Washington, D.C. - Today, Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Peter DeFazio (D-OR) will host a forum in Coos Bay to discuss the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, critical legislation that impacts the Oregon coast, fishing fleet, and coastal economies.
“In my view, Washington does not do enough listening-- in fact, Congress does not do enough of anything. Today is the first of what I hope are a number of ‘listening sessions’ around the country to hear directly from community members, experts, and fishermen who will be directly impacted by the reauthorization of Magnuson-Stevens," said DeFazio.
Magnuson-Stevens, the law that governs federal fisheries, expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2013. While Congress is working to reauthorize it, federal agencies will continue to enforce Magnuson as written and Congress will fund it. But reauthorization provides an opportunity to take a hard look at the law - figure out what is working and what’s not working - and make changes to improve implementation.
As Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, DeFazio is the top Democrat in the House of Representatives on fishery and natural resources issues.
In the past, efforts to reauthorize Magnuson-Stevens have been largely bipartisan efforts. Unfortunately, last month, House Republicans publicly released draft legislation without any Democratic input or notice. The draft legislation would roll back many of the important reforms to the Magnuson-Stevens Act that have been achieved over the past 20 years and undermine critical protections that prevent the depletion of fish stocks.
Discussions regarding reauthorization will get some consideration in the Committee this year, including a hearing in Washington, D.C. on February 4, but given the likely debate over the scope of a bill, reauthorization this year is far from certain.
“We don’t need to go back to the bad old days of boom and bust and the depletion of many stocks that still have not recovered. I hope that my Republican colleagues intend to work together, with the Democrats, to make common sense improvements to the Act, not gut it. As I have said repeatedly, this doesn’t need to be a partisan issue. These listening sessions will help me influence the law based on real-world suggestions from the people and businesses directly impacted," said DeFazio.
WHAT: DeFazio Fisheries Listening Session
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 23, 2:00-3:00pm Pacific
WHERE: Coos Bay Public Library
525 Anderson Ave
Coos Bay
*If you cannot attend, but would like audio of the meeting, please email jen.gilbreath@mail.house.gov
