MINNEAPOLIS, August 15, 2023 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced that it has added Mike Sayre as Director of Government Relations. As dealers face significant regulatory and legislative challenges to their businesses, the MRAA is ramping up its government relations efforts to ensure the voice of the dealers is represented in the […]
Tag: Legislative Updates
Partnership Announced to Expand Minnesota’s $10 Billion Outdoor Recreation Industry
• Governor Walz announces partnership; goal to make Minnesota a top 10 state in outdoor recreation [ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today announced a new partnership to expand Minnesota’s $10 billion outdoor recreation industry. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Explore Minnesota Tourism (EMT), and Iron […]
Recreational Fishing and Boating Community Opposes Vessel Speed Restrictions in the Gulf of Mexico
• Collaboration Needed in Conserving Rice’s Whales WASHINGTON, D.C. July 18, 2023 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and other leading organizations representing the recreational fishing and boating industry urged the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to reject a petition to establish a year-round 10-knot (11 mph) vessel speed limit and other […]
Victory for Boat Dealers: Florida Amends Livery Insurance Requirements
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on June 12, 2023, signed SB 418 repealing insurance requirements for boat liveries and absolves them from purchasing insurance to cover rental customers. This is a victory for Florida boat dealers. During the 2022 legislative session, the 2022 Florida Boating Safety Act (HB 493) passed, requiring boat rental facilities to insure […]
Oversight Hearing on NOAA’s Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule
A significant Oversight Hearing was held today by the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources regarding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) proposed Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule. The hearing addressed the potential impact of the proposed rule on both marine wildlife and the recreational marine industry. The […]
Minnesota Passes Landmark Mandatory Boater Education Legislation
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, May, 31 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) celebrates the successful passage of Mandatory Boater Education Legislation in its home state of Minnesota. This landmark legislation marks a significant step towards ensuring the safety and well-being of boaters and all who enjoy aquatic recreation throughout the Land of 10,000 […]
Minnesota Passes Mandatory Boater Education Legislation
Program to equip boaters with the knowledge and skills to create safer waterways A bill, establishing a new Mandatory Boater Education Program, has been passed in Minnesota. The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) is delighted to celebrate the passage because a similar effort failed in the final hours in Minnesota’s 2022 legislative session. […]
MRAA, Dealers Share Concerns at American Boating Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2023 – Last week, the recreational boating industry, including the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, visited Washington, D.C., for the annual American Boating Congress (ABC) hosted by the National Marine Manufacturers Association. MRAA staff, members of the MRAA Board of Directors and several MRAA members brought marine industry issues to […]
A New Restriction May be on the Horizon for Gulf Coast Boating: Petition to Establish Rice’s Whale Vessel Speed Zone
Impediments to boating access, in the forms of mandatory speed zones or restrictions on boat type or activity, stand to have a major impact on your business by either keeping boaters off the water or disincentivizing folks from buying boats. As the proposed Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule, which would mandate a 10-knot speed restriction […]
Menhaden Agreement Between Omega Protein, Virginia Falls Short
Members of the recreational fishing and conservation community focus on next steps to conserve the Bay as purse seine sector celebrates toothless memorandum of understanding FORT MONROE, VA, May 3, 2023 – A recently signed agreement to address the impacts of industrial menhaden harvest in the Chesapeake Bay falls short of limiting real damage inflicted […]
