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Bill 4832

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                      4832
Type of Legislation:              Concurrent Resolution CR
Introducing Body:                 House
Introduced Date:                  20000328
Primary Sponsor:                  Knotts
All Sponsors:                     Knotts, Koon, Frye, Huggins, Gamble, 
                                  Stuart and Riser
Drafted Document Number:          l:\council\bills\dka\3820mm00.doc
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:     20000329
Subject:                          Joseph Drew Smith, Resolution; Lake 
                                  Murray Marine Patrol Station, Lexington County 
                                  named in honor of; Natural Resources


                        History

Body    Date      Action Description                     Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  ______________________________________ _______ ____________
House   20000329  Received from Senate
Senate  20000329  Introduced, adopted, returned
                  with concurrence
House   20000328  Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate


              Versions of This Bill

RECOGNIZING THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JOSEPH DREW SMITH, AND HIS LASTING CONTRIBUTION TO BOATING SAFETY IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, BY NAMING THE NEW LAKE MURRAY MARINE PATROL STATION ON BUNDRICK ISLAND IN LEXINGTON COUNTY IN HIS HONOR.

Whereas, Joseph Drew Smith was only eleven years old when he died on the waters of Lake Murray in the early morning hours of July 19, 1997; and

Whereas, Drew's love for life has continued to influence the lives of those he touched as well as those who never knew him. Drew had lived in Lexington all of his life, and that summer he had just completed the fifth grade at White Knoll Elementary where he was described by one teacher as a student that "just seemed to light up the room"; and

Whereas, candles have been lit in his memory in cathedrals all over England, a church pew in a rustic Honduran church was dedicated to him, and a prayer of thanksgiving for his life has been prayed at the Mount of Olives; and

Whereas, another memorial to his life is The Boating Safety Act of 1999, known as Drew's Law, which was passed through the combined efforts of Drew's parents, the General Assembly, the Department of Natural Resources, and concerned citizens and which recognize a death at the hands of drunken boaters to be as devastating as a death on our highways caused by an intoxicated driver; and

Whereas, students of the Lexington High School Swim Team initiated the Lake Murray Swim to honor Drew, to focus attention on boating safety, and to establish the Drew Smith Scholarship; and

Whereas, all the positive results, all the ripple effects of his death, speak to the fact that Drew's life and death made a difference. Last year was the safest boating season since the Department of Natural Resources began keeping records; and

Whereas, it is fitting that the new Lake Murray Marine Patrol facility, to be manned by officers of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department and the Department of Natural Resources, be a continuing legacy of Drew's too-short life and too-tragic death. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly recognize the life and death of Joseph Drew Smith and his lasting contribution to boating safety in the State of South Carolina, by naming the new Lake Murray Marine Patrol Station on Bundrick Island in Lexington County in his honor.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Drew's parents.

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