[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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        NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE BOATING LAW ADMINISTRATION

 Mr. BUNNING. Madam President, I would like to recognize the 
50th anniversary of the National Association of State Boating Law 
Administrators, NASBLA, a Kentucky-based nonprofit organization.
  Recreational boating is one of America's most popular pastimes with 
over 13,000,000 recreational vessels registered nationwide, of which 
200,000 are in my home State of Kentucky. In 1958, Congress recognized 
the growing interest in recreational boating, and passed the Federal 
Boating Act, which led to the creation of the National Association of 
State Boating Law Administrators in 1960. NASBLA is a national, 
nonprofit association of State officials responsible for the 
development and implementation of State boating programs.
  NASBLA's mission is to strengthen the ability of State and 
territorial boating authorities to ensure a safe, secure, and enjoyable 
recreational environment. NASBLA addresses its mission by fostering 
partnerships among States, the Coast Guard, and others to streamline 
boating laws, maintain national education standards, strengthen 
homeland security on our waterways, and communicate to Federal agencies 
on behalf of the States' boating programs. The tireless work of NASBLA 
has helped to significantly reduce the number of recreational boating 
fatalities since 1970. However, even with such progress in safety, 
there is still room for improvement. In 2008, recreational boating 
accidents still claimed the lives of 709 Americans, of which more than 
half may have been saved with the proper use of a personal flotation 
device.
  Due to the efforts of the National Association of State Boating Law 
Administrators and its members over the last five decades, our Nation's 
waterways are safer and more enjoyable for the boating public. I 
congratulate the NASBLA as it celebrates 50 years of service and wish 
it great success over the next 50 years.

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