Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Beach Safety Bill Passes Senate
Today I distributed
the following press release regarding “Caleigh’s Bill”, which was passed to be
engrossed during yesterday’s formal Senate Session:
Tarr Beach Safety Bill Passes Senate
Bill Seeks to Honor the Memory of 2-year-old
Caleigh Harrison
BOSTON – Yesterday the Massachusetts State Senate took a major step forward by unanimously engrossing a bill sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) that seeks to create a color-coded flag warning system to promote safety at the state’s public beaches. Senate Bill 2247, also known as “Caleigh’s Bill”, was crafted due to the tragic case of Gloucester 2-year-old Caleigh Harrison, who was last seen on Rockport’s Long Beach on April 19, 2012 and is believed to have been swept out to sea.
“Caleigh’s
Bill provides a great public safety and awareness tool for the public beaches
across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Tarr.
“This bill honors Caleigh, and through this measure, there will be
greater consciousness of the dangers that the ocean presents, and that will
ultimately save lives.”
In an effort to promote beach
safety, Senate Bill 2247, An Act creating uniform beach warnings, would:
·
Require the Department of Conservation and
Recreation to develop a uniform warning and safety flag program to be used at
all public beaches maintained by DCR, by providing a uniform size, shape,
color, and definition for each warning and safety flag; and
·
Allow a municipality to adopt the uniform flag
warning and safety program by requiring a vote by a city council, town council,
or town meeting.
“Caleigh’s
Bill”, which is also supported by Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante
(D-Gloucester), was first developed by Caleigh’s uncle, David Harrison, Jr., who
was on a business trip to Panama last year when he learned about the country’s
color-coded flag system which is used to warn the public about the dangers of
tides and riptides. Alabama, Florida,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas and several other states utilize a similar
program, and the Harrison family is seeking to implement the same safety
measures in Massachusetts.
“My family and I are pleased to
hear of the news that Caleigh’s bill has now passed the Senate and is in the final
stages of becoming a reality! Our vision of helping to prevent other tragedies
like the one that we live through every day seems to be very close to
happening! We would like to thank Sen. Bruce Tarr along with Rep. Ann-Margaret
Ferrante for their hard work in making all of this possible,” said David
Harrison, Jr.
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Labels:
Caleigh's Bill,
Press Release