[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 106 (Tuesday, September 12, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7384-H7385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ATLANTIC COASTAL FISHERIES ACT OF 2000
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4840) to reauthorize the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 4840
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Act of 2000''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF ATLANTIC COASTAL FISHERIES
COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT ACT.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 811 of the
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (16
U.S.C. 5108) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 811. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) In General.--To carry out this title, there are
authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2001 through 2005.
``(b) Cooperative Statistics Program.--Amounts authorized
under subsection (a) may be used by the Secretary to support
the Commission's cooperative statistics program.
``(c) Reports.--
``(1) Annual report to the secretary.--The Secretary shall
require, as a condition of providing financial assistance
under this title, that the Commission and each State
receiving such assistance submit to the Secretary an annual
report that provides a detailed accounting of the use of the
assistance.
``(2) Biennial reports to the congress.--The Secretary
shall submit biennial reports to the Committee on Resources
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the
use of Federal assistance provided to the Commission and the
States under this title. Each biennial report shall evaluate
the success of such assistance in implementing this title.''.
(b) Technical Corrections.--
(1) In general.--Such Act is amended--
(A) in section 802(3) (16 U.S.C. 5101(3)) by striking
``such resources in'' and inserting ``such resources is'';
and
(B) by striking section 812 and the second section 811.
(2) Amendments to repeal not affected.--The amendments made
by paragraph (1)(B) shall not affect any amendment or repeal
made by the sections struck by that paragraph.
(3) Short title references.--Such Act is further amended by
striking ``Magnuson Fishery'' each place it appears and
inserting ``Magnuson-Stevens Fishery''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Saxton) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton).
General Leave
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4840.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4840 reauthorizes the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Management Act through fiscal year 2005. This bill will extend the
successful Federal-State fishery management partnership with the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
The commission, Mr. Speaker, is made up of representatives from each
of the Atlantic coastal States. Under the Act, the Federal Government
can implement a moratorium on fishing in State waters if States do not
comply with the plans written by the commission.
The commission's greatest success is notable in the recovery of the
Atlantic striped bass, Mr. Speaker. The striped bass suffered a
population crash in the late 1970s for a number of reasons, including
over-fishing. Today, for fishermen in the mid-Atlantic region,
including those in Ocean County, New Jersey, which is part of the
district I am privileged to represent and all along Long Beach Island,
this comeback has resulted in the greatest fishing on the East Coast.
Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact, just a short time ago, last week, I
had a nice group of folks join me on a 10-mile beach walk; and as we
walked up the beach on Long Beach Island, there were surf fishermen
after surf fishermen in quest of the Atlantic striped bass and, I might
add, with some success.
This legislation simply authorizes $10 million a year to carry out
the Atlantic coastal fisheries program to enable this striped bass
program and others to move forward.
The bill also allows appropriated funds to be used to carry out a
fisheries statistics program which supports Atlantic coastal States
fishery management plans.
I believe this legislation is noncontroversial, and I would urge
everyone to vote aye.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to compliment my good
friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton), the chairman of the
Subcommittee on Fisheries, for his authorship of this legislation. I
also want to thank the full committee chairman and the gentleman from
California (Mr. Miller) for their support of this important
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, Atlantic coastal fishery resources that migrate or are
widely
[[Page H7385]]
distributed among the coast are of substantial commercial,
recreational, environment importance and economic benefit to the
Atlantic States and our Nation.
Unfortunately, proper management of these species is often hampered
by the fact that no single government entity has exclusive authority
over them. Because of this, harvest and management of the Atlantic
coastal resources has historically been subject to disparate,
inconsistent, and intermittent State and Federal regulations.
To help address this complication, Congress passed the Atlantic
Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act since 1993.
Since its inception, Mr. Speaker, this law has been an effective
mechanism for supporting and encouraging the development,
implementation, and enforcement of effective interstate conservation
and management measures for the Atlantic coastal fishery resources.
I fully support the reauthorization of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act. I urge my colleagues to support this
important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his authorship of this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers; but I would just like to say
in conclusion, I would like to thank the gentleman from American Samoa
(Mr. Faleomavaega) for his cooperation. It makes one feel very good to
have the kind of bipartisan cooperation that we have had on this and
many other bills in our subcommittee. So I thank the gentleman for his
cooperation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, in my capacity as the ranking Democrat of the
Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans and Wildlife and Refuge, I also
want to certainly compliment my good friend, the chairman of our
subcommittee, for his leadership and for the cooperative way that we
have worked closely for the past 2 years since my membership in that
capacity in this subcommittee. Again, I thank my good friend for
working together and cooperatively on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speaker, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4840, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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