A key part of Idaho’s safe boating law was found unconstitutional last year, so the three lawmakers representing the state’s northernmost tip are proposing a new version to allow unsafe boaters to again be successfully prosecuted in the state. “The issues at hand were at Priest Lake and Pend Oreille, which is in our district,” said Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint. “We’ve had citizens contact us about the inability to hold people accountable for the injuries and damages they’ve caused, under this statute.”

Keogh joined with Reps. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, and George Eskridge, R-Dover, to introduce SB 1274 this week; you can read my full story here at spokesman.com. Idaho’s existing law on grossly negligent operation of a boat was overturned when a boater who caused a July 4, 2012 injury crash on Priest Lake got his charges thrown out, on grounds the law was unconstitutionally vague. That ruling was upheld on appeal in October.