[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 927 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 927

                 To reauthorize the Sea Grant Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 17, 1997

Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Breaux, 
Mr. Reed, and Mr. Glenn) introduced the following bill; which was read 
     twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
                 To reauthorize the Sea Grant Program.

    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 ``Ocean and Coastal Research 
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 or repeal 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. FINDINGS.

    (a) Section 202(a)(1) (33 U.S.C. 1121(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as 
        subparagraphs (E) and (F), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following:
                    ``(D) encourage the development of forecast and 
                analysis systems for coastal hazards;''.
    (b) Section 202(a)(6) (33 U.S.C. 1121(a)(6)) is amended by striking 
the second sentence and inserting the following: ``The most cost-
effective way to promote such activities is through continued and 
increased Federal support of the establishment, development, and 
operation of programs and projects by sea grant colleges, sea grant 
institutes, and other institutions.''.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Section 203 (33 U.S.C. 1122) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by striking ``their university or'' and 
                inserting ``his or her''; and
                    (B) by striking ``college, programs, or regional 
                consortium'' and inserting ``college or sea grant 
                institute'';
            (2) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following:
            ``(4) The term `field related to ocean, coastal, and Great 
        Lakes resources' means any discipline or field, including 
        marine affairs, resource management, technology, education, or 
        science, which is concerned with or likely to improve the 
        understanding, assessment, development, utilization, or 
        conservation of ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes resources.'';
            (3) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through (15) as 
        paragraphs (7) through (16), respectively, and inserting after 
        paragraph (5) the following:
            ``(6) The term `institution' means any public or private 
        institution of higher education, institute, laboratory, or 
        State or local agency.'';
            (4) by striking ``regional consortium, institution of 
        higher education, institute, or laboratory'' in paragraph (10) 
        (as redesignated) and inserting ``institute or other 
        institution'';
            (5) by striking paragraphs (11) through (16) (as 
        redesignated) and inserting after paragraph (10) the following:
            ``(11) The term `project' means any individually described 
        activity in a field related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 
        resources involving research, education, training, or advisory 
        services administered by a person with expertise in such a 
        field.
            ``(12) The term `sea grant college' means any institution, 
        or any association or alliance of two or more such 
        institutions, designated as such by the Secretary under section 
        207 (33 U.S.C. 1126) of this Act.
            ``(13) The term `sea grant institute' means any 
        institution, or any association or alliance of two or more such 
        institutions, designated as such by the Secretary under section 
        207 (33 U.S.C. 1126) of this Act.
            ``(14) The term `sea grant program' means a program of 
        research and outreach which is administered by one or more sea 
        grant colleges or sea grant institutes.
            ``(15) The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of 
        Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary of Commerce for 
        Oceans and Atmosphere.
            ``(16) The term `State' means any State of the United 
        States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
        Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the 
        Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands, or any other territory or 
        possession of the United States.''.
    (b) The Act is amended--
            (1) in section 209(b) (33 U.S.C. 1128(b)), as amended by 
        this Act, by striking ``, the Under Secretary,''; and
            (2) by striking ``Under Secretary'' every other place it 
        appears and inserting ``Secretary''.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM.

    Section 204 (33 U.S.C. 1123) is amended to read as follows:

