FISHES Act

The FISHES Act (HR 5103) streamlines access to emergency disaster funds for fisheries by setting strict deadlines for federal review. It requires the Secretary of Commerce to review and provide notice on spend plans within 10 days of submission and mandates that funds be made available to grantees no later than 90 days after a complete spend plan is received. This directly affects fisheries that have received a formal "fishery resource disaster" determination, ensuring faster disbursement of funds for recovery efforts. The bill also prohibits the Office of Management and Budget from delaying these timelines during concurrent review. The law aims to reduce bureaucratic delays in post-disaster funding without altering the underlying disaster assistance program.