June 16, 2020 — Two U.S. congressmen have filed a bill that would allow states to declare fishery disasters because of pandemics including COVID-19.
The legislation filed by U.S. Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) would update the Magnuson-Stevens Act to include pandemics as a disaster reason, which would open the door for additional funding.