S. 1152 (119th)Bill Overview

Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act of 2025

Public Lands and Natural Resources|Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
Support
Democratic
Introduced
Mar 26, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1874-1875)

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief

This bill amends the Magnuson‑Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to add the State of Rhode Island to the Mid‑Atlantic Fishery Management Council by inserting Rhode Island into the statutory list of States represented on that council and adjusting related statutory language.

No other programmatic changes or new funding provisions appear in the text provided.

Passage65/100

Content is narrow and low fiscal impact, improving odds; regional stakeholder objections and procedural timing create modest uncertainty.

CredibilityAligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill clearly accomplishes a narrow administrative objective by proposing a targeted statutory amendment to add Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. It names the statutory provision to be changed and expresses the purpose succinctly.

Contention28/100

Progressives emphasize fairness and local input for conservation

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Who this appears to help vs burden50% / 50%
States · Local governmentsStates
Likely helped
  • Targeted stakeholdersProvides Rhode Island fishermen formal representation on the Mid-Atlantic Council.
  • StatesMay improve regional coordination of fisheries management across adjacent states.
  • Local governmentsCould enable management decisions more tailored to Rhode Island fisheries, supporting local jobs.
Likely burdened
  • Targeted stakeholdersImposes administrative costs on the Council and NOAA to change membership and procedures.
  • Targeted stakeholdersCould create overlapping jurisdiction or require legal clarification with the New England Council.
  • StatesMay shift voting balance and alter management outcomes for other Mid-Atlantic states.
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Progressives emphasize fairness and local input for conservation
Progressive90%

Likely supportive: adds Rhode Island fishermen and coastal communities formal representation on a regional management council.

Seen as correcting an oversight and improving local voices in fisheries governance.

Leans supportive
Centrist80%

Generally favorable but pragmatic: a technical statutory fix to add a state to a regional council.

Support depends on clarity about how this affects council composition, costs, and existing management processes.

Leans supportive
Conservative60%

Cautiously mixed to mildly skeptical: giving another seat on a federal regional council increases federal governance layers.

However, adding a state's representation is a modest, localized change and may be acceptable if it does not expand regulation.

Split reaction
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood65/100

Content is narrow and low fiscal impact, improving odds; regional stakeholder objections and procedural timing create modest uncertainty.

Scope and complexity
24%
Scopenarrow
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • Potential objections from other regional states or councils
  • No Congressional Budget Office cost estimate provided
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Progressives emphasize fairness and local input for conservation

Content is narrow and low fiscal impact, improving odds; regional stakeholder objections and procedural timing create modest uncertainty.

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill clearly accomplishes a narrow administrative objective by proposing a targeted statutory amendment to add Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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