{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2026/08/13/wicker-kelly-celebrate-senate-passage-of-usmma-athletics-act-of-2026/", "Wicker, Kelly Celebrate Senate Passage of USMMA Athletics Act of 2026", "2026-08-13", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., praised the U.S. Senate passage of the USMMA Athletics Act of 2026, which would support the athletic programs at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). Specifically, the legislation would allow the USMMA to establish a nonprofit organization to handle fundraising, licensing, ticketing, and other matters related to athletics. This would bring the USMMA into parity with athletics programs at the other four U.S. service academies.\n\n\u201cBy supporting service academy athletics, we boost recruitment and retention at America\u2019s service academies,\u201d said Senator Wicker. \u201cIt is time to give the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy the same tools that other academies have to make the most of athletics programs.\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing prepared me better for my career\u2014in the Navy, at NASA, and even in the Senate\u2014than the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cThis bill will strengthen and elevate USMMA\u2019s ability to invest in midshipmen both in and beyond the classroom.\u201d\n\nThe USMMA trains midshipmen to serve as licensed officers in the U.S. Merchant Marine or as commissioned officers in the U.S. Armed Forces. The academy fields 19 teams and conducts 55 percent of its overall recruiting through those athletic programs. Other service academies use a 501(c)(3) entity to generate revenue that supports athletics. The USMMA Athletics Act of 2026 would empower the USMMA to create such an organization and to collect funds it accrues. By boosting athletic programs, the USMMA will be able to support enrollment at the academy and, ultimately, the future Merchant Marine force.\n\nThe USMMA Athletics Act of 2026 passed the U.S. Senate on August 6, 2026. Its companion legislation awaits consideration by the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-25T05:31:37Z", "2026-08-25T05:33:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2026/08/13/wicker-kelly-celebrate-senate-passage-of-usmma-athletics-act-of-2026/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.832527806982398, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}