[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 958 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 958

To authorize certain hydrographic services programs, to name a cove in 
 Alaska in honor of the late Able Bodied Seaman Eric Steiner Koss, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2003

 Mr. Young of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                     to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize certain hydrographic services programs, to name a cove in 
 Alaska in honor of the late Able Bodied Seaman Eric Steiner Koss, 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 ``Hydrographic Services Amendments of 
2003''.

            TITLE I--NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES IMPROVEMENT

SEC. 101. REFERENCES.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this title 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 Hydrographic Services 
Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892 et seq.).

SEC. 102. FUNCTIONS OF ADMINISTRATOR.

    (a) Regional Navigation Response Teams.--Section 303(a) (33 U.S.C. 
892a(a)) is amended by striking paragraphs (7) and (8) and inserting 
the following:
            ``(7) establish, equip, and maintain up to 10 Regional 
        Navigation Response teams in priority coastal areas identified 
        by the Secretary, in consultation with the Commandant of the 
        Coast Guard, to conduct activities related to navigational 
        safety and the validation of hydrographic data;
            ``(8) to the greatest extent practicable and cost-
        effective, fulfill the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (7) 
        through contracts or other agreements with private sector 
        entities; and
            ``(9) participate in the development of, and implement for 
        the United States in cooperation with other appropriate Federal 
        agencies, international standards for hydrographic data and 
        hydrographic services.''.
    (b) Authority To Accept Volunteer Services.--Section 303 (33 U.S.C. 
892a) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Authority To Accept Volunteer Services.--
            ``(1) In general.--To help fulfill the duties of the 
        Administrator, including authorities under the Act of 1947 (33 
        U.S.C. 883a et seq.), this Act, or in response to a maritime 
        emergency, the Administrator may--
                    ``(A) establish a volunteer program; and
                    ``(B) enter into special agreements with qualified 
                organizations to assist in the implementation of a 
                volunteer program.
            ``(2) Legal status of volunteers.--
                    ``(A) Paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 7(c) of 
                the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(c)) 
                shall apply to volunteers who provide services to the 
                Administrator under a volunteer program established 
                under paragraph (1).-
                    ``(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), any 
                reference in section 7(c) of the Fish and Wildlife Act 
                of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(c)) to the Secretary of 
                Interior or the Secretary of Commerce is deemed to 
                refer to the Administrator.
            ``(3) Qualified organization.--In this subsection, the term 
        `qualified organization' means a nongovernmental, not-for-
        profit organization, determined by the Administrator to have 
        demonstrated expertise in boating safety and a commitment to 
        improving the quality of hydrographic services and related 
        oceanographic and meteorological information that is made 
        available to mariners.
    ``(e) Participation in Joint Institute.--The Secretary may 
participate in a joint institute that develops new hydrographic 
technology and conducts academic, educational, and outreach activities 
that assist the Administrator in fulfilling the functions of the 
Administrator under this section.''.

SEC. 103. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Acceptance and Recognition of Certifications.--Section 304(b) 
(33 U.S.C. 892b(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Acceptance and recognition of certifications.--The 
        Administrator shall, to the maximum extent practicable, assure 
        that any international organizations and agreements to which 
        the United States is a party that affect hydrographic products 
        and nautical charts accept or recognize, respectively, 
        hydrographic products certified by the Administrator under this 
        subsection.''.
    (b) Implementation of Executive Order and OMB Circular.--Section 
304 (33 U.S.C. 892b) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Annual Study and Report Regarding Implementation of Executive 
Order and OMB Circular.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall annually conduct 
        a study of, and report to the panel established under section 
        305 regarding, steps taken to comply with section 3(d) of 
        Executive Order 12906 and Office of Management and Budget 
        Circular A-16 with respect to the collection and production of 
        new hydrographic data and products by the Administration.
            ``(2) Consultation.--In carrying out the study and report, 
        the Administrator shall consult with the Federal Geographic 
        Data Committee.''.

