Florida Senator Rick Scott announced the Senate passage of his Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation Act (FISHES Act). The bill was championed by fellow Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), as well as Alaska’s Senators Lisa Murkowski (R) and Dan Sullivan (R).
“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,” Scott said. “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.”
The FISHES Act aims to streamline the federal regulatory process associated with the allocation of fishery disaster relief. Scott asserts it will expedite the distribution of federal relief following official fishery disaster declarations—which the State of Florida has requested seven times since 2012. This legislation now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
The FISHES Act passed with bipartisan co-sponsors in the House of Representatives earlier this year where it was led by several members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, including Congressmen Byron Donalds (R). Gus Bilirakis (R), Jared Moskowitz (D), Neal Dunn (R), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Daniel Webster (R), Brian Mast (R) and Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R). Other supporters included Troy Carter (D-La.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), James Moylan (R-Guam), -Fla.), , Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-America Samoa), Clay Higgins (R-La.) and . Representative Mary Peltola (D-Alaska)
