Since its founding in 1966, BoatUS Government Affairs has been the voice of recreational boat owners on Capitol Hill and before the federal agencies in Washington. With the strength of over half a million Members behind us, our mission has been to fight unfair taxes, fees and regulations that single out boat owners and to work with state agencies to promote boating laws that make sense.

BoatUS uses the collective strength of over a half a million Members to fight against unfair taxes and regulations, all the while advocating sound public policy that promotes safe, responsible boating.

The Government Affairs staff continually monitors legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress and federal regulations proposed by agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Communications Commission.

On any given issue, BoatUS staff may be involved in lobbying individual members of Congress, testifying before Congressional committees, meeting with agency staff, speaking out at public meetings and alerting BoatUS members to make their views known to lawmakers and regulators.

Major issues for BoatUS at the federal level are as diverse as boating safety funding and regulation, boating access and facilities enhancement, navigational charts, marine communications, channel maintenance, environmental policy, fisheries management, construction standards for boats and marine weather forecasting.