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United States · Law · HR

H.R. 5126 (116th)

DESCEND Act of 2020

enactedUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

15 November 2019

Last action

13 January 2021 · President

Status

Became Public Law No: 116-340.

Sponsors

Garret Graves, Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2], Steven Palazzo, Joe Cunningham, Francis Rooney, Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33], Daniel Webster

Subjects

Discovery layer

Source updated

28 May 2025

Summary

Direct Enhancement of Snapper Conservation and the Economy through Novel Devices Act of 2019 or the DESCEND Act of 2019 This bill addresses the use of descending devices to release reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico. (A descending device is an instrument that will release fish at a depth sufficient for the fish to be able to recover from the effects of barotrauma.) Specifically, the bill requires commercial and recreational fishermen to possess a venting tool or descending device that is rigged and ready for use when fishing for reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico Exclusive Economic Zone, the Department of Commerce to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study and produce a report on discard mortality in the Gulf reef fish fisheries, and Commerce and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to develop guidance for reporting discards and associated mortality and develop a plan to assess the effectiveness and usage of barotrauma-reducing devices.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 15 November 2019

    Introduced

    Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 15 November 2019

    Introduced

    Introduced in House

    Source: IntroReferral

  3. 15 November 2019

    Introduced

    Introduced in House

    Source: IntroReferral

  4. 4 December 2019

    Referred

    Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.

    Source: Committee

  5. 14 January 2020

    Committee

    Subcommittee Hearings Held.

    Source: Committee

  6. 11 March 2020

    Reported

    Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

    Source: Committee

  7. 11 March 2020

    Committee

    Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

    Source: Committee

  8. 11 March 2020

    Committee

    Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Discharged.

    Source: Committee

  9. 24 September 2020

    Calendars

    Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 431.

    Source: Calendars

  10. 24 September 2020

    Reported

    Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 116-531.

    Source: Committee

  11. 24 September 2020

    Reported

    Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 116-531.

    Source: Committee

  12. 1 October 2020

    Passed

    Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

    Source: Floor

  13. 1 October 2020

    Passed

    On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5176)

    Source: Floor

  14. 1 October 2020

    Passed

    Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.

    Source: Floor

  15. 1 October 2020

    Floor

    DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5126.

    Source: Floor

  16. 1 October 2020

    Floor

    Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5176-5178)

    Source: Floor

  17. 1 October 2020

    Floor

    Mrs. Dingell moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

    Source: Floor

  18. 19 October 2020

    Introduced

    Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

    Source: IntroReferral

  19. 21 December 2020

    Passed

    Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.

    Source: Floor

  20. 21 December 2020

    Passed

    Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.

    Source: Floor

  21. 21 December 2020

    Discharge

    Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S7902)

    Source: Discharge

  22. 21 December 2020

    Committee

    Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation discharged by Unanimous Consent.

    Source: Committee

  23. 1 January 2021

    Floor

    Presented to President.

    Source: Floor

  24. 1 January 2021

    President

    Presented to President.

    Source: President

  25. 13 January 2021

    Became law

    Became Public Law No: 116-340.

    Source: President

  26. 13 January 2021

    Became law

    Signed by President.

    Source: BecameLaw

  27. 13 January 2021

    President

    Signed by President.

    Source: President

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Documents

17 official files

Enrolled Bill (text)

View fileDownload file

Sponsors

Related records

Sources

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