AUGUSTA - A Maine legislator is proposing mandatory, once-in-a-lifetime boating safety courses.

Rep. Thom Watson says Maine has the highest recreational boating fatality rate in New England. The Bath Democrat says that in 2007, 16 people died from boating accidents in Maine.

Watson's bill would be phased in over eight years. It would require the youngest and least-experienced boaters to take a boating safety course or pass a safety test. Older and more experienced boaters would face similar requirements by certain deadlines.

The Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee has scheduled a public hearing on the bill for next Tuesday at 1 p.m.