To amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to extend the time period for which certain regulations concerning the North Atlantic right whale are effective.

Summary

Amends the statute that governs incidental take of marine mammals during commercial fishing to remove and replace existing date/trigger language and thereby change how long or when regulations addressing the North Atlantic right whale remain effective. The change is substantive: it alters the statutory text that controls applicability or effective dates for those protections rather than making only editorial edits. The amendment will directly affect how the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS) and regulated commercial fishing operations apply and enforce North Atlantic right whale rules, with likely effects on compliance timing, enforcement, and small fishing businesses in affected coastal areas.

• Replaces existing date or trigger language in the marine mammal incidental take statute for commercial fishing.
• Directly affects regulations intended to protect the North Atlantic right whale by changing their period or applicability.
• Is substantive—alters statutory applicability or effective-date provisions rather than making editorial fixes.
• Impacts NOAA/NMFS implementation, enforcement, and potential agency rule changes or guidance.
• Affects commercial fishing operations that must comply with right whale protection rules, including small fishing businesses.
• Could change timelines for closures, gear requirements, or incidental take authorizations tied to the replaced language.
• Likely causes short-term regulatory uncertainty until agencies update implementing materials.
• Does not explicitly create new funding or appropriations in the provided text.