The Renewable Identification Numbers rose to record highs yesterday, indicating that the blendwall is upon us. This article speaks to how ethanol blends would clearly spike gas prices—something that is obviously not good for recreational boating and fishing. Read the full article here. In addition to the likely increase in gas prices, an increase in […]

The Governor of Ohio signed a bill into law on July 11 that becomes effective with the signing that establishes clear criteria for watercraft safety instructions before a recreational boat can be stopped and boarded on Lake Erie and other Ohio waters. In the past, water safety officers could stop a boat at any time […]

As was published in the national media recently, the White House announced a one-year delay in implementation of the employer mandate that requires employers with greater than 50 employees to pay for health insurance or face a penalty. MRAA worked during the drafting of the Affordable Care Act to exempt employers with fewer than 50 […]

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) recently introduced s.1085, the Small Business Tax Certainty and Growth Act. The bill would allow small businesses to plan for capital investments that are vital to business expansion and job creation by easing complex accounting rules for the smallest businesses and reduces the tax burden on new ventures. The bill would […]

Congress returned Monday, July 8, to potentially incendiary fights over nominations, unresolved disputes over student loans and the farm bill, and the uncertainty of whether lawmakers have the political will to rewrite the immigration laws. Two Cabinet-rank choices, Tom Perez as Labor Secretary and Gina McCarthy to head the USEPA, are on the agenda in […]

The following link is a report from the conservative National Center for Policy Analysis on the Congressional Budget Office budget projections. As you will see the budget deficit is going down in large part to an increase in revenues (a sign of an improving economy). However, the budget deficit is so large that it is […]

The luxury tax on boats bill has died in Connecticut. Legislation was successfully passed to repeal the luxury tax on boats costing more than $100,00 (Sections 77-78, E-Cert. HB 6704, Budget/Tax Bill), effective July 1, 2013. Rep. Pat Widlitz was a lead advocate to energize the boating industry in Connecticut. The Governor signed the budget/tax […]

The Dodd-Frank financial reform law, which passed Congress in 2010, authorized the creation of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, and now the CFPB wants to regulate the banks that make consumer loans, the dealers that refer them, and the service providers that broker them. The CFPB has been tasked by the Dodd-Frank law with, among […]

The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2013 was re-introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 2122) with a companion bill in the Senate (S. 1029). These bipartisan bills would update the process by which federal agencies promulgate regulations. It has been a process that has not been updated in more than 66 years. […]

Florida House Bill 999 was signed by Governor Rick Scott (F) in late May and will take effect on July 1, 2013. The bill 1.) provides for general permitting of mooring fields not exceeding 100 vessels, removes availability of a general permit for public marinas so all marinas will be subject to the standard permitting […]