ICYMI: FISHES Act Becomes Law
Washington, DC – H.R. 5103, the Fishery Improvement to Streamline untimely regulatory hurdles post Emergency-Situation Act (FISHES) Act. This legislation, which Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) co-sponsored, aims to ameliorate the federal process that oversees the distribution of fishery disaster relief after fishery disaster declarations. The delegation also led in securing $300 million that will go to refill the U.S. Department of Commerce’s fishery disaster assistance account as part of the year-end Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
“This legislation has been signed into law at a truly critical time for Alaska’s fishermen, who are in dire need of assistance,” Senator Murkowski said. “The continued delays in the distribution of fishery disaster funding has been devastating for many in this vital industry, often forcing fishermen to change careers or even leave the state. The FISHES Act offers pragmatic and transparent solutions to this process, ensuring that fishermen get the timely help they need to endure these tough times.”
“Alaska’s fishing industry has been through a very difficult few years, heightened by an unprecedented number of fishery disasters affecting all parts of our state,” said Senator Sullivan. “While relief dollars have been crucial to providing relief to our fishermen, in too many instances, the relief has taken far too long to get approved and reach impacted Alaskans. This law will streamline the process so that our fishing communities don’t have to wait years to see the federal relief that they are due and can continue to responsibly harvest the freshest, most sustainable seafood in the world.”
Specifically, the FISHES Act:
- Seeks to improve the federal regulatory processes associated with fishery disaster relief funding within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and
- Cuts red tape by enacting a 30-day decision requirement for OMB to deny/approve a state’s spending plan, which will ultimately expedite the federal fishery disaster relief funding process overall.
