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Last week, NMMA submitted its appropriations request for fiscal year 2020 (FY20) to Congress, as both chambers begin to finalize their respective funding packages. While the appropriations process sets the spending levels at every agency in the federal government, it is often an opportunity to improve and enhance initiatives or programs that are important to marine manufacturers and the entire recreational boating community.

The programs outlined in NMMA’s appropriation request promote and protect boating access, American manufacturing jobs, and local economies that depend on the recreational boating industry. NMMA’s FY20 priorities include:

• Enhancing and maintaining the nation’s waterways;
• Promoting innovative technology to improve on-the-water safety;
• Identifying new revenue sources to increase access to and reduce user-conflicts on public waters;
• Educating boaters about harmful misfuelling at their local gas stations; and
• Helping restore vital ecosystems from the Florida Everglades to the Great Lakes.

With the president’s budget proposal formally delivered to Congress last month, the next step of the federal budget process is for the House and Senate Appropriations Committee to introduce their FY20 spending bills. Simultaneously, House and Senate appropriators will conduct hearings with administration officials on the president’s budget proposal and allow stakeholders to submit their funding priorities for consideration.

Given the legislative gridlock that often grips both chambers of Congress, the annual appropriations process consistently remains one of the few legislative vehicles that crosses the finish line. NMMA will closely monitor the appropriations process as it unfolds on Capitol Hill and will continue to advocate for the industry’s priorities with lawmakers and key staff.

For more information, please contact NMMA senior vice president of government relations and legal affairs, Nicole Vasilaros at [email protected], NMMA director of federal government relations, Callie Hoyt at [email protected], or NMMA director of federal government relations, Clay Crabtree at [email protected].