April 25, 2012, WASHINGTON — A bill that cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee late last week contains language — originally authored by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine — that could provide a boost to the troubled New England fishing industry.
The legislation, which will next be considered by the full Senate, includes language designed to ensure $119 million from the Commerce Department’s so-called Saltonstall-Kennedy fund is spent to benefit U.S. fishermen and their communities.
In 1954, Massachusetts’ two then-senators — Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Leverett Saltonstall — successfully sponsored legislation to direct a portion of tariff revenue from imported fish and fish products into a fund to be used for research and development of the domestic fishing industry.
There have since been complaints that money from the Saltonstall-Kennedy fund was not being used for its intended purpose, recently prompting Kerry and Snowe to introduce legislation to remedy the situation. To expedite its passage, their proposal was incorporated into the Senate Appropriations Committee bill that contains funding for the Commerce Department in 2013 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
Read the full story at Seacoast Online.