In one of his last acts as president, U.S. President Joe Biden has signed legislation designed to speed up the delivery of fishery disaster relief funding to fishers.
The legislation was spurred on by growing frustration among lawmakers over how long it takes the U.S. Department of Commerce to certify fishery disasters took place and approve state and Tribal spending plans to distribute federally funded financial relief to affected fishers and affiliated businesses. Often, years will pass between the initial request for a fishery disaster determination and checks being delivered to struggling fishers.
“The state of Florida alone has requested fisheries disaster relief on seven different occasions since 2012; however, on each occasion, over two years has lapsed from the time of approval to when fisheries disaster relief funds were ultimately made available,” U.S. Representative Byron Donalds (R-Florida), the bill’s sponsor, said on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on 3 December. “This is simply unacceptable.”
The FISHES Act would speed up the process by setting a requirement for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to approve or deny state or Tribal government plans for that spending within 10 days. It would also require the Office of Management and Budget to review those plans concurrently and force the government to deliver funds to grantees within 90 days of the submission of a state’s or Tribe’s spending plan.
The legislation was passed by the House in a 3 December voice vote. The Senate passed the legislation 21 December.
“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,” U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) said in a statement following the Senate vote.
The legislation had received wide support from the domestic fishing sector, with more than 90 groups endorsing the bill, including the Golden State Salmon Association.
“The FISHES Act is a critical lifeline for fishing businesses and will ensure much needed funding is quickly distributed to thousands of families who struggle to put food on the table, make mortgage payments, and keep their boats from being repossessed during fishery disasters,” Golden State Salmon Association Executive Director Scott Artis said in a statement. “We can’t allow what has happened to fishing families in 2023 and 2024 to continue; it’s unacceptable that through no fault of their own, the fishing industry is still waiting to receive some relief after two years of no work.”
