WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 31, 2020 – As this hellish year comes to a close, we are fortunate as an industry to have had a profitable year where our collective voice was heard. In a year of quarantines and deteriorating mental health, dealers helped get thousands of families out on the water where they could safely recreate and enjoy our nation’s fisheries and waterways.
As we leave this year in our wake, here are twenty of the accomplishments that MRAA’s advocacy team won this year:
COVID-19 Response
1. Co-hosted weekly advocacy calls to update industry partners and collaborate on industry’s advocacy strategy.
2. Successfully advocated for Covid-19 stimulus for boating dealerships, seasonal businesses, and associations.
3. Helped boating businesses obtain over $100 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding in the face of the pandemic.
4. Secured the resumption of boating activities and access in all 50 states.
5. Obtained the safe reopening of industry businesses in all 50 states.
Fisheries and Conservation
6. Helped to pass the Great American Outdoors Act, historic legislation that invests $9.5 billion in outdoor recreation infrastructure, increasing boating opportunities, and led the creation of a survey to compile eligible projects across the nation for government officials.
7. Promoted healthy fisheries, like helping to change the management of important forage fish in VA, implementation of the Modern Fish Act, and working to ensure strong access to fisheries in the Florida Keys.
8. Helped to pass key legislation through Congress that would strengthen the Federal government’s response to marine debris.
Infrastructure
9. Promoted disaster preparedness legislation, like the PREPARE Act and the STORM Act, to help small businesses disaster-proof their facilities and continue to drive our nation’s economy.
10. Worked with the Keep GPS Working Coalition to preserve the integrity of GPS communication for boaters.
11. Helped to secure reauthorization of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund through September 2021, a key boating and fishing infrastructure funding mechanism.
12. Helped secure passage of legislation to increase funding for boating infrastructure priorities including recreation-based facilities and funding for water quality issues.
13. Secured $850 million for Great Lakes and Everglades restoration, marine sanctuaries, and outdoor recreation projects, bolstering conservation efforts and the outdoor recreation economy
State
14. Fought harmful right to repair legislation in 44 states, which would have unintentionally allowed consumers to tamper with their engines, potentially breaching federal regulations.
15. Fought wake surfing restrictions across the nation, ensuring boaters can recreate responsibly.
16. Planned and moderated a small business panel with senior Maine legislators, to be used to promote outdoor recreation in Maine, and to show the benefits of an office of outdoor recreation.
17. Helped to establish Minnesota’s Outdoor Recreation Task Force, and to pass the Outdoor Rx bill in New York to provide veterans with better access to public lands.
18. Worked with our state partners to successfully fight tax increases in New York and New Jersey, and supported seasonal tax changes in Ohio.
Political Action
19. Helped to raise over $265,000 for BoatPAC, our industry’s Political Action Committee.
20. Created an advocacy ambassador program of boat dealers in each state, significantly increasing the voice of boat dealerships across the nation.
MRAA wants to thank the recreational boating community for its support of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas this year. We are more dedicated than ever to protecting the business of boating, and ensuring that the unique perspective of recreational boat dealers is represented in state capitals and in Washington, D.C.
For additional information, please contact MRAA government relations manager Adam Fortier-Brown at adam@mraa.com.
