Improving public transparency and increasing participation in the North Pacific Fishery management council process

(a) Regional fishery management councils Section 302 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852) is amended— (1) in subsection (e), by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following: (5) Each Council shall hold a recorded vote on all non-procedural matters before the Council. The official minutes and other appropriate records of any Council meeting shall identify all roll call votes held, the name of each voting member present during each roll call vote, and how each member voted on each roll call vote.; (2) in subsection (i)(2), by adding at the end the following: (G) Each Council shall make available on the internet website of the Council— (i) to the extent practicable, a webcast, an audio recording, or a live broadcast of each meeting of the Council, and of the Council coordination committee established under subsection (l), that is not closed in accordance with paragraph (3); and (ii) audio, video (if the meeting was in person or by video conference), or a searchable audio or written transcript of each meeting of the Council and of the meetings of advisory bodies of the Council, by not later than 30 days after the conclusion of the meeting. (H) The Secretary shall maintain and make available to the public a permanent online archive of each webcast, audio, broadcast, video, and transcript made available under clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (G).; (3) in subsection (j)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following: (B) the term designated official means an attorney employed in the Office of the General Counsel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who— (i) has expertise in Federal conflict-of-interest requirements; and (ii) is designated by the Secretary, in consultation with a Council, to attend the meetings of such Council and make determinations under paragraph (7)(B).; (B) in paragraph (2)(C), by inserting contractor, after partner,; and (C) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking on the Internet and inserting on the internet website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on the internet website of the applicable Council,. (b) North pacific fishery management council written public comment procedure Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council shall update its Public Comment Policy and provide a minimum comment period of 4 weeks before the start of the Council meeting. (c) National oceanic and atmospheric administration recusal review process (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall conduct a comprehensive review of the financial interest and recusal procedures under section 302(j) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(j)) and the regulations promulgated to carry out such section, including section 600.235 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). (2) Compliance The review under paragraph (1) shall evaluate whether there has been compliance with regulatory requirements promulgated to carry out section 302(j) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(j)), including timely submission of disclosures and the effectiveness and consistency of recusal determinations. (3) Identification of gaps and weaknesses The Administrator shall include, as part of the annual report to be submitted in 2027, in accordance with section 302(j)(9) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(j)(9)), a section identifying any gaps or weaknesses in the current disclosure and recusal process and providing recommendations on defining or clarifying the recusal standards.