[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1252 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1252
To promote ocean and human health and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 11, 2009
Mr. Rockefeller (for himself, Mr. Inouye, and Ms. Cantwell) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote ocean and human health 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 ``Oceans and Human Health
Reauthorization Act of 2009''.
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) Coordination.--Subsection (a) of section 902 of the Oceans and
Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3101) is amended by striking ``in human
health.'' and inserting ``, coasts, and Great Lakes in human health and
deliver information, products, and services to assist the Nation in
reducing public health risks, including those related to climate
change, and enhancing health benefits from the ocean.''.
(b) Implementation Plan.--Subsection (b) of section 902 of the
Oceans and Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3101) is amended--
(1) by amending the matter preceding paragraph (1) to read
as follows:
``(b) Implementation Plan.--Not later than 5 years after the date
of the enactment of the Oceans and Human Health Reauthorization Act of
2009, an Interagency Oceans and Human Health Task Force or working
group established by the National Science and Technology Council,
through the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy,
shall revise and update the 2007 `Interagency Oceans and Human Health
Research Implementation Plan' and submit to the Congress the updated
Plan. 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 (Public Law 105-383; 16
U.S.C. 1451 note). The updated plan shall--'';
(2) in paragraph (1)--
(A) by inserting ``, surveillance, and
forecasting'' after ``prediction'';
(B) by inserting ``, including problems related to
climate change,'' after ``health problems'';
(C) by inserting ``and chemical'' after
``biological''; and
(D) by inserting ``products for the prevention
and'' after ``new'';
(3) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and participation;''
and all that follows through the end and inserting
``participation in national and international research and
outreach efforts, and outreach to the medical community and the
public;'';
(4) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``, including joint
efforts,'' after ``departments'';
(5) in paragraph (4), by striking ``preventive'' and
inserting ``preventing'';
(6) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``Resources'' after
``the Ocean'';
(7) in paragraph (6), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(8) by amending paragraph (7) to read as follows:
``(7) estimate funding needed for research, surveillance,
education, and outreach activities to be conducted within or
supported by Federal agencies and departments under the
program.''; and
(9) by at the end the following:
``(8) build on, and complement, the research, surveillance,
and outreach activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the National Science Foundation, the National
Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, and other departments and agencies.''.
(c) Program Scope.--Subsection (c) of section 902 of the Oceans and
Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3101) is amended--
(1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
``(1) Interdisciplinary research among the ocean,
atmospheric, and medical sciences, and coordinated research and
activities to improve understanding of processes within the
ocean that may affect human and marine animal health and to
explore the potential contribution of marine organisms to
medicine and research, including--
``(A) vector-, water-, and food-borne diseases of
humans and marine organisms, including marine mammals,
corals, and fish;
``(B) health effects for both humans and marine
animals associated with harmful algal blooms and
hypoxia (in collaboration with the Inter-Agency Task
Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia);
``(C) health effects for humans and marine
organisms associated with climate change impacts in
ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters;
``(D) marine-derived pharmaceuticals and other
natural products;
``(E) marine organisms and habitats as models for
biomedical research and as indicators of human health
and well being and marine environmental health;
``(F) marine environmental microbiology;
``(G) legacy and emerging chemicals of concern,
including bioaccumulative and endocrine-disrupting
chemical contaminants;
``(H) predictive models based on indicators of
marine environmental health or public health threats;
and
``(I) social, economic, and behavioral studies of
relationships between the condition of oceans, coasts,
and Great Lakes and human health and well-being.'';
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) Coordination with any appropriate interagency working
group of the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and
Technology, or its successor body, through the National Science
and Technology Council, to ensure that any integrated ocean and
coastal observing system provides information necessary to
monitor and reduce marine public health problems, including
climate change information, health-related data on biological
populations, and detection of toxins and contaminants in marine
waters and seafood.''; and
(3) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``genomics and
proteomics'' and inserting ``genomics, proteomics,
metabolomics, and other related sciences'';
(B) by amending subparagraph (C) to read as
follows:
``(C) in situ, laboratory, and remote sensors--
``(i) to detect, quantify, and predict the
presence, distribution, concentration,
toxicity, or virulence of infectious microbes,
harmful algae, toxins, and chemical
contaminants in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes
waters, sediments, organisms, and seafood; and
``(ii) to identify new genetic resources
for biomedical purposes;''; and
(C) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``equipment
and technologies'' and inserting ``equipment,
technologies, and methodologies''.
