House Bill 1744 and Senate Bill 941 are the ones to watch if you’re concerned about polystyrene coolers on Missouri’s rivers.

HB 1744, introduced by David Day of Dixon, and SB 941 by Dan Clemens, Marshfield, contain three nearly identical provisions having to do with boat recreation on Missouri’s rivers and lakes.

One provision provides that persons born after January 1, 1984 or those found guilty of certain boating safety infractions can substitute a non-driver’s license, with an appropriate certification that they have passed the mandatory boater safety course to operate a vessel. Another would require dock owners on Army Corps lakes and the Lake of the Ozarks to put their permit number and 911 address, (or nearest physical address) on their docks, in 3 inch high letters visible from the water. No rationale is given in the bills, but one presumes this would help the Water Patrol respond in the event of an emergency. All too often, boaters (who carry cell phones) have only a vague idea where they are on a large lake in cases where they call for assistance.

The third provision would change the word “polypropylene” to “polystyrene” in the regulation against beer bongs and excessive alcohol (more than four gallons) passed last year. Polypropylene is the material used in ski rope and certain “warm when wet” outdoors long underwear; expanded polystyrene is the crumbly white material that cheap, easily broken picnic coolers are made from. The law passed last year originally was intended to target polystyrene; through a comedy of last minute errors the wrong material was written into the bill. Polystyrene live bait buckets remain exempt: however there better be worms, crawdads or minnows in that “bait bucket.”

The House version has been read twice, but has not yet been placed on the calendar. The Senate version has been read twice and referred to the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee as of February 18.