WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 6, 2020 – Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) released a letter today signed by 29 national outdoor recreation trade associations – including the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) – supporting over 100,000 businesses, urging Congress to pass the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). This legislation would fully fund the Land […]

On Saturday, April 18, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont today announced marinas, boatyards and marine manufacturers will be allowed to open for personal use as long as strict social distancing and sanitation protocols are followed. Chartered watercraft services or rentals will not be allowed, […]

On April 21, The U.S. Senate reached a deal on a $484 billion funding package, to expand the popular Paycheck Protection Program, and increase funding for U.S. health systems, and expand COVID-19 testing and contract tracing capabilities. The funding package will now move to the U.S. House of Representatives, and is expected to receive a […]

MRAA’s Advocacy team is calling on all state Governors to adopt the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidelines on identification of critical infrastructure businesses and employees, which includes marinas, and repair and maintenance facilities. Many states have issued shelter at home policies to limit public movement to fight the spread […]

On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor announced they will be hosting a national online dialogue to provide employers and employees with an opportunity to offer their perspective on compliance and implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This bill, signed into law last week, provides paid sick leave, free COVID-19 […]

This morning the U.S. Congress is finalizing their $2-trillion economic relief package for businesses to address the severe impact of the coronavirus pandemic on small businesses and their employees’ financial stability. MRAA, along with NMMA, and Association of Marina Industries (AMI), actively engaged with leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate throughout […]

Recreational fishing and boating groups applaud new bipartisan law Following vocal support from recreational fishermen, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a bipartisan bill improving menhaden management in the Atlantic. The legislation transfers management authority of Atlantic menhaden—a small oily baitfish that feeds sportfish like striped bass—to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which oversees every other […]

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) members, including MRAA, lauded the Senate for introducing a bipartisan bill, the Great American Outdoors Act, that prioritizes the $20 billion maintenance backlog facing our public lands and waters and finally fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). It includes the Restore Our Parks Act (ROPA), which would help […]

Bill supports recreational fishing economy and science-based management. With strong bipartisan support, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation that improves menhaden management in the Atlantic.  The bill, which is headed to Governor Northam’s desk, transfers management authority of Atlantic menhaden to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which oversees every other saltwater fishery in the Commonwealth. […]

On February 19, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved the Biscayne National Park Fisheries Management Plan. The result of decades of debate, the recreational boating and fishing community successfully advocated for a plan that would increase the abundance of targeted species in the park by 20 percent without implementing a marine reserve […]