New Connecticut boating-safety law takes effect in October

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy signed into law towing-age restrictions that require boat operators to be at least 16 years old when towing a person — called “Emily’s Law” — and require them to have passed safe-towing education and a safe-boating course.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association said Malloy signed the law this week after the state House, in memory of Emily Fedorko, the 16-year-old who was killed last summer in the waters off Greenwich, voted 144-0 to raise the minimum age to 16 for those piloting watercraft and towing skiers or tubers, according to the Connecticut Post.

It also will require safe-towing certifications. "Emily was very much loved in our town," state Rep. Fred Camillo, R-Greenwich, told the newspaper.

The bill also prohibits boat owners from allowing those under 16 to operate vessels while engaged in water skiing. Fines would range from $60 to $250.

The bill grandfathers in those people who are under the age of 16 and have already obtained a safe-boating certificate, according to the NMMA newsletter, Currents. The boater operator age will remain at 12 years and older with education.

The law goes into effect Oct. 1.