b'The 2025 PVAcharters harm their businesses, createThesereal-worldexperienceshelped significantsafetyvulnerabilities,elevatetheprofileoftheissueand Congressional Fly-In andplacecompliantoperatorsatademonstrated that illegal charters are proved especiallycompetitivedisadvantage.Membersnot a niche enforcement challengeinfluential. Membersof Congress and staff heard directlytheyareanationalmaritimesafety fromPVAmembersaboutincidentsconcernaffectingcoastalcommuni-of Congress and staffin their districts and these firsthandties, inland lakes, tourism economies, heard directly fromstories carried weight.and working waterfronts.PVA membersabout incidents intheir districts andthese firsthand stories carried weight. generates headlines that rarely distin-guishbetweenlegitimateoperators and unregulated, unlawful activity.PVA ADVOCACY DRIVES CONGRESSIONAL ACTIONRecognizing these risks, PVA has made illegalpassenger-for-hireoperations atoppolicypriority.Overthepast year, PVA worked closely with leaders on the House Transportation and In-frastructure Committee to frame the issueasagrowingnationalconcern requiring a federal-level analytical re-view. As illegal operators have become more adept at exploiting social media advertising, online booking platforms, andpeer-to-peervesselrentalapps, traditionallocalenforcementmodels have struggled to keep pace. PVA em-phasized to Congress that without re-liable data on the scope of the problem and a clear assessment of enforcement gaps, policymakers cannot craft effec-tive long-term solutions.The 2025 PVA Congressional Fly-In provedespeciallyinfluential.PVA membersvisiteddozensofcongres-sionaloffices,describinghowillegal 49 DECEMBER 2025'