Kerry, Snowe, Rockefeller, Brown and Whitehouse introduced a bill that helps fisheries

[karynnj]

[div class="excerpt]
Senators Scott Brown and John Kerry lead bipartisan effort to boost domestic fishing industry

In what is being hailed as a bipartisan effort to right a decades-old wrong, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., have joined with colleagues to push a bill that is expected to give the fishing industry in the U.S. a solid push into the future.

The Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act, or FIRRA as it's known, would ensure that a significant portion of the money collected from tariffs on imported fish or fish products is cycled back into the American fishing industry, in accordance with the 1954 Saltonstall-Kennedy Act.

http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/03/sens_scott_brown_and_john_kerr.html

Note that the title says "Brown and Kerry". In fact, Brown is not even the lead Republican sponsor - Olympia Snow is! ( yes, I am still angry by the unique rule (just for Kerry) that you get credit ONLY if you are the lead sponsor .

Oddly, the Boston Herald credits Kerry and Snowe:

U.S. Sens. John Kerry and Olympia Snowe are proposing that lawmakers restore the original intent of a nearly 60-year-old law directing federal money to the fishing industry.

The Saltonstall-Kennedy Act was co-authored by then-U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy in 1954.

The act took a portion of the duties collected on imported fish and directed major parts of those funds toward improving fishing industry research and development, such as improving data collection.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20120312kerry_snowe_look_to_direct_money_to_fish_science/

The Bradenton Herald has an oped from the PEW environmental group praising the legislation - crediting Kerry, Snowe, Rockefeller, Brown and Whitehouse.
http://www.bradenton.com/2012/03/12/3934510/sens-kerry-snowe-rockefeller-brown.html

Here is the information from Thomas:

S.2184
Latest Title: A bill to provide exclusive funding to support fisheries and the communities that rely upon them, to clear unnecessary regulatory burdens and streamline Federal fisheries management, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] (introduced 3/12/2012) Cosponsors (4)
Latest Major Action: 3/12/2012 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Jump to: Summary, Major Actions, All Actions, Titles, Cosponsors, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments
SUMMARY:

***NONE***
MAJOR ACTIONS:

***NONE***
ALL ACTIONS:

3/12/2012:
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1579)
3/12/2012:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)

OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED:
A bill to provide exclusive funding to support fisheries and the communities that rely upon them, to clear unnecessary regulatory burdens and streamline Federal fisheries management, and for other purposes.

COSPONSORS(4), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort: by date)

Sen Brown, Scott P. [MA] - 3/12/2012
Sen Rockefeller, John D., IV [WV] - 3/12/2012
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] - 3/12/2012
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - 3/12/2012
COMMITTEE(S):

Committee/Subcommittee: Activity:
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Referral, In Committee

RELATED BILL DETAILS:

***NONE***

AMENDMENT(S):

***NONE***

Edited because Scott Brown is NOT even the lead Republican sponsor - Olympia Snowe is - which makes sense as this has been an issue that she (and Kerry) worked on for decades.)

[karynnj]

1. Kerry has an oped on this bill in the Gloucester Times

However, today our fishermen continue to face economic peril and are deeply frustrated by science and research they don't trust and federal regulators in whom they lost faith when abuses were exposed by an investigation Ted Kennedy and I insisted upon.

We've got to put the broken pieces back together and restore both trust in Washington and economic security for this industry and the brave fishermen who get up every day and go out on those boats to make a living for their families.

In short, we need a new path in Washington.

It starts by remaking the scientific research process and transforming it into something that does a much better job of including our fishermen in the data collection that's the foundation of rules and regulations that can determine their future.

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/opinion/x426436122/My-View-by-Sen-Kerry-Righting-a-budgeting-wrong-for-our-fisheries

[karynnj]

2. The Boston Globe actually reported on Kerry's (and Snowe's ) bill on Friday

http://articles.boston.com/2012-03-09/metro/31136277_1_fishery-kerry-grant-program

(So, I apologize for over reaction when the first article I saw was that "Brown and Kerry had a bipartisan bill". Sorry.)

[MBS]

3. this had a good placement in the hard copy Globe

(can't remember where, but I noticed it even without knowing ahead of time that it was there).
This seems like a sound approach, and so much like JK: let's find out the facts, so that we can make intelligent policy.

[karynnj]

4. Great to hear

Last edited Thu Mar 15, 2012, 08:37 AM - Edit history (1)

This really is an issue where Kerry's approach has been one of trying to get people with the power to act to talk those affected and proposing common sense solutions. Far better than yelling that people need to be fired.

The South Coast Today has a really fascinating article that shows some of the underlying politics. The gist being that on Thursday, Kerry and Snowe signaled they were going to introduce their bill on Friday, which was delayed to Monday because the Senate ended the week on Thursday. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120314/NEWS/203140329/-1/NEWS

What is fascinating is that while much is made of Brown not being included as a sponsor, Brown's own comments on Friday were not that he was supporting it:
"Brown visited the Foley Fish plant on the New Bedford waterfront Friday to stress that fishing policy remains a top priority. However, in response to a reporter's question about the Kerry-Snowe bill, he said only that he would "look at it." As much of the article seems to be trying to say that Brown was somehow not given sufficient recognition, that statement says it all. He is saying that on Friday he did not even know what was in the bill - which he signed on to by Monday.

[Mass]

5. Seems the bill is not particularly liked by the fishermen

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x467320905/Flap-over-Kerry-role-dawns-as-rally-nears

A controversial bill to redirect funding from NOAA Operations into regional fishery management council projects cast a shadow Monday over Wednesday's national fishermen's rally near the U.S. Capitol in Washington — a rally aimed at building support for different legislation and allowing flexibility in stock rebuilding timetables.

The chief organizer for the rally told the Times he had advised the office of Sen. Olympia Snow that she would probably not be welcomed at the event should she make an appearance to promote the Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act of 2012 — the new bill she co-filed with Sen. John Kerry — rather than bills writing flexibility into the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the rally's prime focus.