Simply put, we need to streamline the process and get Washington working faster for Florida

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott and Representative Byron Donalds wrote an op-ed for The Tampa Bay Times highlighting their FISHES Act to speed up disaster relief for American fisheries, which support millions of jobs and bring in billions of dollars to the broader U.S. economy each year. The Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation Act (FISHES Act) would improve the federal regulatory process associated with the allocation of fishery disaster relief, and seeks to expedite the distribution of federal disaster relief following official fishery disaster declarations—which the State of Florida has requested six times since 2012. With hurricane season underway, Senator Scott and Congressman Donalds are calling for the bill’s immediate consideration.

In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott and Representative Byron Donalds write, “Your federal government is broken, and Florida’s seafood sector is paying the price for Washington’s dysfunction. While nearly everyone agrees that Washington should quickly deploy resources and assistance after natural disasters wreak havoc on coastal communities, right now it takes up to three years under current regulatory processes and a maze of red tape before federal fishery disaster relief is approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of Management and Budget.

By the time NOAA and OMB finally approve and allocate disaster relief, small businesses and fisheries are already devastated and, in some cases, may have already been forced to close shop.

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This self-induced, slow-moving bureaucratic process is unacceptable. Simply put, we need to streamline the process and get Washington working faster for Florida — that’s why we’re fighting to pass our Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation (Fishes) Act.

Overall, the Fishes Act expedites the deployment of federal fishery disaster relief by cutting unnecessary red tape and enacting a 30-day decision requirement for the Office of Management and Budget to either deny or approve a state’s spending plan. What we hope to do with this bill is to throw American fisheries and coastal communities a life raft to stay afloat post-disaster.

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In recent years, we’ve seen the devastation of hurricanes firsthand with Ian and Idalia wreaking havoc on Florida’s coastal communities — and we’ve seen our fisheries struggle while waiting for federal action.

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We need to put the federal government on the clock when it comes to disaster response and stop these unnecessary delays that are crushing our hardworking anglers. Time is of the essence to get U.S. fisheries and coastal communities back up and running post-disaster, and the Fishes Act is a crucial step to make this happen.”

Read the full op-ed in The Tampa Bay Times HERE.

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