The Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998

The Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 777c-777g) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to develop national outreach plans to promote safe fishing and boating, and to promote conservation of aquatic resources through grants and contracts with States and private entities. The Act contains provisions for transferring funds to the U.S. Coast Guard for State recreational boating safety programs. In addition, it authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide funds to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to construct, renovate, and maintain tie-up facilities with features for transient boaters in vessels 26 feet or more in length, and to produce and distribute information and educational materials under the Boating Infrastructure Grant Program. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58) authorizes funding for boating infrastructure improvement through FY 2026.