STATE OF NEW YORK
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8176
IN SENATE
August 12, 2016
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Introduced by Sens. VALESKY, GRIFFO -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the canal law, in relation to requiring the accessibil-
ity of ring life buoys on piers in the canal system
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 "Aaron's Law".
3 § 2. The canal law is amended by adding a new section 135 to read as
4 follows:
5 § 135. Life buoys required on all piers, wharfs, locks and docks. 1.
6 On each pier, wharf, lock and dock, as defined in section two of the
7 navigation law, in the canal system, the corporation must locate one
8 ring life buoy on each side of the pier, wharf, lock and dock as well as
9 one near each external stairway leading to water. One buoy per side of
10 the pier may be used to satisfy both of these requirements.
11 2. Each ring life buoy must be stowed on or in a rack that is readily
12 accessible in an emergency. The ring life buoy must not be permanently
13 secured in any way to the rack or the pier.
14 3. Ring life buoys must meet the following qualifications:
15 (a) The ring life buoy shall be approved under approval series 160.050
16 or 160.150 for SOLAS-approved equipment or successor standards issued by
17 the United States Coast Guard.
18 (b) Each ring life buoy shall have a floating electric water light
19 approved under approval series 161.010. The corporation shall ensure
20 that the light to the ring life buoy is attached by a lanyard of
21 12-thread manila, or synthetic rope of equivalent strength, not less
22 than three feet nor more than six feet in length. The light must be
23 mounted on a bracket near the ring life buoy so that when the ring life
24 buoy is cast loose the light will be pulled free of the bracket.
25 (c) To each ring life buoy, there shall be attached a buoyant line of
26 at least one hundred feet in length, with a breaking strength of at
27 least five kilonewtons force. The end of the line must not be secured to
28 the pier.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15999-01-6
S. 8176 2
1 (d) Each ring life buoy shall be marked with Type II reflective mate-
2 rial, approved under approval series 164.018.
3 4. The corporation may promulgate rules and regulations as to the
4 applicability and placement of ring life buoys in locations on the canal
5 system not covered in this section.
6 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
7 it shall have become a law.