Minneapolis, MN, March 13, 2024 – On Monday, March 4th, the Arizona House of Representatives voted to pass H.B. 2149: watercraft operation; minors; safety education, in a 40-17 vote. Favorable passage out of the House now sends this piece of legislation to the Senate, where it must also move through the Committee process and ultimately […]
Tag: Advocacy
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 […]
MRAA, Dealers Share Concerns at American Boating Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2023 – Last week, the recreational boating industry, including the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, visited Washington, D.C., for the annual American Boating Congress (ABC) hosted by the National Marine Manufacturers Association. MRAA staff, members of the MRAA Board of Directors and several MRAA members brought marine industry issues to […]
Boaters Beware: E15 At Pumps This Boating Season
This boating season it is going to be imperative to pay attention at the pump, as an emergency waiver issued by the EPA will allow E15, a harmful fuel for boat engines, to be sold throughout the summer. E15, or gasoline that uses a 15 percent ethanol blend, is a widespread, common fuel type that […]
A New Restriction May be on the Horizon for Gulf Coast Boating: Petition to Establish Rice’s Whale Vessel Speed Zone
Impediments to boating access, in the forms of mandatory speed zones or restrictions on boat type or activity, stand to have a major impact on your business by either keeping boaters off the water or disincentivizing folks from buying boats. As the proposed Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule, which would mandate a 10-knot speed restriction […]
Menhaden Agreement Between Omega Protein, Virginia Falls Short
Members of the recreational fishing and conservation community focus on next steps to conserve the Bay as purse seine sector celebrates toothless memorandum of understanding FORT MONROE, VA, May 3, 2023 – A recently signed agreement to address the impacts of industrial menhaden harvest in the Chesapeake Bay falls short of limiting real damage inflicted […]
Proposed Vessel Speed Rule Will Hamper Recreation, Do Little for Right Whale
• Recreational boating and fishing community submit comment, ask NOAA to pause rule WASHINGTON, D.C., October 7, 2022 — Monday, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and other leading organizations representing recreational fishing and boating in the United States urged the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to pause its proposed North Atlantic Right Whale […]
Tokowicz, MRAA Advocacy Efforts Highlighted in ‘Boating Industry’ Magazine
As part of Boating Industry magazine’s report on sustainability within the marine industry, Associate Editor Jamie Stafford spoke with MRAA Government Relations Manager Chad Tokowicz. Under the header “Retailers” on page 24 of the August / September issue of the magazine, Chad shared the MRAA’s advocacy efforts and its approach to sustainability, conservation and legislative […]
New FTC Auto Rule: What Does It Mean for My Business?
By a 4-1 vote June 23, the FTC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking which if passed, will change the way you interact with your customers forever. The regulation, dubbed the “Motor Vehicle Dealers Trade Regulation Rule” would apply to cars, boats, motorcycles, and RVs, and is primarily aimed at removing deception and other unfair […]
