You might want to contact your representatives in Richmond and ask that they support this bill.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?081+sum+SB765

Of equal if not more importance, there needs to be a bill passed that would prevent the Governor for steeling funds from the Game Commission to put in the general fund. That would keep the money for licenses and taxes where it was designated to be spent. Gov. Wilder did the same thing and gutted the plan to add more enforcement officers as a result of an increase of fishing/hunting licenses. If the funds were protected, then the SML bill would not be necessary and the manpower would already be in place.

Without getting too far over the dreaded political line (   ), do you really expect those in Richmond to not 'steal' all the money they can?

Burley,

Talk about enforcement that is needed?

I hate SML when the jetskis and pleasure boats and pontoon boats are all around.

It creates a very dangerous situation when you throw in fishermen who want to be left alone and not bounced all over the place or have to swerve to get out of the way of a boat driver that does not know the rules of the water.

I will ask my representative to support the bill.  I sure hope it goes through but the people on SML have money and they could fight it.

Everyone in Virginia needs to take and pass a boater's safety course and only people 16 and older should operate any watercraft in the state.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

I support it.  What's 5BassLimit's take on it?  He fishes that lake.  

FWIW, SB765 was passed by the Senate today, will be taken up by the House soon.

I haven't been on that lake in the summer, but after seeing all the pleasure boats and boat houses/slips around the lake I would think that the place is a madhouse come summer.