NMMA Backs Bipartisan Bill to Reauthorize the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund

On June 12, 2025, Representatives Debbie Dingell (D–MI) and Rob Wittman (R–VA) introduced legislation to renew the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund (“Trust Fund”), a cornerstone federal program since 1950. Supported by NMMA President and CEO Frank Hugelmeyer, the fund is sustained by excise taxes on fishing gear, motorboat fuel, and boating equipment, which funnel approximately $700 million annually into fisheries conservation, boating access improvements, infrastructure projects, fish stocking, and aquatic education across all 50 states. This bipartisan proposal emphasizes modernizing the Trust Fund, including incentives for marinas to adopt alternative marine fuels.

For the US Harbors community of boaters, anglers, marina operators, and waterfront businesses, the Trust Fund is more than policy: it equates to tangible benefits. Every dollar paid in boating and fishing-related taxes funnels back into infrastructure upgrades (including docks, boat ramps, and marinas) and improved fish habitats across our harbors. Reauthorizing the fund ensures continued investment in public access points, ecosystem restoration projects, and educational outreach that have a direct impact on your experiences on the water and support the local economy of our harbor businesses that depend on marine recreation.