(d) Biennial Report.--Subsection (d) of section 902 of the Oceans
and Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3101) is amended--
(1) in the heading, by striking ``Annual'' and inserting
``Biennial'';
(2) in the material preceding paragraph (1)--
(A) by striking ``24 months after the date of
enactment of this Act'' and inserting ``12 months after
the date of the enactment of the Oceans and Human
Health Reauthorization Act of 2009'';
(B) by striking ``each year an annual'' and
inserting ``alternate years a biennial''; and
(C) by striking ``year,'' and inserting ``years,'';
(3) in paragraph (1), by striking ``year;'' and inserting
``years;'';
(4) in paragraph (4), by striking ``that preceding fiscal
year;'' and inserting ``the preceding two fiscal years;'' and
(5) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``, funding needs,''
after ``action''.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION OCEANS AND
HUMAN HEALTH INITIATIVE.
(a) Establishment.--Subsection (a) of section 903 of the Oceans and
Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3102) is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking the
second sentence, and inserting ``In carrying out this section,
the Secretary shall consult with other Federal agencies and
departments conducting integrated oceans and human health
research and disease surveillance activities and research in
related areas, including the National Science Foundation, the
National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, and other agencies and departments.''; and
(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``external'' after
``an''.
(b) Advisory Panel.--Subsection (b) of section 903 of the Oceans
and Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3102) is amended--
(1) by striking ``is authorized to'' and inserting
``shall''; and
(2) by striking ``sciences.'' and inserting ``sciences,
including public health practitioners.''.
(c) National Centers.--Subsection (c) of section 903 of the Oceans
and Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3102) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``for''; and
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) The centers shall focus on--
``(A) areas related to agency missions, including
use of marine organisms and habitats as indicators for
marine environmental health, impacts of climate change
on ocean health threats, ocean pollutants, marine
toxins and pathogens, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia,
seafood safety and quality, identification of potential
marine products, and biology and pathobiology of marine
mammals, corals, and other marine organisms; and
``(B) supporting disciplines including marine
genomics, marine environmental microbiology, ecological
chemistry, and conservation medicine.''.
(d) Extramural Research Grants.--Subsection (d) of section 903 of
the Oceans and Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3102) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(3) Grants under this subsection shall support research
to improve understanding of processes within the ocean that may
affect human and marine animal health and to explore the
potential contribution of marine organisms to medicine and
research, including--
``(A) vector-, water-, and food-borne diseases of
humans and marine organisms, including marine mammals,
corals, and fish;
``(B) health effects for humans and marine
organisms associated with climate change impacts in
ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters;
``(C) marine-derived pharmaceuticals and other
natural products;
``(D) marine organisms and habitats as models for
biomedical research and as indicators of human health
and well being and marine environmental health;
``(E) marine environmental microbiology;
``(F) legacy and emerging chemicals of concern,
including bioaccumulative and endocrine-disrupting
chemical contaminants;
``(G) predictive models based on indicators of
marine environmental health or public health threats;
``(H) cataloging and interpreting microbes and
understanding microbial functions in ecosystems and
impacts on human and marine health; and
``(I) social, economic, and behavioral studies of
relationships between the condition of oceans, coasts,
and Great Lakes, and human health and well-being.''.
(e) Distinguished Scholars; Cooperative Agreements.--Section 903 of
the Oceans and Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3102) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(f) Distinguished Scholars.--The Secretary of Commerce is
authorized to establish a competitive program to recognize highly
distinguished external scientists in any area of oceans and human
health research and to involve those scientists in collaborative work
with the Oceans and Human Health Initiative of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
``(g) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary of Commerce may
execute and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or cooperative
agreements as may be necessary to carry out this section.''.
SEC. 4. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND OUTREACH.
(a) In General.--Subsection (a) of section 904 of the Oceans and
Human Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3103) is amended by striking ``program,''
and inserting ``and institutions of higher education,''.
(b) Report.--Subsection (b) of section 904 of the Oceans and Human
Health Act (33 U.S.C. 3103) is amended to read as follows:
``(b) Report.--
``(1) Requirement.--The Secretary of Commerce shall submit
to Congress a biennial report reviewing the results of the
research, assessments, and findings developed under the Oceans
and Human Health Initiative of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. Each such report shall--
``(A) describe the projects, products, and programs
funded under the Initiative;
``(B) describe the work of the Advisory Committee
and the manner in which the program is meeting
development and implementation recommendations for the
program; and
``(C) include recommendations for improving or
expanding the program.
``(2) Combined reports.--Each report required by paragraph
(1) may be combined with the National Ocean and Atmospheric
Administration's input to the biennial interagency report
required by section 902(d).''.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Subsection (a) of section 905 of the Oceans and Human Health Act
(33 U.S.C. 3104) is amended--
(1) by striking ``2005 through 2008'' and inserting ``2010
through 2014''; and
(2) by inserting ``, distinguished scholar,'' after
``grant''.
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