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.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · April 28, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
This bill amends federal law to clarify that states can require boaters to pay state fees as a condition of obtaining a vessel number. The fees can cover boating-related expenses such as search and rescue operations, boating safety programs, and efforts to control aquatic invasive species. States would be allowed to collect these fees at the same time they collect other vessel numbering fees, streamlining the registration process. The bill specifies that states can only use the collected fees for activities directly related to recreational boating improvements, boater safety, boater access, waterway use, and aquatic invasive species management. This legislation essentially removes any ambiguity about states' authority to bundle boating-related fees with standard vessel registration fees.
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