March 8, 2013
Dear North Carolina BoatU.S. Member:
The North Carolina General Assembly is considering legislation that would significantly increase registration fees on recreational boats to raise revenue for coastal dredging projects. BoatU.S. is dedicated to preserving access to waterways but S.B. 58 places an unfair financial burden on recreational boaters while ignoring the responsibility of commercial fishing boats and for-hire charter fishing and headboats.
S.B. 58 will now go to the Senate Finance Committee and could be heard as early as Tuesday, March 12. Please contact your State Senator today and respectfully urge them to vote “No” on S.B. 58.
Here’s why:
- Boaters who solely boat on the state’s lakes and rivers will be paying for projects they will never use.
- The fee for a 20ft boat would jump 275% for a 3-year registration. For a 40ft boat, a 3-year registration will skyrocket 1025%!
- SB 58 would make the Tarheel State the most expensive state in which to register a boat of its coastal border states.
Please let your State Senator know that you oppose S.B. 58 as drafted and ask them to consider a more reasonable way to pay for dredging North Carolina’s coastal inlets and essential waterways.
Thank you for being a BoatU.S. Member and for your consideration of this very important issue.
Sincerely Yours,
Margaret B. Podlich
President, BoatU.S
703-461-2878 x3201