[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 437 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 437

  To reauthorize the National Sea Grant College Program Act, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 1997

Mr. Saxton (for himself, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Abercrombie, and Mr. 
 Farr of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                     to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To reauthorize the National Sea Grant College Program Act, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Marine Resources Revitalization Act 
of 1997''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM ACT.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal 
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to 
be made to a section or other provision of the National Sea Grant 
College Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1121 et seq.).

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Sea Grant Institution.--Section 203 (33 U.S.C. 1122) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(16) The term `sea grant institution' means--
                    ``(A) any sea grant college or sea grant regional 
                consortium, and
                    ``(B) any institution of higher education, 
                institute, laboratory, or State or local agency 
                conducting a sea grant program with amounts provided 
                under this Act.''.
    (b) Field Related to Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Resources.--
Section 203(4) (33 U.S.C. 1122(4)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(4) The term `field related to ocean, coastal, and Great 
        Lakes resources' means any discipline or field which is 
        concerned with or likely to improve the understanding, 
        assessment, development, utilization, or conservation of ocean, 
        coastal, and Great Lakes resources.''.
    (c) Secretary.--
            (1) In general.--Section 203(13) (33 U.S.C. 1122(13)) is 
        amended to read as follows:
            ``(13) The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of 
        Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary of Commerce for 
        Oceans and Atmosphere.''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--The Act is amended--
                    (A) by striking section 203(15) (33 U.S.C. 
                1122(15));
                    (B) in section 204(c) (33 U.S.C. 1123(c)), in the 
                matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking `` and the 
                Under Secretary'';
                    (C) in section 209(b) (33 U.S.C. 1128(b)), as 
                amended by this Act, by striking ``, the Under 
                Secretary,''; and
                    (D) by striking ``Under Secretary'' every other 
                place it appears and inserting ``Secretary''.

SEC. 4. CONSULTATIONS REGARDING LONG-RANGE PLANNING GUIDELINES AND 
              PRIORITIES AND EVALUATION.

    Section 204(a) (33 U.S.C. 1123(a)) is amended in the last sentence 
by inserting after ``The Secretary'' the following: ``, in consultation 
with the sea grant institutions and the panel established under section 
209,''.

SEC. 5. DUTIES OF DIRECTOR.

    Section 204(c) (33 U.S.C. 1123(c)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Duties of Director.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director shall administer the 
        National Sea Grant College Program subject to the supervision 
        of the Secretary. In addition to any other duty prescribed by 
        law or assigned by the Secretary, the Director shall--
                    ``(A) advise the Secretary with respect to the 
                expertise and capabilities which are available within 
                or through the National Sea Grant College Program, and 
                provide (as directed by the Secretary) those which are 
                or could be of use to other offices and activities 
                within the Administration;
                    ``(B) encourage other Federal departments, 
                agencies, and instrumentalities to use and take 
                advantage of the expertise and capabilities which are 
                available through the National Sea Grant College 
                Program, on a cooperative or other basis;
                    ``(C) encourage cooperation and coordination with 
                other Federal programs concerned with ocean, coastal, 
                and Great Lakes resources conservation and usage;
                    ``(D) advise the Secretary on the designation of 
                sea grant institutions and, in appropriate cases, if 
                any, on the termination or suspension of any such 
                designation;
                    ``(E) encourage the formation and growth of sea 
                grant programs; and
                    ``(F) oversee the operation of the National Sea 
                Grant Office established under subsection (a).
            ``(2) Duties with respect to sea grant institutions.--With 
        respect to the sea grant institutions, the Director shall--
                    ``(A) evaluate the programs of the institutions, 
                using the guidelines and priorities established by the 
                Secretary under subsection (a), to ensure that the 
                objective set forth in section 202(b) is achieved;
                    ``(B) subject to the availability of 
                appropriations, allocate funding among the sea grant 
                institutions so as to--
                            ``(i) promote healthy competition among 
                        those institutions,
                            ``(ii) promote successful implementation of 
                        the programs developed by the institutions 
                        under subsection (e), and
                            ``(iii) to the maximum extent consistent 
                        with the other provisions of this subparagraph, 
                        provide a stable base of funding for the 
                        institutions; and
                    ``(C) ensure compliance by the institutions with 
                the guidelines for merit review published pursuant to 
                section 207(b)(2).''.

SEC. 6. DUTIES OF SEA GRANT INSTITUTIONS.

    Section 204 (33 U.S.C. 1123) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(e) Duties of the Sea Grant Institutions.--Subject to any 
regulations or guidelines promulgated by the Secretary, it shall be the 
responsibility of each sea grant institution to--
            ``(1) develop and implement, in consultation with the 
        Secretary and the panel established under section 209, a 
        program that is consistent with the guidelines and priorities 
        developed under section 204(a); and
            ``(2) conduct merit review of all applications for project 
        grants or contracts to be awarded under section 205.''.

SEC. 7. REPEAL OF SEA GRANT INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM.

