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Union Calendar No. 343 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1240 

[Report No. 116–429] 

To preserve United States fishing heritage through a national program dedicated to training and assisting the next generation of commercial fishermen. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2019 

Mr. YOUNG (for himself, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. GOLDEN, and 

Ms. PINGREE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

JUNE 4, 2020 

Additional sponsors: Mr. KILMER, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. VAN

DREW, Mr. SOTO, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. RICHMOND, and Ms. 

BONAMICI

JUNE 4, 2020 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 14, 2019] 


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A BILL 

To preserve United States fishing heritage through a national program dedicated to training and assisting the 

next generation of commercial fishermen. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Young Fishermen’s De5 velopment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) SEA GRANT INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘Sea 

9 Grant Institution’’ means a sea grant college or sea 

10 grant institute, as those terms are defined in section 

11 203 of the National Sea Grant College Program Act 

12 (33 U.S.C. 1122). 

13 (2) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘Tribal 

14 organization’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘tribal 

15 organization’’ in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter16 mination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 

17 5304). 

18 (3) YOUNG FISHERMAN.—The term ‘‘young fish19 erman’’ means an individual who— 

20 (A) desires to participate in the commercial 

21 fisheries of the United States, including the 

22 Great Lakes fisheries; 

23 (B) has worked as a captain, crew member, 

24 or deckhand on a commercial fishing vessel for 

25 not more than 10 years of cumulative service; 


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1 (C) is a beginning commercial fisherman; 

2 or 

3 (D) is less than 35 years of age. 

4 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. 

5 The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Na6 tional Sea Grant Office, shall establish a program to pro7 vide training, education, outreach, and technical assistance 

8 initiatives for young fishermen, to be known as the ‘‘Young 

9 Fishermen’s Development Grant Program’’ (referred to in 

10 this section as the ‘‘Program’’). 

11 SEC. 4. GRANTS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the Program, the 

13 Secretary shall make competitive grants to support new and 

14 established local and regional training, education, outreach, 

15 and technical assistance initiatives for young fishermen, in16 cluding programs, workshops, and services relating to— 

17 (1) seamanship, navigation, electronics, and 

18 safety; 

19 (2) vessel and engine care, maintenance, and re20 pair; 

21 (3) innovative conservation fishing gear engi22 neering and technology; 

23 (4) sustainable fishing practices; 

24 (5) entrepreneurship and good business practices; 


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1 (6) direct marketing, supply chain, and 

2 traceability; 

3 (7) financial and risk management, including 

4 vessel, permit, and quota purchasing; 

5 (8) State and Federal legal requirements for spe6 cific fisheries, including reporting, monitoring, li7 censes, and regulations; 

8 (9) State and Federal fisheries policy and man9 agement; 

10 (10) mentoring, apprenticeships, or internships; 

11 and 

12 (11) any other activities, opportunities, or pro13 grams, as the Secretary determines appropriate. 

14 (b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

15 (1) APPLICANTS.—To be eligible to receive a 

16 grant under the Program, a recipient shall be a col17 laborative State, Tribal, local, or regionally based 

18 network or partnership of public or private entities, 

19 which may include— 

20 (A) a Sea Grant Institution; 

21 (B) a Federal or State agency or a Tribal 

22 organization; 

23 (C) a community-based nongovernmental 

24 organization; 

25 (D) fishermen’s cooperatives or associations; 


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1 (E) an institution of higher education (in2 cluding an institution awarding an associate’s 

3 degree), or a foundation maintained by an insti4 tution of higher education; or 

5 (F) any other appropriate entity, as the 

6 Secretary determines appropriate. 

7 (2) PARTICIPANTS.—All young fishermen seeking 

8 to participate in the commercial fisheries of the 

9 United States and the Great Lakes are eligible to par10 ticipate in the activities funded through grants pro11 vided for in this section, except that participants in 

12 such activities shall be selected by each grant recipi13 ent. 

14 (c) MAXIMUM TERM AND AMOUNT OF GRANT.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 

16 shall— 

17 (A) have a term of no more than 3 fiscal 

18 years; and 

19 (B) be in an amount that is not more than 

20 $200,000 for each fiscal year. 

21 (2) CONSECUTIVE GRANTS.—An eligible recipient 

22 may receive consecutive grants under this section. 

23 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—To be eligible to re24 ceive a grant under this section, a recipient shall provide 

25 a match in the form of cash or in-kind contributions from 


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1 the recipient in the amount equal to or greater than 25 per2 cent of the funds provided by the grant. 

3 (e) REGIONAL BALANCE.—In making grants under 

4 this section, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent 

5 practicable, ensure geographic diversity. 

6 (f) COOPERATION AND EVALUATION CRITERIA.—In 

7 carrying out this section and in developing criteria for eval8 uating grant applications, the Secretary shall consult, to 

9 the maximum extent practicable, with— 

10 (1) Sea Grant Institutions and extension agents 

11 of such institutions; 

12 (2) community-based nongovernmental fishing 

13 organizations; 

14 (3) Federal and State agencies, including Re15 gional Fishery Management Councils established 

16 under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

17 and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1851 et seq.); 

18 (4) institutions of higher education with fisheries 

19 expertise and programs; and 

20 (5) partners, as the Secretary determines. 

21 (g) PROHIBITION.—A grant under this section may 

22 not be used to purchase any fishing license, permit, quota, 

23 or other harvesting right. 


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1 SEC. 5. FUNDING. 

2 Of the amount made available to the Secretary of Com3 merce under section 311(e) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish4 ery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1861(e)) 

5 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025, the Secretary 

6 shall use $2,000,000 to carry out section 4 of this Act. 


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Union Calendar No. 343 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1240 

[Report No. 116–429] 

A BILL 

To preserve United States fishing heritage through 

men. sisting the next generation of commercial fishera national program dedicated to training and asJUNE 4, 2020 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS