Building on previous successes, House and Senate pass key bipartisan marine debris legislation

On October 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Save our Seas 2.0. Led by House Ocean Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Don Young (R-AK-At Large) in the House, and Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), this bipartisan legislation which is supported by the recreational boating industry will strengthen the federal government’s response to marine debris and strengthen domestic waste management infrastructure.

Save our Seas 2.0 consists of three distinct items:

  1. It strengthens the federal government’s ability to respond to marine debris by establishing a Marine Debris Foundation and a genius prize awarded to groups for innovation or for research on how to address domestic marine debris.
  2. It incentivizes international engagement to address marine debris by formalizing U.S. policy on international cooperation, and federal agency outreach to other nations to specifically address marine debris.
  3. Works to reduce marine debris in the future by investing in domestic waste management and mitigation techniques and infrastructure.

The bill, which unanimously passed the Senate in January, had to work through ten different committees of jurisdiction:

  • The Senate Commerce Committee,
  • The Science and Transportation Committee,
  • The Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
  • The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee,
  • The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,
  • The House Natural Resources Committee,
  • The House Foreign Affairs Committee,
  • The House Energy and Commerce Committee,
  • The House Science, Space and Technology Committee,
  • The House Agriculture Committee.

Save our Seas 2.0 builds upon the Save our Seas Act which was signed into law last October. The original Save our Seas reauthorized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program through FY2022 funded at $10 million annually, and called on the Administration to collaborate with the U.S. State Department to address the global problem of increased marine debris and plastics in our oceans.

According to the United Nations, eight million metric tons of plastic bottles, straws, bags, fishing gear, and abandoned vessels are dumped into the ocean each year, harming coastal economies, marine resource viability, and creates a breeding ground for aquatic invasive species.

MRAA and the rest of the recreational boating industry thanks Congress for this bipartisan legislation that will take significant steps to increase global cooperation to address pollution in our worlds waterways, and strengthen wild fisheries habitats for the future.

For additional information, please contact MRAA government relations manager Adam Fortier-Brown at adam@mraa.com.

Recreational Boating Infrastructure Funding Included in Short-Term Spending Bill

On October 1, President Trump signed into law a short-term funding bill to fund the federal government at current spending levels until December 11. The measure includes a provision that extends the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund until October 1, 2021– a significant priority for the recreational boating industry

Funded through excise taxes on fishing equipment, motorboat and small engine fuel, the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund provides grant funds to U.S. states and the District of Columbia to improve and maintain boating access, fisheries, and education programs for anglers and sportsmen.

Passage of this funding bill punts full reauthorization of the Trust Fund down the road until next year. Until then, our industry will continue to work with Congress to ensure that this Trust Fund is reauthorized as part of a larger infrastructure package.

Members of Congress are expected to return to their home districts to campaign through the election on November 3, unless there is a breakthrough in negotiations for another stimulus package to address COVID-19.

For additional information, please contact MRAA government relations manager Adam Fortier-Brown at adam@mraa.com.

Gordy’s Lakefront Marine Proudly Partners with Malibu Boats

Gordy’s Lakefront Marine, a 65-year-old Wisconsin family run business, will partner with Malibu Boats in southeast Wisconsin to become the exclusive Malibu and Axis dealer.
Gordy’s was founded by Gordon “Gordy” Whowell and family in 1955 as a seasonal Boat Ride and Rental operation. The tradition of providing fun in the sun on Geneva Lake started by Gordy 65 years ago, continues today. Gordy’s grandsons, Steele & Tom Whowell now own and run Gordy’s.

Gordy’s Lakefront Marine has grown from a small, upstart business in 1955 to a diversified company consisting of a Marina, Cobalt, Malibu, Everglades, & Berkshire boat sales, Service and Storage, Boat Rentals, Boat Clubs, Ski and Wakeboard Schools, a Pro Shop specialty retail store (Home of the world famous Gordy Gear), The Boat House Bar & Restaurant and Cobalt Lounge…one of the lake’s most popular gathering spots featuring a lake view as incredible as it’s food and service! And, the Surf Shack…a seasonal deli and ice-cream snack shop on the shoreline at the foot of Gordy’s lighthouse pier.