    (a) Repeal.--Section 3 of the Sea Grant Program Improvement Act of 
1976 (33 U.S.C. 1124a) is repealed.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 209(b)(1) (33 U.S.C. 1128(b)(1)) 
is amended by striking ``and section 3 of the Sea Grant Program 
Improvement Act of 1976''.

SEC. 8. DESIGNATION OF SEA GRANT INSTITUTIONS.

    Section 207 (33 U.S.C. 1126) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 207. SEA GRANT COLLEGES AND SEA GRANT REGIONAL CONSORTIA.

    ``(a) Designation.--The Secretary may designate an institution of 
higher learning as a sea grant college, and an association or alliance 
of two or more persons as a sea grant regional consortium, if the 
institution, association, or alliance--
            ``(1) is maintaining a balanced program of research, 
        education, training, and advisory services in fields related to 
        ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and has received 
        financial assistance under section 205 of this Act or under 
        section 204(c) of the National Sea Grant College and Program 
        Act of 1966;
            ``(2) will cooperate with other sea grant institutions and 
        other persons to solve problems or meet needs relating to 
        ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources;
            ``(3) will act in accordance with such guidelines as are 
        prescribed under subsection (b)(2); and
            ``(4) meets such other qualifications as the Secretary 
        considers necessary or appropriate.
    ``(b) Regulations and Guidelines.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall by regulation 
        prescribe the qualifications required to be met under 
        subsection (a)(4).
            ``(2) Merit review.--Within 6 months of the date of 
        enactment of the Marine Resources Revitalization Act of 1997, 
        the Secretary, after consultation with the sea grant 
        institutions, shall establish guidelines for the conduct of 
        merit review by the sea grant institutions of project proposals 
        for grants and contracts to be awarded under section 205. The 
        guidelines shall, at a minimum, provide for peer review of all 
        research projects and require standardized documentation of all 
        peer review.''.

SEC. 9. REPEAL OF POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

    Section 208(c) (33 U.S.C. 1127(c)) is repealed.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Grants, Contracts, and Fellowships.--Section 212(a) (33 U.S.C. 
1131(a)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this Act--
            ``(1) $54,300,000 for fiscal year 1998;
            ``(2) $55,400,000 for fiscal year 1999; and
            ``(3) $56,500,000 for fiscal year 2000.''.
    (b) Administration.--Section 212(b) (33 U.S.C. 1131(b)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking so much as precedes paragraph (2) and 
        inserting the following:
    ``(b) Administration.--
            ``(1) Limitation.--Of the amount appropriated for each 
        fiscal year under subsection (a), no more than 5 percent may be 
        used for the administration of this Act, including section 209, 
        by the National Sea Grant Office and the Administration.'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking ``subsections (a) and (c)'' and 
                inserting ``subsection (a)''; and
                    (B) by striking ``(2)'' and inserting ``(2) 
                Limitation on use of other amounts.--''; and
            (3) by moving paragraph (2) 2 ems to the right, so that the 
        left margin of paragraph (2) is aligned with the left margin of 
        paragraph (1), as amended by paragraph (1) of this subsection.
    (c) Repeal.--Section 212 (33 U.S.C. 1131) is amended by repealing 
subsection (c) and redesignating subsections (d) and (e) in order as 
subsections (c) and (d).

SEC. 11. CLERICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Clerical Amendments.--
            (1) Section 203(3) (33 U.S.C. 1122(3)) is amended by 
        striking ``the term'' and inserting ``The term''.
            (2) Section 203(6) (33 U.S.C. 1122(6)) is amended by moving 
        subparagraph (F) 2 ems to the right, so that the left margin of 
        subparagraph (F) is aligned with the left margin of 
        subparagraph (E).
            (3) The heading for section 204 (33 U.S.C. 1124) is amended 
        to read as follows:

``SEC. 204. NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM.''.

            (4) Section 209 (33 U.S.C. 1128) is amended by striking all 
        of the matter that follows the first full sentence through 
        ``shall advise'', and inserting ``(b) Duties.--The panel shall 
        advise''.
            (5) Section 205(b)(3) (33 U.S.C. 1124(b)(3)) is amended by 
        striking ``or section 206''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 204(b)(2) (33 U.S.C. 1123(b)(2)) is amended by 
        striking ``maximum rate for GS-18'' and all that follows 
        through the end of the sentence and inserting ``maximum rate 
        payable under section 5376 of title 5, United States Code.''.
            (2) Section 209(c)(5)(A) (33 U.S.C. 1128(c)(5)(A)) is 
        amended by striking ``the daily rate for GS-18 of the General 
        Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code'' 
        and inserting ``the maximum daily rate payable under section 
        5376 of title 5, United States Code''.
            (3) Section 209 (33 U.S.C. 1128) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)(3) by striking ``colleges and 
                sea grant regional consortia'' and inserting 
                ``institutions''; and
                    (B) in subsection (c)(1) in the last sentence in 
                clause (A) by striking ``college, sea grant regional 
                consortium,'' and inserting ``institution''.
                                 <all>