By Thomas Fraki

Minnesota boat owners may soon need to install carbon monoxide detectors on their watercraft as the capitol discusses a proposed bill called Sophia’s Law.

The bill, authored by Sen. Melisa Franzen, DFL-Edina, would require all gasoline-powered boats that have enclosed compartments to also have carbon monoxide detectors. This would apply to all boats in the state, either owned or sold.

The proposal was named after 7-year-old Sophia Baechler. Sophia died in October of last year due to carbon monoxide poisoning while boating with her parents on Lake Minnetonka, according to her mother’s testimony.

While on the lake, Sophia complained that she had a headache and of the loudness of the boat’s motor. Believing that she was tired, her parents had her lay down in the cabin of the boat. It was there that Sophia went unconscious and later died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Following the incident, doctors found that other passengers on the boat had experienced similar poisoning, though not as severe. The cause of the carbon monoxide was a leak in the boat’s exhaust.

“The hardest thing of all is to think that it could have all been prevented. It’s crazy to think that if this was a new model boat, a carbon monoxide detector would be required. But because it was older, it was never mentioned. For a $20 carbon monoxide detector, my beautiful girl would be here,” Sophia’s mother, Dr. Courtney Baechler, said in her testimony to Senate committee.

Sen. Franzen knew the Baechlers personally, and introduced the bill after hearing their story. “We know each other socially, so this is obviously very difficult to hear. And that is why we are here today, because this story should not repeat itself,” Sen. Franzen said in committee.

Rep. Jerry Hertaus, R-Greenfield, led a companion bill for the House of Representatives. In a press release, Hertaus said that Sophia’s death was a “tragic loss of life” and the driving force behind the legislation. Both the Senate and House bills passed committees on March 22.

The bills were discussed in the Senate Finance Committee and the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee on Wednesday.

Dangerous concentrations of carbon monoxide can accumulate in enclosed spaces within seconds, and boating-related poisonings are not uncommon. More than 140 deaths have been linked to carbon monoxide poisoning on boats in the United States since 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While other states such as Washington have passed laws requiring boats to have carbon monoxide warning stickers, Sophia’s Law would be the first in the country to require carbon monoxide detection devices by law.

If the bill passes completely, it would be effective the start of May next year.