Stimulus plan could aid yacht repair businesses

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WASHINGTON — The economic stimulus plan being debated on Capitol Hill could include provisions that aid the South Florida yacht-repair industry, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Industry businesses say that because their workers aren't subject to the same hazards as those who work on big ships, federal workers' compensation insurance is expensive and unnecessary, the Journal said. The current stimulus plan would exempt yacht-repair companies from paying for the federal insurance to cover those hurt on the job, according to the article.

The Marine Industries Association of South Florida fought for the exemption for six years, the Journal reports. The exemption previously applied only to craft less than 65 feet long, the article notes, while under the new measure, any businesses that repair boats used primarily for recreation are exempt.

The measure affects more than 200,000 people in the pleasure-boat-repair industry in Florida and would also help marine-repair businesses in the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest, the Journal quotes an MIASF spokesperson as saying.
 
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