H.R. 5126 · 116th Congress · enacted
DESCEND Act of 2020
Became Public Law No: 116-340.
Latest official action 2021-01-13 · Enacted
The bill, briefly
Direct Enhancement of Snapper Conservation and the Economy through Novel Devices Act of 2020 or the DESCEND Act of 2020 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.
Congressional Research Service · 2021-01-13
Who reported lobbying on this bill?
Amount spent specifically on this bill: not disclosed
The reports below name this bill and disclose an organization’s overall lobbying expenses or a firm’s client income for the period. They can cover many bills and issues. These amounts are not payments to the bill or its politicians.
No matching lobbying report is imported yet. This is not evidence that no lobbying occurred.
2,409 latest lobbying reports imported. Some source imports are still in progress.
Politicians behind the bill
Sponsors and cosponsors from the official source, limited to members currently in office. Campaign amounts are cycle-wide and are not payments for this bill.
Cosponsor
Jared Huffman
House · CA District 2 · Democratic
$330,813PAC receipts · 2025–2026
Cosponsor
Marc A. Veasey
House · TX District 33 · Democratic
$516,794PAC receipts · 2025–2026
Cosponsor
Daniel Webster
House · FL District 11 · Republican
$190,994PAC receipts · 2025–2026
6 of 6 source cosponsor records retrieved; only current officials and unwithdrawn sponsorships appear.
PAC donors to the listed sponsors
These are all-cycle contributions to the listed sponsors’ and cosponsors’ campaigns. FEC does not attribute them to this bill. A donation plus sponsorship does not establish why a politician acted.
ALLIED PILOTS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$16,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $10,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $5,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $1,000
Official PAC recordNATIONAL BEER WHOLESALERS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$15,500
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $7,500
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $5,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $3,000
Official PAC recordAMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION - COPE$15,000
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES P E O P L E$15,000
MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERS$15,000
NATIONAL RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION AMERICA'S ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES PAC$13,500
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $5,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $4,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $4,500
Official PAC recordAMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES (ACEC/PAC)$13,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $5,500
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $2,500
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $5,000
Official PAC recordHONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC. TECHNOLOGIES PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL (HONPAC)$13,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $4,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $5,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $4,000
Official PAC recordNATIONAL MARINE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION AND MARINE RETAILERS ASSOCIATION BOAT PAC$13,000
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AAJ PAC)$12,500
NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION PAC$12,500
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $7,500
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $1,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $4,000
Official PAC recordBNSF RAILWAY COMPANY RAILPAC (BNSF RAILPAC)$12,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $5,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $2,500
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $4,500
Official PAC recordAIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION PAC$10,500
CLEAN PAC$10,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordEXXON MOBIL CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (EXXONMOBIL PAC)$10,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordLABORERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA (LIUNA) PAC$10,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordPROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT FEDERAL PAC (PECG FED-PAC)$10,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordLOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION EMPLOYEES' POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$9,000
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$9,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $4,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $3,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $2,000
Official PAC recordAMERICA'S CREDIT UNIONS PAC$8,500
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (ASA PAC)$8,500
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $5,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $1,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $2,500
Official PAC recordSALT RIVER VALLEY WATER USERS' ASSOCIATION POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEE ( SRPPIC)$8,500
WALMART INC. PAC FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT$8,000
SMART TD PAC$7,500
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $7,500
Official PAC recordTRANSPORT WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE$7,000
UNION PACIFIC CORP. FUND FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT$6,999
THE BOEING COMPANY PAC$6,500
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $3,500
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $1,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $2,000
Official PAC recordACADEMY OF RAIL LABOR ATTORNEYS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$6,000
MATSON, INC. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMITTEE$6,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $6,000
Official PAC recordNEA FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATION$6,000
OUTPATIENT ENDOVASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL SOCIETY PAC (OEIS PAC)$6,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $6,000
Official PAC recordREGIONS FINANCIAL CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$6,000
ABBOTT LABORATORIES EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$5,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $5,000
Official PAC recordAMERICAN CRYSTAL SUGAR COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$5,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $5,000
Official PAC recordAMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, AFL-CIO COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION$5,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $5,000
Official PAC recordAMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$5,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $5,000
Official PAC recordASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS, INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (ABC PAC)$5,000
Daniel Webster · Cosponsor · $5,000
Official PAC recordATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION PAC$5,000
BIOMARIN PHARMACEUTICAL INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AKA BIOMARIN PAC$5,000
Jared Huffman · Cosponsor · $5,000
Official PAC recordBP CORPORATION NORTH AMERICA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (BP NORTH AMERICA EMPLOYEE PAC)$5,000
Marc A. Veasey · Cosponsor · $5,000
Official PAC recordThe largest 40 donor totals appear here. Open each politician for their complete, paginated PAC donor list.
What happened after enactment?
Dated agency-reported implementation and uptake measures are shown with their scope. They do not by themselves establish causal success. If no evidence is listed, the outcome is not established.
Measured outcome: not established
Enactment alone does not show whether a law improved its intended outcome. We need a dated evaluation, observed result or verified implementation record before claiming success or failure.