[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10702]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RECREATIONAL MARINE EMPLOYMENT ACT

  (Mr. KELLER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Recreational 
Marine Employment Act, which I recently introduced with broad 
bipartisan support.
  The purpose of this legislation is to create thousands of jobs in the 
recreational marine industry by ensuring that marinas, boat builders, 
and recreational boaters, will not have to pay the unnecessary and 
exorbitant insurance premiums under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' 
Compensation Act.
  Individuals who work in the recreational marine industry are already 
covered under State worker's compensation laws, and Congress never 
intended that these jobs also be covered under the Longshore Act, which 
is supposed to apply to commercial ships, not recreational boats. This 
bill will provide the commonsense clarification needed under the 
longshore act.
  A recent survey indicated that employers in the recreational marine 
industry would save an average of $99,000 a year if this legislation 
passes, and 95 percent of those employers said they would use the money 
to create additional jobs. I urge my colleagues to call my office today 
to sign on as a cosponsor of H.R. 4811.

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