Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 113-711.

Congressional Research Service

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 23, 2014

Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act - Revises and reauthorizes through FY2018 the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).

Revises requirements for fishery management plans for overfished fisheries.

Modifies annual catch limit requirements, including by authorizing Regional Fishery Management Councils to consider changes in an ecosystem and the economic needs of the fishing communities when establishing the limits.

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Replaces the term “overfished” with “depleted” throughout the MSA to distinguish between fish that are depleted due to fishing and those that are depleted for other reasons.

Requires fishery management plans to include a fishery impact statement to assess, specify, and analyze the likely effects and impacts of the proposed action on the quality of the human environment.

Requires the Secretary of Commerce to issue regulations governing the use of electronic monitoring of fisheries. Authorizes the Secretary to obligate amounts received as fisheries enforcement penalties for collecting information on data-poor fisheries.

Requires the Secretary to publish within a year a plan for implementing the Cooperative Research and Management Program.

Extends the offshore jurisdiction of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama from three miles to nine miles for the recreational management of red snapper.

Specifies the role of the MSA in relationship to certain environmental laws.

Revitalizing the Economy of Fisheries in the Pacific Act or the REFI Pacific Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to issue a loan to refinance the existing debt obligation funding the fishing capacity reduction program for the West Coast groundfish fishery implemented under the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2003.

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People & committees

Who introduced it

Rep. Hastings, Doc [R-WA-4] · R–WA

Committees

Natural Resources Committee

0 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Legislative record

Actions

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Dec 22, 2014
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 113-711.
Dec 22, 2014
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 542.
Dec 22, 2014
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 113-711.
May 29, 2014
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 24 - 17.
May 29, 2014
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
May 23, 2014
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
May 23, 2014
Introduced in House
May 23, 2014
Introduced in House

Primary sources

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Reported in House · Dec 22, 2014 Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Introduced in House · May 23, 2014 Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

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Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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Analyze H.R.4742 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Discuss H.R.4742, 113th Congress: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4742

Text version to examine: Reported in House · 2014-12-22.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr4742/BILLS-113hr4742rh.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2025-08-12T18:38:59Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

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Analyze H.R.4742 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Discuss H.R.4742, 113th Congress: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4742

Text version to examine: Reported in House · 2014-12-22.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr4742/BILLS-113hr4742rh.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2025-08-12T18:38:59Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine H.R.4742 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

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Examine H.R.4742 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

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Discuss H.R.4742, 113th Congress: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4742

Text version to examine: Reported in House · 2014-12-22.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr4742/BILLS-113hr4742rh.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2025-08-12T18:38:59Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

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Discuss H.R.4742, 113th Congress: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4742

Text version to examine: Reported in House · 2014-12-22.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr4742/BILLS-113hr4742rh.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2025-08-12T18:38:59Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

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