The U.S. President signed the $105-billion Highway Transportation Bill on July 6, bringing an end to a three-year fight over fishing and boating spending. This is an important development for the boating industry because the Highway Transportation Bill contains the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund re-authorization. MRAA has been working with other fishing and boating groups to design workable language for a couple of years only to face the complications of the Highway Bill re-authorization. Congressional staff and Members advised to keep the old Wallop-Breaux language as simple as possible to ensure a clean re-authorization. As a result, no changes were made from the previous seven years; it simply extended the programs until the end of 2014.

The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund is currently a $650-million-per-year fund that helps to finance fresh and salt water fish hatcheries, fishing and boating outreach and promotion, boating access, the Clean Vessel Act pump out stations, boating law enforcement and equipment purchases, boat operator education, and other key programs.

Work will soon begin on the re-authorization of the fishing and boating trust fund on December 31, 2014.