Alaska, Florida delegations push for FISHES Act

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - A bipartisan group of lawmakers want to cut red tape in the federal government’s disaster relief process to get aid to fishermen faster.

Members of the Alaska and Florida congressional delegations have co-sponsored the FISHES Act to speed up the process. The bill would force the Office of Management and Budget to make a decision on a state’s disaster relief spending plan within 30 days.

OMB currently has a 15-step process when overseeing a fishery disaster. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said that process has led to a $300 million backlog in Alaska alone.

“We need to get money, federal money, when there’s a fisheries disaster to communities when they need it,” Sullivan said. “Not, you know, seven years later.”

Tracy Welch with United Fishermen of Alaska said the commercial fishing industry is recovering from recent setbacks that fishermen had no control over.

“Things are pretty grim right now,” Welch said. “You had international issues, trade issues and over surplus of products still on the market from the year before.”

The federal government has declared disasters across the northern Pacific and southeast to try to help the areas recover. However, Welch said it can take years for fishermen to get what they need.

“By the time that it hit[s] the pocket of fishermen, people are either bankrupt or, you know, have managed to kind of skimmed by,” Welch said.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) introduced a companion bill in the House last year.

“We’re trying to provide relief to people who are really feeling crushed by multiple years of disasters,” Peltola said. “And really trying to get out from under the weight of that.”

The House bill has yet to make it out of committee. OMB officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.