TINTON FALLS - Assemblywoman Margie Donlon and Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul (D-Monmouth) are pressing for passage of their water safety legislation, passed by the State Assembly in May, in the wake of the drownings along New Jersey’s Coastal beaches this summer.

“These incidents are tragic, and made even more so by the fact that they are preventable,” Assemblywoman Peterpaul and Donlon said.

The State Assembly passed three of the bills with strong bipartisan support in late May just before the end of the legislative session. The Assembly unanimously passed A4762, to designate May of each year as "Water Safety Month" in New Jersey. The bill encourages the state Department of Education to provide resources on water safety. The Assembly also unanimously passed A4763, calling for the state Department of Education to develop educational fact sheets on water safety for public and nonpublic schools, and requiring school districts to provide information to parents and guardians on swimming lessons. A third bill, A4753, requires hospitals and birthing facilities to request new parents watch water safety video prior to discharge for the hospital, passed in the Assembly by 71-2 vote with one member abstaining.

“The best tool for saving lives in the ocean is prevention. Educating people early in their lives to give them an understanding of water safety is critical,” Assemblywoman Peterpaul said. “These bills would expand what students learn and when they learn it by making water safety part of their curriculum throughout grade school and high school.”

Assemblywoman Donlon, a physician who is also an avid surfer, was the primary sponsor of legislation introduced earlier this year, A3768, which would require water safety instruction as part of New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.

“I love and respect the ocean. So, it’s devastating to read about the 13-year-old girl who drowned in Belmar last week and the 30-year-old man from Trenton who drowned in Seaside Heights the week before. Both drownings happened after lifeguards had gone off duty,” Assemblywoman Donlon said. “Educating people to understand the water, what to look for, and how to swim across a riptide, will save lives - and we need to start that education young.”

All three of the bills that have passed the assembly will next go before the Senate Education Committee, chaired by the assemblywomen’s Legislative District 11 partner, Senator Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth), when the Legislature goes back into session. 

“I’m proud of Assemblywomen Donlon and Peterpaul for leading water safety efforts in our largely coastal district,” Gopal said.

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