JUNE 2008 - Association of Marina Industries

17News From WashingtonBy Larry InnisConsensus on Wallop-Breaux MovesForwardKey stakeholders in the Sport Fish Restoration and BoatingTrust Fund (Wallop-Breaux), began discussing theupcoming re-authorization of the fund in November, 2008.Meeting approximately every two weeks, the stakeholdergroup has reached a tentative consensus subject to a draftingof the re-authorization language. AMI, NMMA, Boat/USand MRAA played a vital role in this process.The trust fund is a user-pay, user-benefit system that isfunded from the federal excise tax on motorboat gasoline,gasoline used for small engines like lawn mowers, fishingequipment, and imported boats. The Coast Guard andFish and Wildlife Service administer the funds to helppay for boating safety programs in the states; sport fishand habitat restoration; pump outs; boating and fishingoutreach; construction of transient boat slips, boating accessramps and other facilities; and wetlands restoration.The small group of DC-area stakeholders has agreed onseveral key points in the re-authorization, including a“maintenance of effort” clause for boating safety moneyto the states. This means that state legislatures can’t reducethe state matching funds to receive the federal share,and an increase in the federal/state match formula from50/50 to 75/25. These actions were deemed very importantin light of the declining economy and state budgets.In addition, slight increases have been approved for outreachthrough the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundationto encourage more participation in fishing and boating,vital in this new economic environment. Non-specificlanguage was approved to expand the usage of Clean VesselAct funds for the Clean Marina Program and cleaninfrastructure such as pressure wash treatment systems.We Are All Feeling the Effectsof a Suffering EconomyAs gas prices continue toincrease the profit marginsat the fuel dock are less. As acountry, marina fuel usage isdown 40% from what it hasbeen in year’s past.The Good News?Transaction Solutions can help you INCREASE YOURPROFIT MARGIN through Guaranteed Savings onyour monthly credit card processing fees!Fax a recent month’s processing statement in todayand a Transaction Solutions/AMI Representative willprovide you with a detailed comparative analysis.For more details contact us at 850-934-3030 or viaemail at ami@tspay.comGuaranteed Savings, Guaranteed ResultsVisit us Online at www.TSPay.comThe most controversial part of the stakeholder discussionswas on how to treat administrative costs incurredby the Coast Guard and Fish and Wildlife Agency. Theproposed consensus is to take these costs out of the trustfund before the other accounts, like the CVA and distributionsto the states for boating safety and sport fish restoration.This action is designed to bring equity to thefund between the Coast Guard and Fish and WildlifeAgency. Currently the Coast Guard’s administrative fundsare taken out of the state boat safety fund account andthe USF&WS gets its administrative money “off the top.”The DC-area stakeholders, known now as the Alliance ofBoaters and Anglers (ABA), are drafting model legislation,which will be proferred to fishing and boating groups andthen to Congress. It is expected the model language, if approvedby key advocates in Congress, will be included inthe upcoming re-authorization of the Highway Trust Fund.Interested in Advertising with AMI?Contact Merritt Alves atmalves@marinaassociation.org foradvertising opportunities!