Duval Times

The Senate has approved the Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation Act, known as the FISHES Act. This legislation, led by Senator Rick Scott with support from Senators Lisa Murkowski, Marco Rubio, and Dan Sullivan, aims to enhance the federal regulatory process for allocating fishery disaster relief. The act is designed to expedite the distribution of federal relief following official fishery disaster declarations—a situation Florida has faced seven times since 2012. The bill now awaits President Biden's signature.

Earlier this year, the FISHES Act passed in the House of Representatives under the leadership of Congressman Byron Donalds. Representative Mary Peltola co-led the bill in a bipartisan effort that included several cosponsors such as Representatives Gus Bilirakis, Jared Moskowitz, Neal Dunn, Troy Carter, Troy Nehls, James Moylan, John Rutherford, Daniel Webster, Anna Paulina Luna, Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, Clay Higgins and Brian Mast.

Senator Rick Scott emphasized the importance of timely government response after disasters: “Floridians know better than anyone that when disaster strikes, families and small businesses can’t be left wondering whether the federal government is going to show up. I’m proud that the FISHES Act has passed the Senate and finally heads to the president’s desk so we can ensure our fishing industry in Florida and across the country has a reliable partner in Washington.”

Congressman Byron Donalds highlighted issues with delayed fishery disaster determinations: “For years, fishery disaster determinations across our nation have been left pending due to bureaucratic inaction. This includes the catastrophic devastation caused by Hurricane Ian in our Southwest Florida community. This is a national problem; this is wrong; this must change; and this is why I introduced ‘The FISHES Act’ alongside Senator Rick Scott to expedite fishery disaster relief to communities in need."

The FISHES Act aims specifically at improving processes within NOAA and OMB related to fishery disaster relief funding. It introduces a 90-day deadline for NOAA and OMB to approve or deny state spending plans which would speed up federal funding for fisheries affected by disasters.