Betsy Hands, director of outreach and community relations for Friends of the Chicago River, says she learned of the bill late last week from a member of the non-profit organization’s board of directors.

“In Illinois, it’s pretty general, ‘watercraft’ incorporates all sorts of boats that exist,” she said on Wednesday. “It groups in the kayaks and the canoes. It would probably even include a paddleboard, for all I know. It was not a very well-defined term.”

Anyone born after January 1, 1990, would be required to take eight hours of training to operate any kind of boat. Anyone younger than 18 years who did not have the training would have to be supervised by a parent or guardian on board the craft, even if it was a kayak.

“Obviously, you could do some great training on canoe safety,” Hands (right) points out. “However, I think the course would have been totally oriented toward motorized watercraft.”

Concerned the law could include hand-powered watercraft, Friends of the Chicago River sent an email alert to more than 3,000 members and others, urging them to contact the bill’s sponsor, Illinois State Senator Julie Morrison. The group said the bill could “severely hinder all canoe and kayak programs in the state” and “create unnecessary barriers to accessing Illinois’ tremendous water resources.”

Enough people responded over the past week, according to Hands, either through the Illinois General Assembly website or by emailing the senator directly, to persuade Morrison to include language in the bill that excludes hand-powered watercraft.

“They could see there was overwhelming concern about the language,” said Hands. “We’re grateful that she’s making these changes.”

Senate Bill 1478 was introduced on February 6, 2013, and assigned to the Special Committee on Water Safety on July 8.