Commemorating Marinas and Expressing Support for Sixth Annual National Marina Day

Floor Speech

COMMEMORATING MARINAS AND EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR SIXTH ANNUAL NATIONAL MARINA DAY -- (House of Representatives - May 15, 2007)

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Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding me time, and I want to thank the gentlelady and the chairman for ushering this piece of legislation through the committee and on to the floor honoring and acknowledging the contributions of marina owners and operators across this great country.

Whether it is fishing one of the 1,000 lakes in Minnesota, cruising the inland waterways of the Sunshine State, or enjoying the 1,200 miles of shoreline along Lake Cumberland in my district, marinas are America's launching point for millions of boats and boaters seeking to enjoy the beautiful rivers, lakes, bays and oceans.

These marinas employ nearly 140,000 people at over 13,000 operations nationwide, providing safe harbor and supply depots for boaters. In Kentucky, over 130 marina facilities served over 176,000 registered boats in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, from Fishtrap Lake in the east to Lake Barkley out west. In between in my district is the crown jewel of Kentucky's waterways, Lake Cumberland.

Over 5 million visitors a year jet ski, enjoy bass fishing and cruise the 40,000 acres of Lake Cumberland. Lake associated businesses, including the 11 large scale marina operations, generate over $160 million in economic activity for the region.

The lake area is famously dubbed the ``Houseboat Capital of the World,'' made famous by the prominence of world class houseboat manufacturing in Wayne, Pulaski and Russell Counties. These 100-foot houseboats are literally floating homes, with hot tubs, roof decks, full size kitchens, waterslides, grills, kitchens and the like. These boats are great venues for fishing trips, reunions or weekend escapes on the waterways across the Nation.

This resolution, Mr. Speaker, recognizes the essential role marinas and the men and women who own and operate them play in the United States, providing their communities and visitors a place where friends and families can come together for recreation, rest and relaxation.

I thank the committee for bringing this resolution through to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and designation of National Marina Day.

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