[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1218 Referred in House (RFH)]

  2d Session
                                S. 1218


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 25, 2004

Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committee 
 on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  To provide for Presidential support and coordination of interagency 
     ocean science programs and development and coordination of a 
  comprehensive and integrated United States research and monitoring 
                                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 ``Oceans and Human Health Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The rich biodiversity of marine organisms provides 
        society with an essential biomedical resource, a promising 
        source of novel compounds with therapeutic potential, and a 
        potentially important contribution to the national economy.
            (2) The diversity of ocean life and research on the health 
        of marine organisms, including marine mammals and other 
        sentinel species, helps scientists in their efforts to 
        investigate and understand human physiology and biochemical 
        processes, as well as providing a means for monitoring the 
        health of marine ecosystems.
            (3) The oceans drive climate and weather factors causing 
        severe weather events and shifts in temperature and rainfall 
        patterns that affect the density and distribution of disease-
        causing organisms and the ability of public health systems to 
        address them.
            (4) The oceans act as a route of exposure for human disease 
        and illnesses through ingestion of contaminated seafood and 
        direct contact with seawater containing toxins and disease-
        causing organisms.
            (5) During the past two decades, the incidence of harmful 
        blooms of algae and hypoxia has increased in United States 
        coastal waters, including the Great Lakes, and around the 
        world, contaminating shellfish, causing widespread fish kills, 
        threatening marine environmental quality and resulting in 
        substantial economic losses to coastal communities.
            (6) Existing Federal programs and resources support 
        research in a number of these areas, but gaps in funding, 
        coordination, and outreach have impeded national progress in 
        addressing ocean health issues.
            (7) National investment in a coordinated program of 
        research and monitoring would improve understanding of marine 
        ecosystems, allow prediction and prevention of marine public 
        health problems and assist in realizing the potential of the 
        oceans to contribute to the development of effective new 
        treatments of human diseases and a greater understanding of 
        human biology.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to provide for--
            (1) Presidential support and coordination of interagency 
        ocean science programs; and
            (2) development and coordination of a comprehensive and 
        integrated United States ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 
        research and monitoring program that will assist this Nation 
        and the world to understand, use and respond to the role of the 
        oceans in human health.

SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) Coordination.--The President, through the National Science and 
Technology Council, shall coordinate and support a national research 
program to improve understanding of the role of the oceans in human 
health.
    (b) Implementation Plan.--Within 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the National Science and Technology Council, through the 
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall develop 
and submit to the Congress a plan for coordinated Federal activities 
under the program. Nothing in this subsection is intended to duplicate 
or supersede the activities of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful 
Algal Blooms and Hypoxia established under section 603 of the Harmful 
Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 
1451 note). In developing the plan, the Committee will consult with the 
Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia. Such plan 
will build on and complement the ongoing activities of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science 
Foundation, and other departments and agencies and shall--
            (1) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year 
        it is submitted, the goals and priorities for Federal research 
        which most effectively advance scientific understanding of the 
        connections between the oceans and human health, provide usable 
        information for the prediction of marine-related public health 
        problems and use the biological potential of the oceans for 
        development of new treatments of human diseases and a greater 
        understanding of human biology;
            (2) describe specific activities required to achieve such 
        goals and priorities, including the funding of competitive 
        research grants, ocean and coastal observations, training and 
        support for scientists, and participation in international 
        research efforts;
            (3) identify and address, as appropriate, relevant programs 
        and activities of the Federal agencies and departments that 
        would contribute to the program;
            (4) consider and use, as appropriate, reports and studies 
        conducted by Federal agencies and departments, the National 
        Research Council, the Ocean Research Advisory Panel, the 
        Commission on Ocean Policy and other expert scientific bodies;
            (5) make recommendations for the coordination of program 
        activities with ocean and human health-related activities of 
        other national and international organizations; and
            (6) estimate Federal funding for research activities to be 
        conducted under the program.
    (c) Program Scope.--The program may include the following 
activities related to the role of oceans in human health:
            (1) Interdisciplinary research among the ocean and medical 
        sciences, and coordinated research and activities to improve 
        understanding of processes within the ocean that may affect 
        human health and to explore the potential contribution of 
        marine organisms to medicine and research, including--
                    (A) vector- and water-borne diseases of humans and 
                marine organisms, including marine mammals and fish;
                    (B) harmful algal blooms and hypoxia (through the 
                Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and 
                Hypoxia);
                    (C) marine-derived pharmaceuticals;
                    (D) marine organisms as models for biomedical 
                research and as indicators of marine environmental 
                health;
                    (E) marine environmental microbiology;
                    (F) bioaccumulative and endocrine-disrupting 
                chemical contaminants; and
                    (G) predictive models based on indicators of marine 
                environmental health or public health threats.
            (2) Coordination with the National Ocean Research 
        Leadership Council (10 U.S.C. 7902(a)) to ensure that any 
        integrated ocean and coastal observing system provides 
        information necessary to monitor and reduce marine public 
        health problems including health-related data on biological 
        populations and detection of contaminants in marine waters and 
        seafood.
            (3) Development through partnerships among Federal 
        agencies, States, or academic institutions of new technologies 
        and approaches for detecting and reducing hazards to human 
        health from ocean sources and to strengthen understanding of 
        the value of marine biodiversity to biomedicine, including--
                    (A) genomics and proteomics to develop genetic and 
                immunological detection approaches and predictive tools 
                and to discover new biomedical resources;
                    (B) biomaterials and bioengineering;
                    (C) in situ and remote sensors used to detect, 
                quantify, and predict the presence and spread of 
                contaminants in marine waters and organisms and to 
                identify new genetic resources for biomedical purposes;
                    (D) techniques for supplying marine resources, 
                including chemical synthesis, culturing and 
                aquaculturing marine organisms, new fermentation 
                methods and recombinant techniques; and
                    (E) adaptation of equipment and technologies from 
                human health fields.
            (4) Support for scholars, trainees and education 
        opportunities that encourage an interdisciplinary and 
        international approach to exploring the diversity of life in 
        the oceans.
    (d) Annual Report.--Beginning with the first year occurring more 
than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the National 
Science and Technology Council, through the Director of the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy shall prepare and submit to the President 
and the Congress not later than January 31st of each year an annual 
report on the activities conducted pursuant to this Act during the 
preceding fiscal year, including--
            (1) a summary of the achievements of Federal oceans and 
        human health research, including Federally supported external 
        research, during the preceding fiscal year;
            (2) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the 
        goals and objectives of the plan developed under subsection 
        (b), including identification of trends and emerging trends;
            (3) a copy or summary of the plan and any changes made in 
        the plan;
            (4) a summary of agency budgets for oceans and human health 
        activities for that preceding fiscal year; and
            (5) any recommendations regarding additional action or 
        legislation that may be required to assist in achieving the 
        purposes of this title.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION OCEANS AND 
              HUMAN HEALTH INITIATIVE.