Gordy’s was honored by Boating Industry Magazine as the #1 Boat Dealership and Marina in North America two years in a row. Achieving these honors earned Gordy’s the prestigious “Hall of Fame” status from Boating Industry’s Top 100 dealer rankings. Gordy’s also has been ranked the #1 Boat Service Center in North America by Boating Industry. These awards are given to only the most elite boat dealers and service centers that consistently provide unmatched customer service and care.

To best serve customers in Southern WI and Northern IL, Gordy’s has four well established locations including Fontana, WI, Oconomowoc, WI, Fox Lake, IL and Chicago, IL. Gordy’s is excited to partner with the Ski Boat industry leader, Malibu, in our WI Locations. Our mission at Gordy’s is to deliver the Ultimate Boating Experience to our customers and we look forward to building relationships and providing that experience to all our customers in all locations.

Sea Tow Foundation Announces Final Deadline for “National Boating Industry Safety Awards”

Only 8 days remain to enter the 2020 National Boating Industry Safety Awards. Applications are due October 15 and Sea Tow Foundation Executive Director Gail R. Kulp encourages entry from all recreational marine organizations in the for-profit sector who actively promote boating safety.

“Our awards program was established to recognize those companies throughout the for-profit sector of recreational marine industry who are doing an outstanding job promoting boating safety,” said Kulp. “Sponsored by KiCKER Marine Audio and produced in cooperation with our North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council, this year’s event features double the number of categories of entry, with the goal to shine the spotlight and recognize more segments within the industry who actively champion boating safety.”

The 2020 National Boating Industry Safety Awards include the following categories for submission:

  • Powerboat Manufacturer
  • Sailboat Manufacturer
  • Engine Manufacturer
  • Gear/Equipment Manufacturer
  • Human Powered (Canoe, Kayak, SUP) Manufacturer
  • Marine Retailer with up to 3 Locations
  • Marine Retailer with more than 3 Locations
  • Marine Media Outlets
  • Marine Marketing and Outreach
  • Marine Distributor
  • Multi-Year Campaign (any category)

Contest information and applications are available for download at www.boatingsafety.com/awards along with information and samples from the 2019 winners. Entries may be submitted until midnight, October 15, 2020 for any boating safety campaigns conducted between August 15, 2019 and August 15, 2020.

Winners for the 2020 awards contest will be announced live during the MRAA’s Dealer Week scheduled for December 8 – 11, 2020 in Austin, TX.

“We were very pleased by the 2019 entry pool that reflected such inspiring and important work by many marine organizations in promoting boating safety messages,” said Kulp. “The Sea Tow Foundation and our North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council, coupled with our 2020 title sponsor KICKER Marine Audio, are very pleased to host this competition and anticipate the review of some awesome entries throughout the industry.

Sea Tow Foundation
With a focus on safe boating practices that result in fun on the water, the Sea Tow Foundation – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – was established in 2007 by Sea Tow Founder Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer. After his passing in 2015, Captain Joe’s legacy continues as the Foundation brings attention to the number of preventable boating-related accidents, injuries, and deaths, and directly addresses prevention methods through education and awareness. More than 650 life jacket loaner stands are now available across the United States and the Foundation’s Sober Skipper program continues to grow. For more information on the Sea Tow Foundation, please visit BoatingSafety.com.

Inventory levels won’t normalize for more than a year

While dealers across North America scramble to sell boats with little-to-no inventory in stock, manufacturers are scrambling to catch up on production.

 

At most boat builders, the incoming orders are far exceeding the ability to produce.

 

At a 100-boat-per-week builder, for example, they are currently receiving 300 new boat orders per week. “It’s a hole you can’t dig out of,” an executive there explains. “Everyone’s calling. They’re frustrated because they’re sold out of all of their boats. It’s insane.”

 

Another builder shipped 3 boats per day for most of the 2020 model year and is moving to 5 boats a day by next month. “This time last year, we had about a month of orders,” their head of sales explained. “We are into April 2021 with orders right now.”

