Both the Lake Lanier Legislative Caucus and the Lake Lanier Water Safety Alliance have meetings planned this week to discuss legislative issues related to the lake, safety projects and marketing plans.

The alliance, which comprises lake-related agencies and organizations focused on safety concerns, was formed by Gainesville’s Lake Lanier Association in light of devastating accidents on the lake this summer.

Installation of solar lights on caution buoys and a boating safety handout or dashboard sticker are two of the initiatives the alliance is looking to push forward with, according to Joanna Cloud, Lake Lanier Association executive director.

“Anyone who’s interested is welcome to attend,” said Cloud.

Their meeting will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Corps of Engineers office in Buford.

The alliance will also give attendees an update on the Lake Lanier Legislative Caucus and its plans as the state legislature moves into the 2013 session.

Sen. Renee Unterman from Buford said the caucus hopes to vote on rules and further formalize the group at its meeting 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Northeast Georgia History Center in Gainesville.

Additionally, the caucus will be deciding on dates and locations for upcoming public hearings as well as talking about which lake-related legislative initiatives the caucus will support.

Specifically, the caucus is looking at amending legislation regulating the licensure of boating and boating under the influence.

The hope is that organizing a caucus will assist the case of lawmakers as they stand before the General Assembly.

“It helps to have legislators stand behind you when you’re on the floor of the Senate,” said Unterman.

But lawmakers aren’t the only ones who have shown interest in the cause of the caucus. Unterman said that she has seen a big response from the public on helping improve safety conditions on the lake.

“There’s been a lot of interest in this,” Unterman said. “Lake Lanier is so vital to our region, and this is a regional issue. There’s a lot of hot topics regarding the lake.”