On January 27, the Indiana House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on an amendment to House Bill 1385 #2, which would allow boaters to wake surf behind a forward-facing engine. MRAA, along with its partners, the National Marine Manufacturer Association and Water Sports Industry Association supported this measure.

On January 29, the Virginia House of Delegates Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on HB 1448, Menhaden; Management of the Fishery, which would transfer management authority for the fishery from Virginia’s General Assembly, to the Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC). All other marine fisheries in the

On January 23, the Maine State Legislature Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business held a hearing on a bill (HB 1977) that would require manufacturers to provide comprehensive information and access to software and tools needed to repair products – including electronics, and marine engines— to untrained and

On January 9, 2020, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Save our Seas 2.0 Act, a crucial step to address the growing water quality issues caused by marine debris.  Introduced by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), final passage of this bill— which is supported by MRAA— would create a federal marine debris

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross issued a statement threatening to temporarily close Chesapeake Bay’s menhaden fishery if the state of Virginia does not comply with federal quotas by June 17, 2020.  In a win for recreational fishing, the U.S. Department of Commerce found Virginia out of compliance for permitting

SAINT PAUL, MN – December 13, 2019 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, along with its outdoor recreation partners, applaud yesterday’s announcement by Governor Tim Walz to create an Outdoor Recreation Task Force in the State of Minnesota. Establishing the Task Force formalizes the state’s commitment to its

On November 15, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Attorney General Leticia James expanded the state’s lawsuit against the International Joint Commission (IJC) for failing to implement proper flooding protocols for the Moses-Saunders Power Dam along the St. Lawrence river. This filing builds on the New York State Department of

On Saturday, November 9, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recognized an 18-mile stretch of Maryland’s Potomac River as the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. In attendance was Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, and senior NOAA and U.S. Department of Commerce officials. The

Registration is now open for American Boating Congress (ABC), which will be held Tuesday May 12 – Thursday, May 14, 2020.  The event will be held at the InterContinental at The Warf in Washington, DC.  This event is open for U.S. members, and provides attendees with the opportunity to meet

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee held a full committee hearing on three outdoor recreation bills that would support the outdoor recreation economy. The three bills together would help expand access to public lands for recreational use. The hearing can be found here.  Separately, the Senate passed an amendment