[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 113 (Thursday, July 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CREATION OF THE NATIONAL 
            ASSOCIATION OF STATE BOATING LAW ADMINISTRATORS

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                           HON. BEN CHANDLER

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 29, 2010

  Mr. CHANDLER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the National Association of State Boating Law 
Administrators, NASBLA, a Lexington, Kentucky based nonprofit 
organization.
  Recreational boating is one of our Nation's most popular pastimes, 
with an estimated 78 million recreational boaters in the United States 
and nearly 13 million recreational vessels registered. In my State of 
Kentucky alone, there are nearly 200,000 registered boats and hundreds 
of thousands of Kentuckians who enjoy this great recreational activity.
  In 1958, Congress passed the Federal Boating Act, which authorized 
the states to take over specific boating safety functions. This, in 
turn, led to the creation of the National Association of State Boating 
Law Administrators, NASBLA, in 1960. NASBLA is a national, nonprofit 
association of state officials responsible for the development and 
implementation of state boating programs.
  NASBLA's mission is to strengthen the ability of state and 
territorial boating authorities to reduce death, injury and property 
damage associated with recreational boating and ensure a safe, secure, 
and enjoyable boating environment. NASBLA addresses its mission by 
fostering partnerships among and between the states, the Coast Guard 
and others, crafting model boating laws, maintaining national education 
and training standards, providing members with critical knowledge and 
skills, assisting in the homeland security challenges on our waterways, 
and advocating for the needs of the state boating programs before 
Congress and federal agencies.
  The number of recreational boating fatalities has declined by more 
than half since 1970, thanks in part to the increased use of life 
jackets, cooperative boating safety education, enforcement efforts 
between the Coast Guard and state governments, and safer vessels and 
equipment manufactured in accordance with Coast Guard standards. 
Continued emphasis on accident prevention can reduce recreational 
boating fatalities still further, and in particular, deaths by drowning 
which remain the leading cause of recreational boating fatalities.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating and recognizing the 
accomplishments of this Kentucky nonprofit, which in its 50 years, has 
significantly contributed to the safety of this popular pastime for all 
Americans.

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