[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2137 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2137

   To direct the President to treat a harmful algal bloom caused by 
   certain activities of the Federal Government as an emergency for 
   purposes of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                Assistance Act, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 25, 2017

   Mr. Mast introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

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                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the President to treat a harmful algal bloom caused by 
   certain activities of the Federal Government as an emergency for 
   purposes of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                Assistance Act, 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 ``Federal Do No Harm Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS CAUSED BY CORPS 
              OF ENGINEERS WATER TRANSFERS.

    (a) Treatment as Emergency.--Notwithstanding section 501 of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5191), the President shall treat the impacts to State waterways 
and coastal estuaries of a harmful algal bloom conveyed downstream as a 
result of a water transfer carried out by the Corps of Engineers within 
such State as an emergency for purposes of title V of such Act.
    (b) Emergency Assistance.--The President, in consultation with the 
affected State, shall exercise any authority under section 502 or 503 
of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5192, 5193) that the President determines is necessary to 
address an emergency described in subsection (a), including exercising 
debris-removal authority under section 502(a)(5) of such Act to remove 
toxic algal biomass and muck.
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