FROM THE DSO-SL

District State Legisltive Liaison Office

Purpose:

To improve the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s liaison and communication with the states, State Liaison Officers (SLOs) serve as a conduit for communication between each State Boating Law Administrator (BLA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Auxiliary District Commodore (or as designated), and the National Boating Department.

State Liaison Officers have periodic contact and visits with the State Boating Law Administrator to establish and maintain a good working relationship with our State RBS partners. Auxiliary SLOs work with State BLAs to ensure that Auxiliary Public Education courses are state (NASBLA) compliant. In most all cases, the State Boating Law Administrator will insist that both the course material and exams include state specific information and exam questions.

SLOs also encourage State BLAs to equip and maintain all law enforcement vessels to a level to allow them to pass a vessel safety check, and then have the Auxiliary complete vessel safety checks on law enforcement vessels.

While the Boating Law Administrator is only one person, the state generally has multiple resources available in the way of administrative staff, public education and public relations personnel, along with on-the-water law enforcement personnel – just to name some of the “people” resources. These resources, in turn, can be an asset to the Auxiliary’s Public Education, Public Affairs and Vessel Examination programs.

Benefit to the States:

The SLO’s are a conduit for boating information to pass between the Auxiliary and the States. Keeping the volunteers abreast of boating matters within State government can assist both the Auxiliary and the public.  The SLO is there to advise the State BLA’s who and how to contact the Auxiliary via the chain of communications.

Authority:

State Liaison Officers are appointed by their respective District Commodores. Therefore, the SLO is directly responsible to their DCO to carry out the objectives in the Auxiliary Manual, while consistently serving as the Commodore’s most direct conduit of communication to and from the state. In the ^th District, the DCO has also appointed all SLOs as ADSO-PA, recognizing that the BLA can be a great resource for PA objectives. This places the SLOs in closer contact with the District Staff and RBS Programming, whether it is Public Affairs, Public Education, or Vessel Examination.

Establish and maintain a means of communication with the elected Congressional Representatives (both House & Senate) in the state by locating Auxiliary members who know these members of Congress on a personal basis. Further, promote the establishment of an agreement with the Auxiliarists to assist in communicating with these members of Congress, when required and authorized, in support of an Auxiliary and/or Coast Guard position before Congress. Initial emphasis should be placed on locating Auxiliary contacts and establishing and strengthening relationships with members on committees in both houses of Congress who deal with Coast Guard and Boating Safety matters.

Establish and maintain contact with these members of Congress on a routine basis so that these members and their staffs are familiar with the Auxiliary; who we are, what we do, our mission and its importance to the nation, what benefit we provide the Coast Guard and boating public, how we support Homeland Security, etc. A good way to achieve this is by encouraging our units to invite these members of Congress and/or their staffs to appropriate district, division, and Flotilla meetings and ceremonies/events and by ensuring copies of District/Division publications are sent to their local and Washington offices.

Provide the NLL-AC with the status of on-going actions (licensing, mandatory education, etc.) and with appropriate advice and recommendations as to actions the Auxiliary should take at the local, State and/or National level.

Procedure for ordering Florida boating publications:

Units send Anda Ray, DSO-SL, andaray77@gmail.com, requests for Florida Fish & Wildlife publications. Provide a street address so the order can be shipped within 2 weeks. Please do not hoard these pubs, as laws and policies change. The present pubs available:

Florida Boaters Guide - 48 page pamphlet with pictures of fish in the back. Limited distribution due to expense.  Appropriate for PE and VE, one on one contacts.

Florida Boating Requirements - Folded pamphlet containing all Florida regulations without pictures.  Large numbers available and appropriate for safety booths or the Visitor program.

Fishing Regulations not available but can be seen at http://myfwc.com/fishing/

FWC Boating web site: http://myfwc.com/boating/

This site has a wealth of information for Florida, accident statistics, boat ramp finder, Boating Advisory Council minutes, and much more.