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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5447 Introduced in House (IH)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5447

 To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to establish a regional economic 
 transition program to provide immediate disaster relief assistance to 
     the fishermen, charter fishing operators, United States fish 
processors, and owners of related fishery infrastructure affected by a 
    catastrophic regional fishery disaster, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2006

  Mr. Jindal introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to establish a regional economic 
 transition program to provide immediate disaster relief assistance to 
     the fishermen, charter fishing operators, United States fish 
processors, and owners of related fishery infrastructure affected by a 
    catastrophic regional fishery disaster, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. REGIONAL COASTAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE, TRANSITION, AND 
              RECOVERY PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1851 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 315. REGIONAL COASTAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE, TRANSITION, AND 
              RECOVERY PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--When there is a catastrophic regional fishery 
disaster the Secretary may, upon the request of, and in consultation 
with, the Governors of affected States, establish a regional economic 
transition program to provide immediate disaster relief assistance to 
the fishermen, charter fishing operators, United States fish 
processors, and owners of related fishery infrastructure affected by 
the disaster.
    ``(b) Program Components.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
        appropriations, the program shall provide funds or other 
        economic assistance to affected entities, or to governmental 
        entities for disbursement to affected entities, for--
                    ``(A) meeting immediate regional shoreside fishery 
                infrastructure needs, including processing facilities, 
                cold storage facilities, ice houses, docks, including 
                temporary docks and storage facilities, and other 
                related shoreside fishery support facilities and 
                infrastructure;
                    ``(B) financial assistance and job training 
                assistance for fishermen who wish to remain in a 
                fishery in the region that may be temporarily closed as 
                a result of environmental or other effects associated 
                with the disaster;
                    ``(C) vessel repair and refloating;
                    ``(D) debris removal and cleaning;
                    ``(E) public and private oyster bed, shrimp, and 
                other fisheries rehabilitation; and
                    ``(F) any other activities authorized under section 
                312(a) of this Act or section 308(d) of the 
                Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986 (16 U.S.C. 
                4107(d)).
            ``(2) Job training.--Any fisherman who decides to scrap a 
        fishing vessel under the program shall be eligible for job 
        training assistance.
            ``(3) No matching required.--The Secretary may waive the 
        matching requirements of section 312 of this Act, section 308 
        of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986 (16 U.S.C. 
        4107), and any other provision of law under which the Federal 
        share of the cost of any activity is limited to less than 100 
        percent if the Secretary determines that--
                    ``(A) no reasonable means are available through 
                which applicants can meet the matching requirement; and
                    ``(B) the probable benefit of 100 percent Federal 
                financing outweighs the public interest in imposition 
                of the matching requirement.
            ``(4) Net revenue limit inapplicable.--Section 308(d)(3) of 
        the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (16 U.S.C. 4107(d)(3)) 
        shall not apply to assistance under this section.
    ``(c) Regional Impact Evaluation.--Within 2 months after a 
catastrophic regional fishery disaster the Secretary shall provide the 
Governor of each State participating in the program a comprehensive 
economic and socio-economic evaluation of the affected region's 
fisheries to assist the Governor in assessing the current and future 
economic viability of affected fisheries, including the economic impact 
of foreign fish imports and the direct, indirect, or environmental 
impact of the disaster on the fishery and coastal communities.
    ``(d) Catastrophic Regional Fishery Disaster Defined.--In this 
section the term `catastrophic regional fishery disaster' means a 
natural disaster, including a hurricane or tsunami, or a judicial or 
regulatory closure to protect human health or the marine environment, 
that--
            ``(1) results in economic losses to coastal or fishing 
        communities;
            ``(2) affects more than 1 State or a major fishery managed 
        by a Council or interstate fishery commission; and
            ``(3) is determined by the Secretary to be a commercial 
        fishery failure under section 312(a) of this Act or a fishery 
        resource disaster or section 308(d) of the Interjurisdictional 
        Fisheries Act of 1986 (16 U.S.C. 4107(d)).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in the first section 
of that Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
314 the following:

``Sec. 315. Regional coastal disaster assistance, transition, and 
                            recovery program''.
                                 <all>
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