 

And yet another has released a list of the eight models that it has already sold out of for the 2021 model year: “Please make note, we are no longer in a position to take orders for these models,” their letter explains.

 

Meanwhile, dealers, many of whom have pre-sold most of the product they have on order — one dealer has already pre-sold 19 of the next 23 units en route to his store —  fear not having enough boats in stock to maintain sales levels for the year ahead, let alone entertain the idea of having enough inventory to conduct a boat show, where they generate the lion’s share of their leads.

 

81 percent of dealers suggested they were either “very low”
or completely out of new unit inventory.

 

The inventory shortage threatens the marine industry’s ability to continue its momentum into 2021 on many levels, and dealers are racing to figure out a solution. In the meantime, the stats at the dealer level show that, according to a recent survey conducted by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, 81 percent of boat dealers are either “very low” or are completely out of inventory. Fifteen percent of them reported being out of new units to sell.

 

Of those same dealers, 88 percent suggested they planned to order the same (40%) or more (48%) inventory as they had in 2020; and nearly two-thirds — 64 percent — noted that their current lead time to receive newly ordered boats was more than three months.

 

The consensus from boat manufacturers seems to be that it will take 12-18 months before the inventory pipeline is restocked to normal levels.

Top Industry Trainers Return as 2020 Dealer Week ‘Education Hosts’

Once again, the Hosts will serve as guides throughout the event’s educational sessions — this year online.

 

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 1, 2020 — Dealer Week, the MRAA Conference and Expo, has released its lineup of 2020 Education Hosts, which brings back a couple of veterans from the inaugural event and adds a new (but familiar) face.

 

Dealer Week moves online for 2020, but many aspects of the event have made the transition to the new virtual setting. That include the event’s three main classrooms, or Education Pathways: The Dealership, The Customer and The Employee. Each of these Pathways will once again feature sessions, case studies, workshops — and a top marine industry trainer as host.

 

These dedicated “Education Hosts” will introduce each session and be online to answer question during the day. They will each also present one session or workshop within their pathway.

The 2020 Dealer Week Education Hosts are:

 

The Customer Pathway: Jim Million, Million Learning

The Dealership Pathway: Sam Dantzler, Wheelhouse College

The Employee Pathway: Valerie Ziebron, VRZ Consulting

 

Dantzler and Million resume their hosting duties from 2019, while Ziebron joins the group after hosting the Dealer Week Field Trip last year.

 

“Going into next year, we know dealers have a lot of questions and unknowns, so we once again brought in experts who they trust to lead the education at Dealer Week,” said Mike Davin, Brand Director at MRAA. “We’ve worked with each of these trainers to put together sessions that will help dealers carry the momentum from 2020 into the new year.”

 

The Education Pathways were selected because they represent the three pillars of MRAA’s education strategy. They were also designed to engage a cross-section of dealership employees through topics such as sales, service, marketing, customer initiatives, employee relations and more.

 

Sam Dantzler is a sought-after keynote speaker, 20-Club moderator and workshop trainer throughout in the U.S. and abroad for the marine, powersports and bicycle industries. 

 

Valerie Ziebron is well-known within the marine industry for her service department expertise. She has delivered over 5,000 presentations and has helped more than 1,000 small businesses as well as larger clients that have included Chrysler, General Motors, Yamaha Motor Company, Boating Industry Magazine, Shelby American Collection, Eastman Kodak, IPIX and many others.

 

Jim Million has worked with dealerships for the past four decades as a salesperson, service writer, sales manager, facilitator, developer, writer, speaker and consultant. He has experience in both automotive and marine and works closely with MRAA as a Certification Consultant.

 

Also announced was the Dealer Week schedule, which can be viewed at DealerWeek.com/schedule.

 

Dealer Week takes place online Dec. 8-11. Registration, which is available now, has been reduced by half to make it more affordable for teams to attend the event together. To register, go to DealerWeek.com.

 

About Dealer Week

For nearly 50 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week is MRAA’s annual conference and expo, designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

 

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

OperateBeyond to buy lunch for dealership teams during Dealer Week

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but don’t tell that to OperateBeyond. To keep your team fueled, they’ll buy lunch for dealerships that register four or more staff for Dealer Week.

Working on your business takes
 a lot of mental energy, which is why marine dealership platform provider OperateBeyond wants to buy lunch for dealers who register four or more staff to attend MRAA’s Dealer Week Conference and Expo this December.

For any dealership that registers
four team members from the same location, OperateBeyond will send a $100 Visa gift card to buy lunch from the venue of their choice. The “Lunch and Learn” promotion starts today and will continue for a limited time while supplies last.

“OperateBeyond
 wanted to think outside the box about how they could support dealers during Dealer Week,” says Allison Gruhn, Director of Business Development at MRAA. “With the cost of Dealer Week greatly reduced this year — especially with no flights and hotels to
book — and more dealerships able to bring a larger number of staff members, OperateBeyond thought it would be great to buy those teams lunch to fuel their learning and brainstorming.”

In addition to the $100 gift card, OperateBeyond is also offering
another $100 for dealers who sign up to view a demo with them during Dealer Week.

“The MRAA is an essential organization for marine dealers and we are thrilled to be partnering with them for the annual Dealer Week Conference and Expo this year
to help bring some energy and excitement to the event,” according to the OperateBeyond team.

Dealer Week takes place online Dec. 8-11. Registration, which costs half of what it does in a typical year, is now open at DealerWeek.com.

About 
OperateBeyond
Based out of Grand Rapids, Mich., OperateBeyond is an all-in-one digital platform built for dealers that manages inventory, CRM, classifieds, website, and leads in one convenience place. Their web-based platform allows users to post and
update current inventory to multiple online marketing avenues (Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.). Learn more at OperateBeyond.com.

About Dealer Week
For nearly 50 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class
educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week is MRAA’s annual conference and expo, designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. Learn more
 at DealerWeek.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community
must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, contact us at 763-315-8043.

Dealer Week announces schedule, session topics

Earlier this month, MRAA’s Dealer Week announced that it would be hosted this year online. Today the schedule and education topics for the event were posted at DealerWeek.com/schedule.

“Since we announced that this year’s Dealer Week would be hosted online, naturally people have been curious how the schedule would compare to last year’s event,” said Mike Davin, Brand Director at the MRAA. “What people will find is that it is very similar to what they would expect from an in-person MRAA conference, with a few tweaks to take advantage of being online.”

Dealer Week’s schedule remains anchored by its education sessions, which will again be divided into three pathways. The pathways focus on challenges related to “The Dealership,” “The Employee,” and “The Customer.”

Session topics planned for the event solve problems including:

· · · · · · The event will also feature live Q&As with the event’s expert trainers, roundtable discussions with other attendees, and time to meet with solution providers in the Expo.

“Like a lot of things online, this year’s edition of Dealer Week makes some aspects of the event more convenient,” said Davin. “The fact that there’s no travel time comes immediately to mind, but there are other advantages as well. For example, you can set meetings from within the app or on your computer, so there’s no chasing someone down in the convention center or waiting in line at a booth. And obviously you can only attend one session at a time, but every session will be available on-demand after it concludes, so you can actually attend them all if you want.”

All sessions will be available to attendees through March 31, which was designed for dealerships that want to use them for training after the live event. Prior to the event, the MRAA is hosting a series of Dealer Week exclusive “Ask the Expert” webinars to help dealerships start working on their business before the conference kicks off. The topics for the webinars will be listed on the schedule page as they are announced.

Dealer Week takes place online Dec. 8-11. Registration, which is available now, has been reduced by half to make it more affordable for teams to attend the event together. To register, go to DealerWeek.com .

MRAA Applauds Introduction of Legislation to Protect Small Businesses from Natural Disasters

On Thursday, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Angus King (ME-I), Ben Cardin (D-MD), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced the Providing Resources for Emergency Preparedness and Resilient Enterprises (PREPARE) Act.

This bipartisan legislation, which matches companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, would allow the Small Business Administration to make low-interest, fixed rate loans of up to $500,000 to small businesses to invest in their properties to protect their facilities, real estate and contents from natural disasters.