SEC. 104. PLAN REGARDING PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall submit to the Congress a plan for 
increasing, consistent with this title, contracting with the private 
sector for photogrammetric, remote sensing, and other geospatial 
reference services related to hydrographic data acquisition or 
hydrographic services activities performed by the National Ocean 
Service. In preparing the plan, the Administrator shall consult with 
private sector entities knowledgeable in photogrammetry and remote 
sensing.
    (b) Contents.--The plan shall include the following:
            (1) An assessment of which of the photogrammetric, remote 
        sensing, and other geospatial reference services related to 
        hydrographic data acquisition or hydrographic services 
        activities performed by the National Ocean Service can be 
        performed adequately by private-sector entities.
            (2) An evaluation of the relative cost-effectiveness of the 
        Federal Government and private-sector entities in performing 
        those activities.
            (3) A strategy for enhancing and improving the acquisition 
        and contract management capabilities of the National Oceanic 
        and Atmospheric Administration to assist in the utilization of 
        private sector entities for photogrammetric, remote sensing, 
        and other geospatial reference services related to hydrographic 
        data acquisition or hydrographic services activities performed 
        by the National Ocean Service, including--
                    (A) the transfer and retraining of personnel to 
                become contracting officer technical representatives;
                    (B) education in the use of contracting procedures 
                in accordance with section 303(b)(3) of the 
                Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998, as 
                amended by this Act; and
                    (C) the utilization of training, education, and 
                acquisition and contract management capabilities of 
                other Federal agencies that are expert and experienced 
                in contracting for such services.

SEC. 105. ACQUISITION OF HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY VESSEL.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce may, in accordance with 
this section, acquire, by purchase, lease, lease-purchase, or charter, 
and equip one hydrographic survey vessel.
    (b) Vessel Requirements.--Any vessel acquired and equipped under 
this section must be capable of--
            (1) staying at sea continuously for at least 30 days;
            (2) carrying at least 4 hydrographic survey launches;
            (3) conducting hydrographic surveys; and
            (4) conducting other work necessary to provide mariners 
        with the accurate and timely data needed to conduct safe and 
        efficient maritime commerce.
    (c) Plan.--No later than 6 months after the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the Committee on Resources of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science and 
Transportation of the Senate a detailed plan for implementing this 
section, including--
            (1) a timetable and cost estimates for the acquisition and 
        equipping of the vessel under subsection (a);
            (2) an explanation of what vessel or vessels would be 
        retired when the vessel described in subsection (a) becomes 
        operational; and
            (3) a comparison of the 10-year estimated costs of 
        operation and maintenance of a new vessel versus the 2 vessels 
        proposed for retirement.
    (d) Authorization.--To prepare the plan required under subsection 
(b), there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
Commerce $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.

SEC. 106. KOSS COVE.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law or 
existing policy, the cove described in subsection (b) shall be known 
and designated as ``Koss Cove'', in honor of the late Able Bodied 
Seaman Eric Steiner Koss of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration vessel RAINER who died in the performance of a nautical 
charting mission off the Alaskan coast.
    (b) Cove Described.--The cove referred to in subsection (a) is--
            (1) adjacent to and southeast of Point Elrington, Alaska, 
        and forms a portion of the southern coast of Elrington Island;
            (2) \3/4\ mile across the mouth;
            (3) centered at 59 degrees 56.1 minutes North, 148 degrees 
        14 minutes West; and
            (4) 45 miles of Seaward, Alaska.
    (c) References.--Any reference in any law, regulation, document, 
record, map, or other paper of the United States to the cove described 
in subsection (b) is deemed to be a reference to Koss Cove.

SEC. 107. DEPICTION OF SAME SHORELINES ON CHARTS AND MAPPING PRODUCTS.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of the Act, the 
Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior, in 
consultation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall 
provide to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate a plan to depict the same shorelines on National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration nautical charts and United States Geological 
Survey mapping products.

                    TITLE II--FISHERY SURVEY VESSELS

SEC. 201. FISHERY SURVEY VESSELS.

    Section 302(c) of the Fisheries Survey Vessel Authorization Act of 
2000 (33 U.S.C. 891b note) is amended by striking ``2002 and 2003'' and 
inserting ``2004, 2005, and 2006''.
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