U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster Serving Florida's 11th Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster Serving Florida's 11th Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5103, known as the FISHES Act. This legislation, cosponsored by Representative Webster, aims to streamline disaster relief processes for fisheries affected by natural disasters.
"Florida’s fisheries are no stranger to natural disaster, but for many the impacts are felt long after disaster strikes," stated Rep. Webster. He emphasized that "burdensome regulations delay recovery efforts for small businesses and communities that are economically and culturally important to the State of Florida." The bill seeks to "cut red-tape" and deliver aid more efficiently to support the fishing industry in Florida and across the United States.
The FISHES Act mandates that the Secretary of Commerce provide disaster relief within a specific timeframe when a commercial fishery failure results from a fishery resource disaster. Although fishery disaster relief has been available since 1996, experts have informed Congress that regulatory processes have become increasingly complex and unclear, leading to significant delays in delivering relief to affected fisheries. Previously, the time taken for the Secretary's determination varied widely from months to several years.
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