Sponsors (3)
The bill directs more reliable, targeted funding to boating safety, access, and invasive-species control by allowing states to collect and combine fees, but it may raise costs for boaters and reduce fiscal flexibility and transparency for local governments and users.
Recreational boaters and local governments will have dedicated revenue for boating-related projects (safety, access, recreational waterways, and aquatic invasive species control) because collected fees are restricted to those uses.
States can collect and combine boating fees, enabling more consistent, centralized funding for local boating programs and services.
Recreational boaters and local agencies gain an explicit funding mechanism for emergency responses because fees may be used to cover search-and-rescue operations and invasive-species control efforts.
Recreational boaters and small businesses may face higher or consolidated fees, increasing out-of-pocket costs for boat ownership and use.
Local governments may have reduced budget flexibility because fee revenue is limited to specified boating-related uses, potentially straining other local priorities.
Customers could face bundled or consolidated charges that are less transparent, making it harder for boaters to see what they're being charged for.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Authorizes States to collect certain boating-related fees together with other fees and restricts those fee revenues to boating recreation, safety, access, and aquatic invasive species activities.
Allows States to collect defined boating-related fees (including for search and rescue, boating safety, and aquatic invasive species) together with other fees under the statute, and restricts the use of revenue from those State-collected fees to activities that improve recreational boating, boater safety and access, recreational use of waterways, and efforts to address aquatic invasive species. It mainly clarifies collection authority and places limits on how those fees may be spent.
Official title: To allow States to require payment of State fees related to boating as a condition for issuance of a vessel number and to collect such fees in conjunction with other fees related to vessel numbering.
Introduced April 28, 2026 by Jennifer Kiggans · Last progress April 28, 2026