Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) introduced S. 3537, the Boating Capacity Standards Act, on Sept. 13. It would require the Coast Guard to set maximum passenger capacity and maximum weight capacity standards for recreational vessels no matter the size. It would also require manufacturers and operators of passenger vessels to permanently display in a legible […]

On Sept. 20, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced H. Res. 801 to recognize America’s hunters, anglers, trappers, recreational boaters, recreational shooters, the industry, state fish and wildlife agencies, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their leading role in restoring healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and other natural resources. There is one co-sponsor. A […]

MRAA joined with the National Marine Bankers Association to voice strong concern about a recent proposed rulemaking by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would adversely impact the ability of liveaboards to obtain financing on boat purchases. In a letter responding to a Federal Register docket, MRAA President Matt Gruhn and Chairman Dave Foulkrod expressed […]

The following link will take you to a letter that 50 GOP Freshmen Congressmen signed to the Ways and Means Committee, encouraging passage of the extenders (Bush Tax Cuts). The committee is expected to be reviewing the extenders soon. The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is encouraging passage of the tax extenders and has […]

The Advisory Council of Marine Associations (ACMA) is set to meet during the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo (MDCE) in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 11-14. ACMA is a group of marine trades associations that serves as the MRAA Legislative Committee and advises the MRAA Board of Directors through its resolutions about legislative issues and strategies.               […]

Most of the real work of the U.S. Congress (and perhaps the most contentious) will occur after the elections when Congress returns to finish the “business of the people” during a short Lame Duck session. Almost everything of consequence, most notably a set of automatic, economy-related spending cuts and tax increases that have been called […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Congress returned to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 10 for an abbreviated session and is likely to do the bare minimum: making sure the federal government doesn’t shutdown.  Congress has scheduled only about five to six work days in Washington between now and the elections.  Many members will be spending most […]

The link below will take you to a report to Congress by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office on projections of the economy for the remainder of 2012 and 2013. It is an interesting report. It makes projections based on two scenarios, one where the federal budget deficit is reduced by austerity to about $600 billion […]

What follows is a summary of a recent article published by the Senate Republican Policy Committee on its concerns over the newly established Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. As a reminder, MRAA worked with a maritime lawyer in New York City and the National Automobile Dealers Association to secure an exemption for boat dealers in the […]

The U.S. President signed the $105-billion Highway Transportation Bill on July 6, bringing an end to a three-year fight over fishing and boating spending. This is an important development for the boating industry because the Highway Transportation Bill contains the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund re-authorization. MRAA has been working with other fishing […]