• Your Ticket to a Seat at the Legislative Table Your business is affected by policies and regulations that are written in state legislatures and Congress, so naturally we want to ensure that you have a voice in how those laws are crafted. For that reason, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is excited […]
Category: Advocacy
Boat Dealers Exempt from New FTC Auto Regulations
• The rule, designed to protect consumers from auto retail scams, would have required boat retailers to fundamentally alter the way they do business. WASHINGTON, D.C., December 13, 2024 – Boat dealers could breathe a sigh of relief as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released the final version of its Auto Rule, renamed the Combating […]
Mark Curry Recognized for Commitment to Boating Safety
• Just 4 Fun Powersports President Receives Dealer Ambassador Award TAMPA, FLORIDA – Dec. 6, 2023 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas presented the annual MRAA Dealer Ambassador Award to Mark Curry, President, Just 4 Fun Powersports of Arizona, at the Dealer Week Conference and Expo in Tampa, Fla. Curry worked with the […]
MRAA Joins National Safe Boating Council Board of Directors
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 28, 2023 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager, was appointed to the National Safe Boating Council’s (NSBC) Board of Directors. Founded in 1958, the NSBC serves as a national catalyst for developing a safe boating culture by providing education, programming and […]
Advocacy Update: Final North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule Delayed Until 2024
The long-awaited final North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule will likely not be finalized by the end of 2023, according to Janet Coit, Assistant Administrator of Fisheries at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This rule, which proposes to put in place a 10-knot speed limit on all vessels 35 feet or larger […]
Briefing Held on Economic Impact of NOAA Vessel Strike Reduction Rule
On November 9, the Congressional Boating Caucus hosted a briefing on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) proposed expansion of the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule. The briefing outlined how the proposal would devastate the recreational boating and fishing industries on the Atlantic coast and the communities that depend on them. […]
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Rejects Petition to Establish Vessel Speed Zone in the Gulf of Mexico
Friday, Oct. 27, the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration Office of Fisheries denied a petition to establish a mandatory 10-knot (11-mph) speed limit, and other vessel-related mitigation measures, to protect the endangered Rice’s whale in the Gulf of Mexico. This decision comes ahead of the highly anticipated Final Agency Action on the Proposed Amendments to […]
Gathering to Share Recreational Boating Priorities in Massachusetts
• Recreational Boating Industry Meets with Paul Jahnige, Director of Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation By Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager Last week members of the recreational boating industry met to welcome Paul Jahnige as the inaugural Director of Massachusetts’s Office of Outdoor Recreation (OREC), making the Bay State the 18th state in the […]
Wake Responsibly Educational Video Receives National ‘Seal of Safe Boating’ Award
The Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA) created a new Wake Responsibly educational video that has been awarded the “Seal of Safe Boating Practices” from the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), making it the first industry association to earn the achievement. The 12-minute Wake Responsibly video covers best practices, rules, regulations and recommendations […]
New West Coast Vessel Speed Restrictions on the Way?
National Marine Fisheries Service Expands Right Whale Critical Habitat in Alaska On Sept. 26, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced a revision of the Endangered North Pacific right whale critical habitat in Alaska, expanding the protected area for the species. This update comes after a petition, initially filed March 10, 2022, was put forth […]