Tag Archives: congress

Ahead of the August Recess, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation approved the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund — a program that supports about $650 million annually in fishery restoration and conservation efforts, boating access and infrastructure, as well as fish stocking programs important to recreational anglers.  Reauthorizing the Trust Fund is a top priority for the ...

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2020 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. NMMA played a critical role in shaping the bill—which includes key provisions that would improve the safety of the millions of Americans who take to the water each year.  The bill includes a provision that ...

Yesterday, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act – legislation that will stimulate the recreational boating industry and create more safe and sustainable recreation access for all Americans. The bill – which is expected to be signed by President Trump in the coming days – follows years of advocacy by the outdoor recreation community, including NMMA and ...

As COVID-19 gripped the country and world in the first half of 2020, the U.S. Congress hit pause on most of its previously scheduled work to focus almost entirely on the global pandemic. Now, with stay-at-home orders continuing to be lifted and sectors of the economy resuming operations, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are shifting some of their attention to measures ...

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) members recently applauded the Senate for introducing a bipartisan bill, the Great American Outdoors Act, that prioritizes the $20 billion maintenance backlog facing public lands and waters and fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). It includes the Restore Our Parks Act (ROPA), which would help improve key outdoor recreation related facilities like docks, ...

A U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment kicked off the second session of the 116th Congress with a hearing on proposals for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020. WRDA is a significant legislative package that sets federal water resources infrastructure policy and provides federal approval for civil works projects in our nation’s waterways and ...

Just before the holiday break, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a $1.4 trillion spending package to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2020, which includes nearly all the recreational boating industry’s top funding priorities. The NMMA outlined the industry’s requests earlier this year, advocating for programs vital to promoting and protecting boating access and local economies ...

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives reached an agreement to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico – now known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – setting up a full vote in the House as early as next week. In response, NMMA said it welcomed the news, calling ...

The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee advanced key legislation to address the growing global marine debris crisis late last week. The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (S.1982/H.R.2969) – sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) – would create a federal marine debris foundation, establish a “genius prize” to encourage the development of solutions to ...

John Wooden, founder and owner of Minnesota-based River Valley Power and Sport recently testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business. The hearing – titled “Force of Nature: The Power of Small Businesses in America’s Recreational Infrastructure” – served as a platform to examine the economic impact of outdoor recreational infrastructure, how small businesses contribute to the ...