[§200-37.5]  Emergency communication
devices.  (a)  It shall be unlawful to operate in the waters of the State
beyond one mile of shore, any:



(1)  Vessel required to be registered by the State or
documented by the United States Coast Guard; or



(2)  Manual or sail-propelled vessel not required to
be registered by the State or documented by the United States Coast Guard,



unless the vessel is equipped with a properly
functioning fixed mount or handheld marine VHF-FM radio (156-162 MHz band) or
emergency position indicating radio beacon.



Canoes, thrill craft, surfboards, and
paddleboards shall be exempt from this section.  Kayaks and training sailboats
shall be exempt from this section when accompanied by at least one vessel that
complies with this section.



(b)  Notwithstanding the provisions of section
200-25, any person who violates this section shall be fined not more than $100
for each separate offense.  Each day of each violation constitutes a separate
offense.  Any action taken to impose or collect the fine provided by this
section shall be considered a civil action.



(c)  As used in this section, an
"emergency position indicating radio beacon" is an electronic device
that, when activated, transmits a distress call on a designated emergency
frequency to a radio or satellite receiver and is used by rescue personnel to
locate the position of the signal.  Emergency position indicating radio beacons
shall be approved by the Federal Communications Commission and COSPAS-SARSAT,
an international search and rescue organization.  The 406 MHz class of
emergency position indicating radio beacons shall be registered with the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The applicable United States
Coast Guard regulations relating to emergency position indicating radio beacons
shall prevail for commercial vessels. [L 2003, c 54, §2]