MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana lawmaker says he plans to submit legislation that would outlaw swimming in Lake Michigan when rip current warnings are issued.

State Sen. Jim Arnold of LaPorte tells The News-Dispatch of Michigan City that every year people die in Lake Michigan because of rip currents. The National Weather Service says about 12 people a year drown in the Great Lakes because of rip currents.

The legislation Arnold is proposing would provide enforcement of swimming bans on publicly or government owned beaches in Indiana.

If passed, the law would ban swimming whenever when the weather service issues rip current warnings for the Indiana shoreline. The signs provided by the DNR would be placed at the entrance to these public beaches explaining rip currents and the law.

Posted 12/26/2012