MRAA has joined on to the Boating and Fishing Aquatic Invasive Species Coalition, which is comprised of stakeholder organizations from around the country. The coalition was formed to present a united front on Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) policies at the federal level. During the first meeting on Monday, July 23rd, the coalition unanimously agreed to […]

On June 21st the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states are allowed collect sales tax on remote Internet sales. This decision represents a significant victory for brick and mortar marine retailers. Last year, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that a 2016 law requiring out-of-state internet retailers to collect sales tax violates a 1992 U.S. […]

Interior Secretary Zinke, Conservation & Recreation Groups Praise Bipartisan Consensus Legislation to Address $12 Billion National Park Service Backlog in Deferred and Overdue Maintenance WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Angus King (I-ME) introduced the Restore Our Parks Act, bipartisan legislation that would address the nearly […]

Funding for the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account Will Ensure Economic Impact of Outdoor Recreation Industry Continues to Be Recognized by the Federal Government Washington, D.C. – The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) applauded the Senate Appropriations Committee for including funding for the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) in […]

The marine industry is facing a massive workforce shortage and one reason behind it is the lack of quality education options. Apprenticeships help bridge that gap by allowing students to learn from experienced employees, in a real world environment. There’s a new apprenticeship bill moving in the Senate that needs your support. Last week, Senator Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the […]

Currently, U.S. marine industry is facing a triple threat when it comes to tariffs: Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Chinese aluminum sheet, and 301 tariffs on nearly 300 marine related products. As a result, our industry is experiencing rising manufacturing costs, retaliatory tariffs, and order cancelations.   As […]

A workforce bill that would allocate $100,000 of funding to the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association to build and support workforce development programs has passed the Massachusetts state Senate. The recreational boating industry in Massachusetts has an economic impact of over $2 billion dollars and employs over 11,000 men and women, according to the MMTA. “This […]

President Donald J. Trump has proclaimed June as Great Outdoors Month® – marking the 16th time a President has recognized the importance of the Great Outdoors with a Presidential proclamation.  He is the third President to celebrate Great Outdoors Month® and the fifth to take action on either the Month or its predecessor, Great Outdoors […]

The U.S. Department of the Interior, along with the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, recently published a new free booklet to help kids get hooked on fishing. Those who are interested can download the Junior Ranger “Let’s Go Fishing!” activity booklet, which will introduce them and their families to fishing […]

U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to abide by all legal and regulatory requirements as the Trump administration reportedly considers the year-round sale of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol by volume (E15). As the lawmakers noted, the EPA has previously and […]