[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 937 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 937

  To reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
   Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Resources Office, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                June 16 (legislative day, June 5), 1995

 Mr. Sarbanes (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, and Mr. Robb) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
   Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Resources Office, and for other purposes.
    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 2 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
Marine Fisheries Program Authorization Act (Public Law 98-210; 97 Stat. 
1409) is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following 
        new subsection:
    ``(e) Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Resources Office.--
            ``(1) Operation of chesapeake bay estuarine resources 
        office.--Of the sums authorized under subsection (a), to 
        operate the Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Resources Office 
        established under section 307 of the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 
        1511d), there are authorized to be appropriated--
                    ``(A) $2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 1996 and 
                1997; and
                    ``(B) $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1998 
                through 2000.
            ``(2) Funding for oyster disease investigations.--Of the 
        sums authorized under subsection (a), to fund a program of 
        investigations of oyster disease described in subsection (f), 
        there are authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 1996 through 2000.
            ``(3) Administrative expenses.--Not more than 20 percent of 
        the amounts authorized to be appropriated under this subsection 
        may be used for administrative expenses of the Chesapeake Bay 
        Estuarine Resources Office.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Oyster Disease Investigations.--The Chesapeake Bay Estuarine 
Resources Office established under section 307 of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 
1511d) shall conduct a program of investigations to--
            ``(1) improve the understanding of the etiology of the 
        diseases of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica); and
            ``(2) provide new scientific and management tools to 
        counteract the consequences of diseases of oysters in the 
        coastal waters of the United States, with particular emphasis 
        on diseases of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITIES OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY ESTUARINE 
              RESOURCES OFFICE.

    Section 307(a) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``and operate'' after 
        ``establish''; and
            (2) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following 
        new paragraph:
    ``(3) To carry out this section, the Director may--
            ``(A) appoint such additional personnel as may be 
        necessary; and
            ``(B) transfer funds to another Federal department or 
        agency or provide financial assistance to a department or 
        agency of a State or political subdivision thereof or a 
        nonprofit organization for conducting research, assessment, 
        monitoring, data management, or outreach activities.''.
                                 <all>