“Across the nation, natural disasters continue to grow in frequency and severity, resulting in billions of dollars in damages to local communities and small businesses every year. Now is precisely the right time for Congress to invest in common-sense solutions like the PREPARE Act to make our nation’s infrastructure and economy more resilient to repeated storm damages,” said Adam Fortier-Brown, government relations manager at the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA). “This bipartisan legislation equips small businesses, like recreational boat dealerships and marinas, with an important tool to invest in modern, disaster-resilient infrastructure so they can keep their doors open and continue to fuel job growth and prosperity in their local communities. Our industry commends Senator Rubio, Senator King, Senator Cardin, Senator Kennedy, Senator Ernst, Senator Wyden, and Senator Collins for their leadership on this critical issue.”

According to FEMA, roughly 40-60 percent of small businesses never reopen following a disaster. Research shows that every $1 the government spends on disaster mitigation, such as improving existing infrastructure or elevating homes and businesses, saves taxpayers an average of $6—something that is particularly important at a time when the economic impact of disasters has cost the U.S. over $800 Billion in the last decade.

A study by the MRAA and the Association of Marina Industries found that marine business need significant funding to protect from flooding, requiring an average of $260,000 to invest in projects like elevating buildings, bulkheads, constructing flood barriers or levees, dry and wet floodproofing, yard regrading, and sewer back up protections.

“The PREPARE Act would allow small businesses the opportunity to invest in mitigation before a disaster strikes,” Chairman Rubio said. “Investing in disaster mitigation on the front end saves business’, as well as taxpayers’, dollars, while reducing potential risks to property. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would improve the SBA’s previous program and allow businesses to be more prepared and more resilient in the future.”

“If we didn’t already know before, the coronavirus pandemic further proves that it’s much better to prepare for a potentially catastrophic disaster rather than having to react to one after it’s happened,” Senator King said. “That’s why Senator Rubio and I are introducing this bill to help our small businesses and local governments strengthen their physical infrastructure in case of a flood – an issue particularly important to coastal small businesses in Maine given their proximity to the ocean. Now more than ever, small business owners around the nation need peace-of-mind, and this bill will support that by providing funding to prepare for natural disasters to minimize their impact rather than only paying after the fact.”

“Communities are enduring stronger and more frequent storms due to climate change, so it is now more important than ever for small businesses to be prepared,” Ranking Member Cardin said. “I am proud to join Chairman Rubio and Senator King to introduce the PREPARE Act, which will empower small businesses to build resilience to survive natural disasters by proactively investing in hazard mitigation efforts.”

“No one knows better than a Louisianian how to prepare for natural disasters, and this bill will make it easier for our small businesses to prevent loss,” Senator Kennedy said. “Too often, hardworking Americans are forced to weather storms first and federal bureaucracy second. I’m thankful to work with Sen. Rubio and colleagues to pass the PREPARE Act before another category four hurricane batters our state.”

“Between the derecho and recent flooding, natural disasters have caused significant challenges and economic harm to Iowa’s small businesses in recent years,” Senator Ernst said. “This bipartisan effort will help our small business owners access resources to protect their property from potential disasters, and help them avoid unforeseen expenses in the future.”

“With the rapidly growing climate crisis, our communities are being hit with bigger and more dangerous natural disasters,” Senator Wyden said. “In the West, this wildfire season has brought tragedy and destruction with massive infernos leveling entire communities to ash. “The federal government has an obligation to help our communities — especially our small businesses and the hundreds of thousands of workers they employ — mitigate the worst. Federal support for disaster preparation is especially important for states like my home state where small businesses are the backbone of the economy.”

“Small businesses are the engine of our economy, but one disaster could quickly wipe out a small business that a family spent years or even generations to build,” Senator Collins said. “This bipartisan bill would provide low-interest loans to allow small businesses to protect their property from future disasters, limiting potential damage and helping them to recover more quickly when catastrophes strike.”

