[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15729-15730]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 NEW ENGLAND FISHERMAN PRESERVATION ACT

  (Mr. GUINTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GUINTA. Mr. Speaker, heavy new fines the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration is proposing could destroy New Hampshire's 
remaining fishermen who are carrying on a proud New England tradition.
  That is why I recently introduced legislation to stop the Federal 
agency from shifting its funding responsibility to our struggling 
Granite State fishermen.
  NOAA mandates that at-sea contractors monitor their daily catch, but 
will cease to pay for this government mandate in December, forcing 
fishermen to pick up the more than $700 per day tab.
  These small family businesses will be on the hook for thousands of 
dollars in new fees each month. That is a figure that would simply 
eradicate the industry in my home State.
  This is not a partisan issue. The New England Fisherman Preservation 
Act simply asks the Federal agency to continue paying for a program it 
has funded for years rather than forcing hardworking, middle-class 
families to pay for it.

[[Page 15730]]

  I am asking colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in 
support of this bill, so important to hardworking fishermen who put 
food on our tables so that they can continue with their task.

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