BOSTON (AP) - A Legislative committee is backing 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 color-coded system that communities can participate on a voluntary basis.
The goal is to warn the public of potentially hazardous conditions like riptides.
The bill's sponsor, Gloucester Republican Sen. Bruce Tarr, said the idea 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.
The Joint Committee on Environment formally backed the bill after a public hearing Tuesday. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
Tarr said New Hampshire is the only New England state with a uniform warning and safety flag program for its beaches.