Last night, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation that would give Paycheck Protection Program borrowers more freedom in how to use funds and still have loans forgiven. The same legislation, dubbed the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, was passed in a near-unanimous vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation

MRAA government relations manager Adam Fortier-Brown recently wrote an op-ed published in the Portland Press Herald on the importance of pre-disaster funding for small businesses, and the Great American Outdoors Act.   “This pandemic is one without modern precedent, but one we still could have better prepared for. … Historically,

On Friday, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross met with recreational fishing and boating industry leaders at Maverick Boat Group, Inc. in Fort Pierce, Fla., to discuss marine recreational fishing access and the importance of marine recreation to the U.S. economy. Following a tour of the manufacturing facility, Secretary Ross indicated

WASHINGTON, DC — On the evening of May 15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed their $3 trillion coronavirus relief package, the HEROES Act, mostly along party lines with 14 Democratic defections and a handful of Republicans backing the legislation. The Republican controlled Senate is not expected to consider the

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

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

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

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

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

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