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

    ``(a) Program Maintenance.--The Secretary shall maintain within the 
Administration, a program to be known as the national sea grant college 
program. The national sea grant college program shall be administered 
by a national sea grant office within the Administration.
    ``(b) Program Elements.--The national sea grant college program 
shall consist of the financial assistance and other activities 
authorized in this subchapter, and shall provide support for the 
following elements--
            ``(1) sea grant programs which comprise a national sea 
        grant college program network, including international projects 
        conducted within such programs;
            ``(2) administration of the national sea grant college 
        program and this Act by the national sea grant office, the 
        Administration, and the panel;
            ``(3) the fellowship program under section 208; and
            ``(4) any national strategic investments developed with the 
        approval of the panel, the sea grant colleges, and the sea 
        grant institutes.
    ``(c) Responsibilities of the Secretary.--
            ``(1) The Secretary, in consultation with the panel, sea 
        grant colleges, and sea grant institutes, shall develop a long-
        range strategic plan which establishes priorities for the 
        national sea grant college program and which provides an 
        appropriately balanced response to local, regional, and 
        national needs.
            ``(2) Within 6 months of the date of enactment of the Ocean 
        and Coastal Research Revitalization Act of 1997, the Secretary, 
        in consultation with the panel, sea grant colleges, and sea 
        grant institutes, shall establish guidelines related to the 
        activities and responsibilities of sea grant colleges and sea 
        grant institutes. Such guidelines shall include requirements 
        for the conduct of merit review by the sea grant colleges and 
        sea grant institutes of proposals for grants and contracts to 
        be awarded under section 205, providing, at a minimum, for 
        standardized documentation of such proposals and peer review of 
        all research projects.
            ``(3) The Secretary shall by regulation prescribe the 
        qualifications required for designation of sea grant colleges 
        and sea grant institutes under section 207.
            ``(4) To carry out the provisions of this subchapter, the 
        Secretary may--
                    ``(A) appoint, assign the duties, transfer, and fix 
                the compensation of such personnel as may be necessary, 
                in accordance with civil service laws; except that one 
                position in addition to the Director may be established 
                without regard to the provisions of Title 5 governing 
                appointments to the competitive service, at a rate 
                payable under section 5376 of title 5, United States 
                Code;
                    ``(B) make appointments with respect to temporary 
                and intermittent services to the extent authorized by 
                section 3109 of title 5, United States Code;
                    ``(C) publish or arrange for the publication of, 
                and otherwise disseminate, in cooperation with other 
                offices and programs in the Administration and without 
                regard to section 501 of title 44, any information of 
                research, educational, training or other value in 
                fields related to ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes 
                resources;
                    ``(D) enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, 
                and other transactions without regard to section 5 of 
                title 41, United States Code;
                    ``(E) notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, 
                United States Code, accept donations and voluntary and 
                uncompensated services;
                    ``(F) accept funds from other Federal departments 
                and agencies, including agencies within the 
                Administration, to pay for and add to grants made and 
                contracts entered into by the Secretary;
                    ``(G) promulgate such rules and regulations as may 
                be necessary and appropriate.
    ``(d) Director of the National Sea Grant College Program.--
            ``(1) The Secretary shall appoint, as the Director of the 
        National Sea Grant College Program, a qualified individual who 
        has appropriate administrative experience and knowledge or 
        expertise in fields related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 
        resources. The Director shall be appointed and compensated, 
        without regard to the provisions of title 5 governing 
        appointments in the competitive service, at a rate payable 
        under section 5376 of title 5, United States Code.
            ``(2) Subject to the supervision of the Secretary, the 
        Director shall administer the national sea grant college 
        program and oversee the operation of the national sea grant 
        office. In addition to any other duty prescribed by law or 
        assigned by the Secretary, the Director shall--
                    ``(A) facilitate and coordinate the development of 
                a long-range strategic plan under subsection (c)(1);
                    ``(B) advise the Secretary with respect to the 
                expertise and capabilities which are available within 
                or through the national sea grant college program and 
                encourage the use of such expertise and capabilities, 
                on a cooperative or other basis, by other offices and 
                activities within the Administration, and other Federal 
                departments and agencies;
                    ``(C) advise the Secretary on the designation of 
                sea grant colleges and sea grant institutes, and, if 
                appropriate, on the termination or suspension of any 
                such designation; and
                    ``(D) encourage the establishment and growth of sea 
                grant programs, and cooperation and coordination with 
                other Federal activities in fields related to ocean, 
                coastal, and Great Lakes resources.
            ``(3) With respect to sea grant colleges and sea grant 
        institutes, the Director shall--
                    ``(A) evaluate the programs of sea grant colleges 
                and sea grant institutes, using the priorities, 
                guidelines, and qualifications established by the 
                Secretary;
                    ``(B) subject to the availability of 
                appropriations, allocate funding among sea grant 
                colleges and sea grant institutes so as to--
                            ``(i) promote healthy competition among sea 
                        grant colleges and institutes;
                            ``(ii) encourage successful implementation 
                        of sea grant programs; and
                            ``(iii) to the maximum extent consistent 
                        with other provisions of this Act, provide a 
                        stable base of funding for sea grant colleges 
                        and institutes; and
                    ``(C) ensure compliance with the guidelines for 
                merit review under subsection (c)(2).''.

SEC. 6. REPEAL OF SEA GRANT INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM.

    Section 3 of the Sea Grant Program Improvement Act of 1976 (33 
U.S.C. 1124a) is repealed.

SEC. 7. SEA GRANT COLLEGES AND SEA GRANT INSTITUTES.

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

``SEC. 207. SEA GRANT COLLEGES AND SEA GRANT INSTITUTES.

    ``(a) Designation.--
            ``(1) A sea grant college or sea grant institute shall meet 
        the following qualifications:
                    ``(A) have an existing broad base of competence in 
                fields related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 
                resources;
                    ``(B) make a long-term commitment to the objective 
                in section 202(b), as determined by the Secretary;
                    ``(C) cooperate with other sea grant colleges and 
                institutes and other persons to solve problems or meet 
                needs relating to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 
                resources;
                    ``(D) have received financial assistance under 
                section 205 of this title (33 U.S.C. 1124); and
                    ``(E) meet such other qualifications as the 
                Secretary, in consultation with the panel, considers 
                necessary or appropriate.
            ``(2) The Secretary may designate an institution, or an 
        association or alliance of two or more such institutions, as a 
        sea grant college if the institution, association, or alliance 
        --
                    ``(A) meets the qualifications in paragraph (1); 
                and
                    ``(B) maintains a program of research, advisory 
                services, training, and education in fields related to 
                ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources.
            `(3) The Secretary may designate an institution, or an 
        association or alliance of two or more such institutions, as a 
        sea grant institute if the institution, association, or 
        alliance--
                    ``(A) meets the qualifications in paragraph (1); 
                and ``(B) maintains a program which includes, at a 
                minimum, research and advisory services.
    ``(b) Existing Designees.--Any institution, or association or 
alliance of two or more such institutions, designated as a sea grant 
college or awarded institutional program status by the Director prior 
to the date of enactment of this Act, shall not have to reapply for 
designation as a sea grant college or sea grant institute, 
respectively, after the date of enactment of this act, if the Director 
determines that the institution, or assocation or alliance of 
institutions, meets the qualifications in subsection (a).
    ``(c) Suspension or Termination of Designation.--The Secretary may, 
for cause and after an opportunity for hearing, suspend or terminate 
any designation under subsection (a).
    ``(d) Duties.--Subject to any regulations prescribed or guidelines 
established by the Secretary, it shall be the responsibility of each 
sea grant college and sea grant institute--
            ``(1) to develop and implement, in consultation with the 
        Secretary and the panel, a program that is consistent with the 
        guidelines and priorities established under section 204(c); and
            ``(2) to conduct a merit review of all proposals for grants 
        and contracts to be awarded under section 205.''.

SEC. 8. REPEAL OF POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

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

SEC. 9. SEA GRANT REVIEW PANEL.

    (a) Section 209(a) (33 U.S.C. 1128(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``; commencement date''; and
            (2) by striking the second sentence.
    (b) Section 209(b) (33 U.S.C. 1128(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Panel'' and inserting ``The panel'';
            (2) by striking ``and section 3 of the Sea Grant College 
        Program Improvement Act of 1976'' in paragraph (1); and
            (3) by striking ``regional consortia'' in paragraph (3) and 
        inserting ``institutes''.
    (c) Section 209(c) (33 U.S.C. 1128(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``college, sea grant 
        regional consortium, or sea grant program'' and inserting 
        ``college or sea grant institute'';
            (2) by striking paragraph (5)(A) and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(A) receive compensation at a rate established by 
                the Secretary, not to exceed the maximum daily rate 
                payable under section 5376 of title 5, United States 
                Code, when actually engaged in the performance of 
                duties for such panel; and''.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION 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) $55,400,000 for fiscal year 1998;
            ``(2) $56,500,000 for fiscal year 1999;
            ``(3) $57,600,000 for fiscal year 2000;
            ``(4) $58,800,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
            ``(5) $59,900,000 for fiscal year 2002.''.
    (b) Limitation on Certain Funding.--Section 212(b)(1) (33 U.S.C. 
1131(b)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b) Program Elements.--
            ``(1) Limitation.--Of the amount appropriated for each 
        fiscal year under subsection (a), no more than 6 percent may be 
        used to fund both the program element contained in section 
        204(b)(2) and any small business innovation research.''.
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