I 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1333 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 1, 2011 Mr. Miller of Florida (for himself and Mr. Southerland) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 A BILL To establish a Gulf Coast Economic Restoration Fund, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Gulf Coast Economic and Tourism Restoration Act.

2.

Gulf Coast Economic Restoration Fund

(a)

Establishment

There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the Gulf Coast Economic Restoration Fund. (b)

Transfers to Fund

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit into the Fund amounts equal to not less than 40 percent of any amounts collected by the United States before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act as penalties, settlements, or fines under sections 309 and 311 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1319, 1321) in relation to the Gulf oil spill. (c)

Authorized Uses

(1)

In general

The Fund shall be available to the Task Force, as provided in appropriations Acts, only for activities related to Gulf coast economic development and tourism promotion. (2)

Grants to States

(A)

In general

The Task Force shall distribute the amounts made available for expenditure from the Fund to the Gulf States to be used in accordance with this subsection. (B)

Allocation among States

The Task Force shall allocate the amounts to be distributed to each Gulf State under this paragraph such that no single Gulf State receives less than 5 percent, nor more than 30 percent, of the available amounts. (C)

Allocation within States

The Governor of each Gulf State shall allocate amounts distributed to the State as follows: (i)Not more than 25 percent of such amounts may be used by the Governor for statewide economic development and tourism promotion activities. (ii)Not less than 75 percent of such amounts shall be distributed to local governments in counties directly affected by the Gulf oil spill for local economic development and tourism promotion activities.

3.

Gulf Coast Economic Restoration Task Force

(a)

Establishment

There is established the Gulf Coast Economic Restoration Task Force. (b)

Membership

The Task Force shall consist of the following members, or in the case of a Federal agency, a designee at the level of Assistant Secretary or the equivalent: (1)The Secretary of the Interior. (2)The Secretary of Commerce. (3)The Secretary of the Army. (4)The Attorney General. (5)The Secretary of Homeland Security. (6)The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. (7)The Commandant of the Coast Guard. (8)The Secretary of Transportation. (9)The Secretary of Agriculture. (10)The Secretary of the Navy. (11)Two representatives of each of the Gulf States, appointed by the Governor of each such State. (12)Two representatives, from within each of the Gulf States, of local governments having jurisdiction over areas directly affected by the Gulf oil spill, appointed by the Governor of each State, respectively. (c)

Duties

The Task Force shall administer the Fund in accordance with section 2.

4.

Report

Not later than 180 days after receiving funds under section 2, the Governor of each Gulf State shall submit to Congress a report describing the use of such funds.

5.

Definitions

In this Act, the following definitions apply: (1)

Fund

The term Fund means the Gulf Coast Economic Restoration Fund established by section 2(a). (2)

Task Force

The term Task Force means the Gulf Coast Economic Restoration Task Force established by section 3(a). (3)

Gulf States

The term Gulf States means the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. (4)

Gulf Oil Spill

The term Gulf oil spill means the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon that began on April 20, 2010.