{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://herrerabeutler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398485", "Rep. Herrera Beutler, Sen. Cantwells Bipartisan Fishing Jobs Bill Heading For Full U.S. House Vote", "2014-12-03", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Jaime Herrera Beutler", "H001056", "herrerabeutler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The bipartisan fishing jobs bill introduced by U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) \u2013 the Revitalizing the Economy of Fisheries in the Pacific (REFI) Act \u2013  is expected to receive a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives this week. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      The bipartisan fishing jobs bill introduced by U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) \u2013\u00a0the Revitalizing the Economy of Fisheries in the Pacific (REFI) Act \u2013\u00a0\u00a0is expected to receive a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives this week. It would then go to the U.S. Senate before year\u2019s end.\n\u201cWith this positive development, I\u2019m very hopeful that this bipartisan bill to protect more than 3,000 fishing jobs \u2013 many of which are in Pacific County \u2013 will make it into law,\u201d said Jaime.\u00a0 \u201cThe REFI Act to grant fairer loan terms to the West Coast Groundfish Fishery is one of those solutions that is neither Democrat nor Republican \u2013 it\u2019s simply common sense.\u00a0 We wouldn\u2019t have gotten here without the work of Senator Cantwell as well as the support of many of my colleagues here in the U.S. House.\u00a0 This fishery was declared an economic disaster in 2000 and has been struggling to recover ever since, so I\u2019m pleased we\u2019re close to passing this bill to help them stay afloat and continue their important role in our region\u2019s economy.\u201d\n\u201cThis is an important step forward to support Washington fishing jobs and our $30 billion maritime economy,\u201d said Sen. Cantwell, a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard. \u201cOur bipartisan bill will level the playing field for West Coast groundfish fishermen, ensuring they have fair financing and flexibility to grow their businesses. I\u2019m proud to work with Rep. Herrera Beutler on this common-sense measure to support job growth in Washington\u2019s fishing economy. We\u2019ll continue to work to pass this bill through both the House and Senate.\u201d\nThe bill has been combined into a larger package of legislation and will be considered before Congress this week as part of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act.\nThe REFI Act that would provide relief to fishermen off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California who are struggling to sustain their businesses. The bill would adjust groundfishermens\u2019 federal loan interest rates to match loan rates for other businesses, and would extend the length of these loans from 30 to 45 years. It would also reduce the cost recovery fees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects from fishermen to pay down their loans.\nThe West Coast groundfish fishery was declared an economic disaster in 2000, because of overcapitalization and overfishing. In 2003, Congress authorized buyback loans for the fishery to decrease fishing pressure and support a catch-share program in the fishery. These loans help eliminate overfishing by buying out the permits of those willing to leave the fleet. Congress was responding to a\u00a0very real need, but has since learned that the loans were structured in an unsustainable manner.\nFor more details on this legislation, click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://herrerabeutler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398485"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0494289454072714, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}