[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1008 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1008

   To conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Nation's biological 
                               resources.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                May 21 (legislative day, April 19), 1993

Mr. Baucus (for himself and Mr. Chafee) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
                              Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Nation's biological 
                               resources.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Biological Survey Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY.

    Section 3 of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742b) is 
amended by adding the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Biological Survey.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
        undertake a survey of the Nation's biological resources.
            ``(2) Purposes.--The purposes of the survey established 
        under paragraph (1) shall be to--
                    ``(A) conduct a comprehensive baseline assessment 
                and document the status and trends of the biological 
                resources of the United States;
                    ``(B) provide information to be used in protecting 
                and managing ecosystems, including their plant, fish, 
                and wildlife components;
                    ``(C) provide information to be used in the 
                sustainable development of the Nation's natural 
                resources; and
                    ``(D) assist the Secretary in anticipating, 
                avoiding, or resolving conflicts arising in the 
                implementation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
                and other fisheries and wildlife conservation laws.
            ``(3) Functions.--In carrying out the survey established 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) assess and study biological resources, 
                including plants, fish, wildlife, and ecosystems and 
                their components;
                    ``(B) develop, test, and monitor methods of 
                ecosystem management in order to improve the capability 
                of the Secretary to conserve biological resources and 
                diversity;
                    ``(C) collect and analyze data and information to 
                determine, inventory, and monitor the distribution, 
                abundance, health, status, and trends of biological 
                resources and ecosystems;
                    ``(D) in consultation with State agencies 
                responsible for the management and conservation of 
                fish, wildlife, or plant resources within a State, 
                including State natural heritage programs, and other 
                appropriate parties, devise and implement methodologies 
                to access existing sources of information on biological 
                resources;
                    ``(E) develop methods for the consistent and 
                systematic collection and analysis of data on 
                ecosystems and their components;
                    ``(F) disseminate information to resource managers, 
                State agencies, scientists, and the public;
                    ``(G) provide technical assistance in support of 
                legislative, regulatory, and resource management 
                decisions; and
                    ``(H) perform international activities related to 
                the management of biological resources.
            ``(4) Office and director.--
                    ``(A) The Secretary of the Interior shall establish 
                within the Department of the Interior an office to 
                assist in conducting the biological survey established 
                under paragraph (1). Such office shall be headed by a 
                Director who shall--
                            ``(i) be appointed by the President, by and 
                        with the advice and consent of the Senate, from 
                        among individuals who, by reason of scientific 
                        education and experience, have demonstrated 
                        expertise in the biological sciences; and
                            ``(ii) be compensated at the rate provided 
                        for level V of the Executive Schedule.
                    ``(B) The Director shall be subject to the 
                supervision of the Assistant Secretary for Fish and 
                Wildlife.''.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    Section 5316 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after the item relating to the Director, United States Fish 
and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, the following:
            ``Director of the Biological Survey, Department of the 
        Interior''.

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