b'chants a routing choice, the bill aimslong-term federal investment in publicin addressing economic pressures on tointroducecompetitionwithoutferry systems, including marine, shore- Main Street businesses, and growing eliminating rewards programs or con- side, and workforce needs. The caucusrecognitionoftheimportanceof sumer protection. seekstoelevateferrytransportationferrysystemsnationwide.PVAwill within congressional discussions thatcontinue to engage on each of these have historically focused on highways,fronts, advocating for fair economic Swipe fees paid torail, and aviation. Ferry systems play apolicies, practical regulation, and sus-credit card processorscritical role in communities across thetained investment in maritime safety countryfromdenseurbantransitand passenger vessel operations.are assessed as anetworks to rural and island routespercentage of eachsupportingcommuting,tourism,As always, we will keep members in-commerce, and emergency response. formed as these issues evolve and as transaction . opportunities arise to advance the in-These fees quietlyLOOKING AHEAD terests of the passenger vessel industry erode profit marginsTakentogether,thesedevelopmentsin Washington. One such opportuni-point to a dynamic federal policy en- ty will be when PVA members gather year after year. vironmententering2026.Congressin Washington, D.C. for our annual has demonstrated strong support forCapitol Hill Lobby Day. Dates to be theCoastGuard,renewedinterestdetermined soon. While similar proposals have surfaced in prior Congresses, the bills reintro-duction comes with renewed momen-tum,includinghigh-profileinterest from the White House and continued bipartisan support. For PVA, this legis-lation remains an important economic issue.Excessiveswipefeesfunction asahiddentaxonpassengertravel, increasing costs for operators and pas-sengers alike and limiting the ability of businesses to reinvest in vessels, safety, crews, and customer experience.A NEW VOICE FOR FERRIES ON CAPITOL HILLThe past month also saw the formal launch of the bipartisan Congressio-nalFerryCaucus.Thecaucuswas foundedbyU.S.Representatives Emily Randall (Wash.), Nick Begich (Alaska),JohnGaramendi(Calif.), andNicoleMalliotakis(N.Y.),re-flectingthegeographicdiversityof ferry-dependent regions.The Ferry Caucus aims to promote thebenefitsofandadvocateforthe 29 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026'