    (a) Establishment.--As part of the interagency program planned and 
coordinated under section 3, the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to 
establish an Oceans and Human Health Initiative to coordinate and 
implement research and activities of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration related to the role of the oceans, the 
coasts, and the Great Lakes in human health. In carrying out this 
section, the Secretary shall consult with other Federal agencies 
conducting integrated oceans and human health research and research in 
related areas, including the National Science Foundation. The Oceans 
and Human Health Initiative is authorized to provide support for--
            (1) centralized program and research coordination;
            (2) an advisory panel;
            (3) one or more National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration national centers of excellence;
            (4) research grants; and
            (5) distinguished scholars and traineeships.
    (b) Advisory Panel.--The Secretary is authorized to establish an 
oceans and human health advisory panel to assist in the development and 
implementation of the Oceans and Human Health Initiative. Membership of 
the advisory group shall provide for balanced representation of 
individuals with multi-disciplinary expertise in the marine and 
biomedical sciences. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 
shall not apply to the oceans and human health advisory panel.
    (c) National Centers.--(1) The Secretary is authorized to identify 
and provide financial support through a competitive process to develop, 
within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for one or 
more centers of excellence that strengthen the capabilities of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out its 
programs and activities related to the oceans' role in human health.
    (2) The centers shall focus on areas related to agency missions, 
including use of marine organisms as indicators for marine 
environmental health, ocean pollutants, marine toxins and pathogens, 
harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, seafood testing, drug discovery, and 
biology and pathobiology of marine mammals, and on disciplines 
including marine genomics, marine environmental microbiology, 
ecological chemistry and conservation medicine.
    (3) In selecting centers for funding, the Secretary will give 
priority to proposals with strong interdisciplinary scientific merit 
that encourage educational opportunities and provide for effective 
partnerships among the Administration, other Federal entities, State, 
academic, medical, and industry participants.
    (d) Extramural Research Grants.--(1) The Secretary is authorized to 
provide grants of financial assistance to the scientific community for 
critical research and projects that explore the relationship between 
the oceans and human health and that complement or strengthen programs 
and activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
related to the ocean's role in human health. Officers and employees of 
Federal agencies may collaborate with, and participate in, such 
research and projects to the extent requested by the grant recipient. 
The Secretary shall consult with the oceans and human health advisory 
panel established under subsection (b) and may work cooperatively with 
other agencies participating in the interagency program under section 3 
to establish joint criteria for such research and projects.
    (2) Grants under this subsection shall be awarded through a 
competitive peer-reviewed, merit-based process that may be conducted 
jointly with other agencies participating in the interagency program 
established in section 3 or under the National Oceanographic 
Partnership Program under section 7901 of title 10, United States Code.
    (e) Distinguished Scholars and Traineeships.--(1) The Secretary is 
authorized to designate and provide financial assistance to support 
distinguished scholars from academic institutions, industry, State 
governments, or other Federal agencies for collaborative work with 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists and 
facilities.
    (2) The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to establish a program 
to provide traineeships, training, and experience to pre-doctoral and 
post-doctoral students and to scientists at the beginning of their 
careers who are interested in the oceans in human health research 
conducted under the NOAA initiative.

SEC. 5. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND OUTREACH.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with 
other appropriate Federal agencies shall design and implement a 
national information and outreach program on potential ocean-related 
human health risks, including health hazards associated with the human 
consumption of seafood. Under such program, the Secretary shall--
            (1) collect information on the incidence and locations of 
        ocean-related health hazards and illnesses;
            (2) disseminate such information to any appropriate Federal 
        or State agency, involved industries, and other interested 
        persons; and
            (3) assess and make recommendations for observing systems 
        to support the program.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) NOAA Oceans and Human Health Initiative.--There are authorized 
to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce to carry out the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Oceans and Human Health 
Initiative established under section 4, $12,000,000 for fiscal year 
2005, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $20,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2007 and 2008. Not less than 50 percent of the amounts 
appropriated to carry out the initiative for each fiscal year shall be 
utilized to support the programs described in subsections (d) and (e) 
of section 4.
    (b) Public Information.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
the Secretary to carry out the public information and outreach program 
established under section 5, $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 
through 2007.

            Passed the Senate March 24, 2004.

            Attest:

                                             EMILY J. REYNOLDS,

                                                             Secretary.