Creating boat permits for boat liveries, and including retroactive applicability provisions

This bill creates boat permits for boat liveries providing watercraft for use on lakes operated by the United States army corps of engineers that are located on the Des Moines river. The bill prohibits an owner of a boat livery from renting, leasing, or otherwise allowing the use of any watercraft without a sufficient number of boat permits. The bill provides that to obtain boat permits, the owner must submit an application to the department of natural resources (DNR) that will include the number of permits the owner requests to be issued and other information deemed relevant by DNR. The bill explains that each permit issued authorizes the owner to allow the use of one watercraft at any given time. The bill creates a committee that determines the number of permits to be allocated and then allocates those permits to applicants. The committee may also recommend rules for the safety of rental boat users and other boaters on the lakes. The permits issued are valid for two years, though they may be revoked at the discretion of the committee. _____ The bill requires the committee to meet annually to review the number of permits in use, new permit requests, and existing rules; however, the committee may choose to call additional meetings at the committee’s discretion. The bill requires the natural resource commission to adopt and DNR to enforce rules pursuant to the bill and decisions made by the committee. The bill expounds that watercraft registered in a different state, but used in waters regulated under the bill, are subject to the requirements of this section. The bill applies retroactively to the rental, lease, or other allowance of use by the owner of a boat livery of any watercraft on the specified lakes on and after January 1, 2025.