Marty Law Inducted in Boating Safety Hall of Fame
Nashville, Tenn. (April 16, 2014) – At the 2014 International Boating and Water Safety Summit, held in Nashville, Tenn., Marty Law was inducted in the Boating Safety Hall of Fame. Marty Law has been involved in boating safety for more than 33 years. He began his career with the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) in May 1979 as the Education Coordinator. He was promoted to Education and Information Section Manager in March of 2002 and Boating Safety Program Manager in August of 2010. During Marty’s career, he has served on a number of different committees, including serving as Chair of the NASBLA Education Committee. Marty also served as the Chair of the National Safe Boating Council from 1997 – 1998. During that time, Marty was instrumental in developing a financial plan for the NSBC that has put the organization on sound financial footing for the future. Marty was the 1997 recipient of the NASBLA Boating Safety Award.
“There’s no doubt that Marty has achieved great things in the state of Oregon, making recreational boating safer throughout the years,” commented Virgil Chambers, director emeritus of the National Safe Boating Council. “As a colleague and – more importantly – as a friend, I’m so proud to see Marty inducted into the Hall of Fame.”
During Marty’s career at OSMB, he was the driving force behind the implementation of the Mandatory Education Program. Oregon’s Mandatory Boater Education law was passed by the 1999 Oregon Legislature, with implementation beginning in 2001. The Marine Board began the age phase-in to power boat operators in January 2003 for boaters 30 and younger. This program continues to be a model that has been followed by other states across the country. Oregon has been a continued decrease in the number of boat accidents and power boater deaths since the implementation of the law.
“Marty is as dedicated to boating safety today as he was when he started over 33 years ago, remarked Oregon State Marine Board Director Scott Brewen. “He is a proponent for educated, informed, and prepared boaters and has worked diligently during his career to advance the boating safety message.”
As the Boating Safety Program Manager and Boating Law Administrator, Marty has implemented significant changes that have improved boating safety in Oregon through improved enforcement. For the first time in over 25 years, Marty led an effort to revampthe process to determine funding for Oregon’s 31 counties by establishing an objective formula that relies on boat use data to determine allocation. By working with a sheriff’s committee, Marty designed an implementation plan and a phase-in schedule to ensure counties would be able to adapt to the changes. Additionally, Marty oversaw the largest boat replacement program in more than a decade by working with agencies to identify new platforms and offset costs through sales and trade-ins of their older boaters. Through
Marty’s work, more counties than expected were able to replace their boats due to savings he found through the process. In just the first year, Marty’s work with the sheriff’s departments resulted in 2,448 additional patrol hours on Oregon water bodies over the previous year despite no additional funding.
For more information and full list of Boating Safety Hall of Fame inductees, visit SafeBoatingCouncil.org.
About the National Safe Boating Council
The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) is the foremost coalition for the advancement and promotion of safer boating through education, outreach, and training. The NSBC accomplishes this mission by promoting outreach and research initiatives that support boating education and safety awareness; improving the professional development of boating safety educators through training; and developing and recognizing outstanding
boating safety programs. To learn more about the NSBC and its programs, visit SafeBoatingCouncil.org.