“Recreational boating businesses – most of which are small and family owned operations – are among the most susceptible to the devastation of erosion, rising water levels and many additional effects of climate change,” said Nicole Vasilaros, senior vice president of government and legal affairs at the National Marine Manufacturers Association. “Thanks to the leadership of Senator Rubio, Senator King, Senator Kennedy and Senator Cardin, we are one step closer to passing the PREPARE Act and providing coastal communities with the resources they need to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure.”

“The marina and boatyard industry often faces the brunt of repeated natural disasters and flooding damages each year, which is why the PREPARE Act has wide-reaching benefits to our industry,” said Eric Kretsch, legislative and outreach coordinator for the Association of Marina Industries. “Small businesses constitute a large portion of our industry, and by nature, we’re located in vulnerable areas. The PREPARE Act will provide a key mechanism to marina and boatyard operators so they can upgrade their infrastructure and increase their resiliency to natural disasters. Thank you to Senator Rubio, Senator King, Senator Kennedy and Senator Cardin for their leadership on this important issue.”

“The many businesses that make up the marine industry in South Florida are no strangers to the disastrous effects of damage and flooding being at the epicenter of many of the seasonal hurricanes and tropical storms,” said Lori Wheeler, vice president at the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. “Passing the PREPARE Act will provide the means for businesses so affected to prepare better and recover more quickly. We applaud Senator Rubio, Senator King, Senator Kennedy and Senator Cardin for their work on this.”

The Senate’s PREPARE Act, which builds upon similar legislation (H.R. 7552) introduced by U.S. Representative Joseph Morelle (D-NY):

  • Creates an updated Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program for small business concerns to proactively take out a low-interest loan (up to $500,000) for the purpose of implementing mitigation measures to protect their property from future disaster-related damage.
  • Authorizes $25 million annually (FY2021 to FY2025).
  • Tasks SBA with establishing and carrying out an advertising and outreach program related to pre-disaster mitigation.
  • Tasks SBA with issuing guidance to ensure borrowers purchase and maintain insurance coverage over the duration of the loan.
  • Requires SBA to conduct initial reporting and a program evaluation annually thereafter.
  • Increases, from 20 to 30 percent, the limit on existing SBA Physical Business Disaster Loans a borrower may use towards post-disaster mitigation.

If passed, this landmark legislation would significantly increase the tools that small business owners have at their disposal to prepare their facilities for natural disasters, and would be the only SBA program focused solely on small business disaster prevention. The PREPAE Act would also take steps to expand SBA’s Disaster Loan program to provide more resources for disaster mitigation when repairing and rebuilding private sector disaster losses.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, contact us at 763-315-8043.

Congress yet to reach deal on stimulus deal

Yesterday, the latest COVID-19 economic aid package was proposed by a 50-member bipartisan group of House legislators. The Problem Solvers Caucus announced a $1.5 trillion package dubbed their “March To Common Ground” that split the difference between the $3.4 trillion HEROES Act passed by House Democrats in May, and the $1 trillion HEALS Act proposed by Senate Republicans in July.

The Problem Solvers Caucus, which is equally divided between Republicans and Democrats, had over 75-percent of its members endorsed this package, allowing the group to move forward. The caucus is co-chaired by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Tom Reed (R-NY), both of whom spoke at the American Boating Congress this Spring.

With so many different proposals floating around at this point, it can be easy to get things mixed up. The table below outlines each of the three proposals being discussed.

What is particularly interesting about this bipartisan proposal is its inclusion of automatic triggers based on hospitalization rates and progress towards vaccine development, seemingly preventing future benefits to fall off due to partisan disagreements.

White House negotiators have signaled that they are open to a $1.5 trillion package, but House Democrats have openly said they would not negotiate on a package that is less than $2.2 trillion. House party leaders have not openly come out against the Problem Solvers Caucus’s March To Common Ground, but they have not openly stated they are open to working with the proposal. On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) traded blows blaming the other for refusing to come to the table, and this bipartisan deal is evidence that the other’s caucus was upset with a lack of progress.

It is unclear whether House and Senate leadership will move forward with this bipartisan proposal, or if it will meet the same end as the previous proposals.