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'Caleigh's Bill' Would Create Flag Safety Program For Mass. Beaches

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Lawmakers are weighing a bill that would create a uniform warning and safety flag program for all Massachusetts beaches.

The bill calls on the Department of Conservation and Recreation to create a system that communities can participate on a voluntary basis, utilizing a color-coded system.

The goal of the system is to warn the public of potentially hazardous beach conditions like riptides.

The bill now called "Caleigh's Bill," was approved in legislative committee Tuesday.

The bill's sponsor, Gloucester Republican Sen. Bruce Tarr, said the idea for the bill came from David Harrison, whose 2-year-old niece Caleigh Harrison went missing from Rockport's Long Beach more than a year ago. She's believed to have drowned.

Tarr said New Hampshire is the only New England state with a uniform warning and safety flag program for its beaches.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

 

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