In February, U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) joined the U.S. recreational boating industry’s Congressional Boating Caucus as co-chairs. The pair join Republican counterparts Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).
Recreational boats are uniquely American-made, with 83 percent of powerboats sold in the United States made domestically. The caucus is an informal, bipartisan group of U.S. senators and representatives formed by NMMA in 1989 to advocate the interests of the recreational boating industry. Members seek to improve economic conditions that have a negative impact on the industry, protect the nation’s waterways for the estimated 83 million American boaters who use them each year, address boating safety and create international trade opportunities.