November 1, 2018 — The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), a trade group that has pushed for the passage of several controversial commercial fishing bills, has released a three-year strategic plan that would boost the amount of funds it spends on the political action committee (PAC) it supports.
NMMA says it will now seek to contribute $500,000 per year or $1 million per two-year election cycle to BoatPAC, nearly double what it was previously spending.
That would give the group more firepower to support such legislation as Alaska Republican representative Don Young’s Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) reauthorization bill (HR 200) or Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act (S. 1520), also known as the “Modern Fish Act,” a bill from senators Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat.
The two bills could wind up not getting passed during the 115th congressional session and come back for another try in the 116th, when the BoatPAC money might help.
HR 200 was passed in the US House of Representatives, in July, by a 222-193 vote, but the clock is ticking. A companion bill is needed in the Senate, which lawmakers could act on after the Nov. 6 election, during the two abbreviated months before the beginning of the new session in January.