Iowa Governor Terry Brandstad signed a bill into law that lowers the state’s legal boating blood alcohol limit to .08, from the original 0.1. This law applies to all Iowa mariners operating both power and sail boats, whether it is on a stream, river or lake.
By passing this law, Iowa has joined 42 other states in establishing the .08 limit. Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wyoming still maintain the original limit of 0.1.
Michigan’s lawmakers, however, are following in Iowa’s wake as they too have proposed legislation recently to lower their legal boating alcohol limit.
"We had an incident in my district where the prosecutor wasn't able to prosecute [a drunken boating offense] to the fullest extent of the law because the blood-alcohol level was not the same as the law for automobiles,” says Michigan State Representative Matt Lori.
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