The mother of a 12-year-old killed in a sailing accident in Centerport is pushing for change.

Kelly Weiss' son Ryan was taking part in a sailing lesson at the Centerport Yacht Club in 2017 when he fell off a boat and was killed by its propeller.

The Weiss family stood next to state Sen. Jim Gaughran to support his proposed legislation. The bill would require all vessels used to instruct children under age 18 to have a propeller guard installed.

Gaughran says installing a propeller guard is common sense, and the Weiss family couldn't agree more.

"If that boat had had a prop guard on it, there's a good chance that maybe he would have been OK," Weiss said.

Assemblyman Andrew Raia is sponsoring the same bill in the state Assembly.

Suffolk County passed a similar law last summer. The new statewide legislation has been introduced in the past but never received enough support.