The following link goes to a very brief section of H.R. 4348, the “Highway Bill” that re-authorizes the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund through 2014. As you will read no other changes were made to this important fund, which was the unified position of the Anglers and Boaters Coalition, which the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is a part of.
I have not been able to find language in the law pertaining to re-opening of the Harbor Maintenance Fund to fund Corps of Engineers dredging projects. As you may recall, the Administration has frozen the fund in essence stopping all dredging projects of deep water ports and channels so the fund balance can be used to net against the rising federal budget deficit.
You’ll see in the following link that there is a very brief two lines that only change the dates in the law authorizing expenditures to the end of 2013.
Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs
