[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 642 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 642

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2001

Mr. Gilchrest (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Morella, Mr. Cummings, and 
  Mr. Wynn) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and 
          Atmospheric Administration, 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. CHESAPEAKE BAY OFFICE.

    (a) Reauthorization of Office.--Section 307 of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 
1511d) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 307. CHESAPEAKE BAY OFFICE.

    ``(a) Establishment.--(1) The Secretary of Commerce shall 
establish, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
an office to be known as the Chesapeake Bay Office (in this section 
referred to as the `Office').
    ``(2) The Office shall be headed by a Director who shall be 
appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the 
Chesapeake Executive Council. Any individual appointed as Director 
shall have knowledge and experience in research or resource management 
efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
    ``(3) The Director may appoint such additional personnel for the 
Office as the Director determines necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(b) Functions.--The Office, in consultation with the Chesapeake 
Executive Council, shall--
            ``(1) provide technical assistance to the Administrator, to 
        other Federal departments and agencies, and to State and local 
        government agencies in--
                    ``(A) assessing the processes that shape the 
                Chesapeake Bay system and affect its living resources;
                    ``(B) identifying technical and management 
                alternatives for the restoration and protection of 
                living resources and the habitats they depend upon; and
                    ``(C) monitoring the implementation and 
                effectiveness of management plans;
            ``(2) develop and implement a strategy for the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that integrates the 
        science, research, monitoring, data collection, regulatory, and 
        management responsibilities of the Secretary of Commerce in 
        such a manner as to assist the cooperative, intergovernmental 
        Chesapeake Bay Program to meet the commitments of the 
        Chesapeake Bay Agreement;
            ``(3) coordinate the programs and activities of the various 
        organizations within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, the Chesapeake Bay Regional Sea Grant Programs, 
        and the Chesapeake Bay units of the National Estuarine Research 
        Reserve System, including--
                    ``(A) programs and activities in--
                            ``(i) coastal and estuarine research, 
                        monitoring, and assessment;
                            ``(ii) fisheries research and stock 
                        assessments;
                            ``(iii) data management;
                            ``(iv) remote sensing;
                            ``(v) coastal management;
                            ``(vi) habitat conservation and 
                        restoration; and
                            ``(vii) atmospheric deposition; and
                    ``(B) programs and activities of the Cooperative 
                Oxford Laboratory of the National Ocean Service with 
                respect to--
                            ``(i) nonindigenous species;
                            ``(ii) marine species pathology;
                            ``(iii) human pathogens in marine 
                        environments; and
                            ``(iv) ecosystem health;
            ``(4) coordinate the activities of the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration with the activities of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal, State, and 
        local agencies;
            ``(5) establish an effective mechanism which shall ensure 
        that projects have undergone appropriate peer review and 
        provide other appropriate means to determine that projects have 
        acceptable scientific and technical merit for the purpose of 
        achieving maximum utilization of available funds and resources 
        to benefit the Chesapeake Bay area;
            ``(6) remain cognizant of ongoing research, monitoring, and 
        management projects and assist in the dissemination of the 
        results and findings of those projects; and
            ``(7) submit a biennial report to the Congress and the 
        Secretary of Commerce with respect to the activities of the 
        Office and on the progress made in protecting and restoring the 
        living resources and habitat of the Chesapeake Bay, which 
        report shall include an action plan consisting of--
                    ``(A) a list of recommended research, monitoring, 
                and data collection activities necessary to continue 
                implementation of the strategy described in paragraph 
                (2); and
                    ``(B) proposals for--
                            ``(i) continuing any new National Oceanic 
                        and Atmospheric Administration activities in 
                        the Chesapeake Bay; and
                            ``(ii) the integration of those activities 
                        with the activities of the partners in the 
                        Chesapeake Bay Program to meet the commitments 
                        of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement and subsequent 
                        agreements.
    ``(c) Chesapeake Bay Fishery and Habitat Restoration Small 
Watershed Grants Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director of the Chesapeake Bay 
        Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        (in this section referred to as the `Director'), in cooperation 
        with the Chesapeake Executive Council, shall carry out a 
        community-based fishery and habitat restoration small grants 
        and technical assistance program in the Chesapeake Bay 
        watershed.
            ``(2) Projects.--
                    ``(A) Support.--The Director shall make grants 
                under this subsection to pay the Federal share of the 
                cost of projects that are carried out by entities 
                eligible under paragraph (3) for the restoration of 
                fisheries and habitats in the Chesapeake Bay.
                    ``(B) Federal share.--The Federal share under 
                subparagraph (A) shall not exceed 75 percent.
                    ``(C) Types of projects.--Projects for which grants 
                may be made under this subsection include--
                            ``(i) the improvement of fish passageways;
                            ``(ii) the creation of natural or 
                        artificial reefs or substrata for habitats;
                            ``(iii) the restoration of wetland or sea 
                        grass; and
                            ``(iv) the production of oysters for 
                        restoration projects.
            ``(3) Eligible entities.--The following entities are 
        eligible to receive grants under this subsection:
                    ``(A) The government of a political subdivision of 
                a State in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and the 
                government of the District of Columbia.
                    ``(B) An organization in the Chesapeake Bay 
                watershed (such as an educational institution or a 
                community organization)--
                            ``(i) that is described in section 501(c) 
                        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is 
                        exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 
                        that Code; and
                            ``(ii) that will administer such grants in 
                        coordination with a government referred to in 
                        subparagraph (A).
            ``(4) Additional requirements.--The Director may prescribe 
        any additional requirements, including procedures, that the 
        Director considers necessary to carry out the program under 
        this subsection.
    ``(d) Budget Line Item.--The Secretary of Commerce shall identify, 
in the President's annual budget to the Congress, the funding request 
for the Office.
    ``(e) Chesapeake Executive Council.--For purposes of this section, 
`Chesapeake Executive Council' means the representatives from the 
Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania, the Environmental Protection Agency, the District of 
Columbia, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, who are signatories to the 
Chesapeake Bay Agreement, and any future signatories to that Agreement.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Department of Commerce for the Chesapeake Bay 
Office $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 2 of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration Marine Fisheries Program Authorization Act 
(Public Law 98-210; 97 Stat. 1409) is amended by striking subsection 
(e) (106 Stat. 4285).
    (c) Multiple Species Management Strategy.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director of the Chesapeake Bay 
        Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        shall begin a 5-year study, in cooperation with the scientific 
        community of the Chesapeake Bay, appropriate State and 
        interstate resource management entities, and appropriate 
        Federal agencies--
                    (A) to determine and expand the understanding of 
                the role and response of living resources in the 
                Chesapeake Bay ecosystem; and
                    (B) to develop a multiple species management 
                strategy for the Chesapeake Bay.
            (2) Required elements of study.--In order to improve the 
        understanding necessary for the development of the strategy 
        under paragraph (1)(B), the study shall--
                    (A) determine the current status and trends of fish 
                and shellfish that live in the Chesapeake Bay estuaries 
                and are selected for study;
                    (B) evaluate and assess interactions among the fish 
                and shellfish referred to in subparagraph (A) and other 
                living resources, with particular attention to the 
                impact of changes within and among trophic levels; and
                    (C) recommend management actions to optimize the 
                return of a healthy and balanced ecosystem for the 
                Chesapeake Bay.
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