessel is obstructed, or recklessly swerving at the last possible moment to avoid collision.

(6) A person shall not lease, hire, or rent a personal watercraft to a person under the age of sixteen.

(7) Subsections (1) through (6) of this section shall not apply to a performer engaged in a professional exhibition or a person participating in a regatta, race, marine parade, tournament, or exhibition authorized or otherwise permitted by the appropriate agency having jurisdiction and authority to authorize such events.

(8) Violations of subsections (2) through (6) of this section constitute a misdemeanor under RCW 9.92.030.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6. A new section is added to chapter 79A.60 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Any person who operates a vessel within this state is deemed to have given consent, subject to the provisions of RCW 46.61.506, to a test or tests of his or her breath for the purpose of determining the alcohol concentration in his or her breath if arrested for any offense where, at the time of the arrest, the arresting officer has reasonable grounds to believe the person had been operating a vessel while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug.

(2) The test or tests of breath shall be administered at the direction of a law enforcement officer having reasonable grounds to believe the person to have been operating a vessel while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug. Prior to administering a breath test pursuant to this section, the officer shall inform the person of his or her right under this section to refuse the breath test and of his or her right to have additional tests administered by any qualified person of his or her choosing as provided in RCW 46.61.506. The officer shall warn the person that if the person refuses to take the test, the person will be issued a class 1 civil infraction under RCW 7.80.120.

(3) The arresting officer may administer field sobriety tests when circumstances permit. If, following his or her arrest and receipt of warnings under subsection (2) of this section, the person arrested exercises the right, granted herein, by refusing upon the request of a law enforcement officer to submit to a test or tests of his or her breath, no test shall be given except as otherwise authorized by law.

(4) Nothing in subsection (1), (2), or (3) of this section precludes a law enforcement officer from obtaining a person's blood to test for alcohol, marijuana, or any drug, pursuant to a search warrant, a valid waiver of the warrant requirement, when exigent circumstances exist, or under any other authority of law. Any blood drawn for the purpose of determining the person's alcohol, marijuana levels, or any drug is drawn pursuant to this section when the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person is operating a vessel while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug.

(5) The refusal of a person to submit to a test of the alcohol or drug concentration in the person's breath under this section is admissible into evidence at a subsequent criminal trial. The refusal of a person to submit to a test of the person's blood is admissible into evidence at a subsequent criminal trial when a search warrant, or an exception to the search warrant, authorized the seizure.

Sec. 7. RCW 46.61.506 and 2017 c 336 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Upon the trial of any civil or criminal action or proceeding arising out of acts alleged to have been committed by any person while driving or in actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, or while operating a vessel while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, if the person's alcohol concentration is less than 0.08 or the person's THC concentration is less than 5.00, it is evidence that may be considered with other competent evidence in determining whether the person was under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug.

(2)(a) The breath analysis of the person's alcohol concentration shall be based upon grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of breath.

(b) The blood analysis of the person's THC concentration shall be based upon nanograms per milliliter of whole blood.

(c) The foregoing provisions of this section shall not be construed as limiting the introduction of any other competent evidence bearing upon the question whether the person was under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug.

(3) Analysis of the person's blood or breath to be considered valid under the provisions of this section ((or)), RCW 46.61.502 ((or)), 46.61.504, or chapter 79A.60 RCW, shall have been performed according to methods approved by the state toxicologist and by an individual possessing a valid permit issued by the state toxicologist for this purpose. The state toxicologist is directed to approve satisfactory techniques or methods, to supervise the examination of individuals to ascertain their qualifications and competence to conduct such analyses, and to issue permits which shall be subject to termination or revocation at the discretion of the state toxicologist.

(4)(a) A breath test performed by any instrument approved by the state toxicologist shall be admissible at trial or in an administrative proceeding if the prosecution or department produces prima facie evidence of the following:

(i) The person who performed the test was authorized to perform such test by the state toxicologist;

(ii) The person being tested did not vomit or have anything to eat, drink, or smoke for at least fifteen minutes prior to administration of the test;

(iii) The person being tested did not have any foreign substances, not to include dental work or piercings, fixed or removable, in his or her mouth at the beginning of the fifteen-minute observation period;

(iv) Prior to the start of the test, the temperature of any liquid simulator solution utilized as an external standard, as measured by a thermometer approved of by the state toxicologist was thirty-four degrees centigrade plus or minus 0.3 degrees centigrade;

(v) The internal standard test resulted in the message "verified";

(vi) The two breath samples agree to within plus or minus ten percent of their mean to be determined by the method approved by the state toxicologist;

(vii) The result of the test of the liquid simulator solution external standard or dry gas external standard result did lie between .072 to .088 inclusive; and

(viii) All blank tests gave results of .000.

(b) For purposes of this section, "prima facie evidence" is evidence of sufficient circumstances that would support a logical and reasonable inference of the facts sought to be proved. In assessing whether there is sufficient evidence of the foundational facts, the court or administrative tribunal is to assume the truth of the prosecution's or department's evidence and all reasonable inferences from it in a light most favorable to the prosecution or department.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prevent the subject of the test from challenging the reliability or accuracy of the test, the reliability or functioning of the instrument, or any maintenance procedures. Such challenges, however, shall not preclude the admissibility of the test once the prosecution or department has made a prima facie showing of the requirements contained in (a) of this subsection. Instead, such challenges may be considered by the trier of fact in determining what weight to give to the test result.

(5) When a blood test is administered under the provisions of RCW 46.20.308 or section 6 of this act, the withdrawal of blood for the purpose of determining its alcohol or drug content may be performed only by a physician licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW; an osteopathic physician licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW; a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW; a physician assistant licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW; an osteopathic physician assistant licensed under chapter 18.57A RCW; an advanced emergency medical technician or paramedic certified under chapter 18.71 RCW; or a medical assistant-certified or medical assistant-phlebotomist certified under chapter 18.360 RCW, a person holding another credential under Title 18 RCW whose scope of practice includes performing venous blood draws, or a forensic phlebotomist certified under chapter 18.360 RCW. When the blood test is performed outside the state of Washington, the withdrawal of blood for the purpose of determining its alcohol or drug content may be performed by any person who is authorized by the out-of-state jurisdiction to perform venous blood draws. Proof of qualification to draw blood may be established through the department of health's provider credential search. This limitation shall not apply to the taking of breath specimens.

(6) When a venous blood sample is performed by a forensic phlebotomist certified under chapter 18.360 RCW, it must be done under the following conditions:

(a) If taken at the scene, it must be performed in an ambulance or aid service vehicle licensed by the department of health under chapter 18.73 RCW.

(b) The collection of blood samples must not interfere with the provision of essential medical care.

(c) The blood sample must be collected using sterile equipment and the skin area of puncture must be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected.

(d) The person whose blood is collected must be seated, reclined, or lying down when the blood is collected.

(7) The person tested may have a licensed or certified health care provider listed in subsection (5) of this section, or a qualified technician, chemist, or other qualified person of his or her own choosing administer one or more tests in addition to any administered at the direction of a law enforcement officer. The test will be admissible if the person establishes the general acceptability of the testing technique or method. The failure or inability to obtain an additional test by a person shall not preclude the admission of evidence relating to the test or tests taken at the direction of a law enforcement officer.

(8) Upon the request of the person who shall submit to a test or tests at the request of a law enforcement officer, full information concerning the test or tests shall be made available to him or her or his or her attorney.

Sec. 8. RCW 9.94A.515 and 2019 c 271 s 7, 2019 c 243 s 5, 2019 c 64 s 3, and 2019 c 46 s 5009 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

--- END ---