BoatUS, ASA and NMMA co-host briefing on the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund
On May 29, 2014, BoatUS, the American Sportfishing Association, and the National Marine Manufacturers Association on behalf of the Congressional Boating Caucus hosted a policy briefing on the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund (SFRBTF). The event was held in the House Administration hearing room (Longworth 1310) with nearly 30 congressional staff in attendance. This was the 2nd in a series of 4 Congressional Boating Caucus policy briefings and attendees learned of the significant contributions the SFRBTF has made to anglers and boaters nationwide and reasons why their bosses continued support of the SFRBTF is so important to their communities back home. The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund serves as the backbone for fishery conservation funding in the United States - a uniquely American System of Conservation Funding. It is a critical funding tool for a diverse set of important state and national recreational fishing and boating programs, including recreational boating safety, boat manufacturing compliance, fisheries management, habitat conservation, vessel sewage pump-out stations, water and boating access infrastructure programs, and aquatic resource education programs, among others. Funding for the Trust Fund is attained through a “user tax” system, in which excise duties on fishing tackle and equipment, motorboat fuel, and import duties on recreational boats and fishing equipment are collected for the various sportfish restoration programs and boating programs operating under the Dingell-Johnson Sportfish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777). These combined excise taxes and duties on the boating and fishing communities generate nearly $600 million annually. For more information, please contact Jeff Gabriel at [email protected] or 202-737-9776.