[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1716 Engrossed in House (EH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1716

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator 
  of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to conduct 
     coastal community vulnerability assessments related to ocean 
                 acidification, 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 ``Coastal Communities Ocean 
Acidification Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. STATE AND UNITED STATES DEFINED.

    Section 12403 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And 
Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3702) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4);
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) State.--The term `State' means each State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United 
        States, and any other territory or possession of the United 
        States.''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) United states.--The term `United States' means the 
        States, collectively.''.

SEC. 3. COASTAL COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 12406 of the Federal Ocean Acidification 
Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3705) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (d); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
    ``(b) Community Vulnerability Assessment.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, through the program 
        established under subsection (a), shall conduct an ocean 
        acidification coastal community vulnerability assessment, and 
        issue a corresponding public report, which shall be updated at 
        least once every 7 years.
            ``(2) Requirements.--The assessment conducted under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) identify the United States coastal 
                communities, including island communities, low-
                population rural communities, and subsistence 
                communities, that are most dependent on coastal and 
                ocean resources that may be impacted by ocean 
                acidification;
                    ``(B) assess the nature of the social and economic 
                vulnerabilities of those communities, including the 
                economic impact on local or regional commercial 
                fisheries and recreational opportunities;
                    ``(C) identify the ocean acidification impacts that 
                might harm those communities, including impacts from 
                changes in ocean and coastal marine resources that are 
                not managed by the Federal Government;
                    ``(D) identify key knowledge gaps where research 
                could be devoted to better understand the possible 
                impacts of ocean acidification on those communities, 
                the risks and threats facing those communities, and 
                possible adaptation strategies for those communities; 
                and
                    ``(E) be conducted in collaboration with experts, 
                indigenous knowledge groups, and stakeholders who are 
                familiar with the unique economic, social, ecological, 
                geographic, and resource concerns of coastal 
                communities in the United States, including 
                representatives of--
                            ``(i) the National Marine Fisheries Service 
                        and the Office for Coastal Management of the 
                        National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration;
                            ``(ii) National Integrated Coastal and 
                        Ocean Observation System regional information 
                        coordination entities established under section 
                        12304(c)(4) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
                        Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 
                        3603(c)(4));
                            ``(iii) regional ocean acidification 
                        networks; and
                            ``(iv) State sea grant programs (as defined 
                        in section 203 of the National Sea Grant 
                        College Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1122)).
    ``(c) Support for State and Local Vulnerability Assessments and 
Strategic Research Planning.--In carrying out the program established 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall collaborate with State, 
local, and tribal government entities that are conducting or have 
completed vulnerability assessments, strategic research planning, or 
other similar activities related to ocean acidification and its impacts 
on coastal communities, for the purpose of--
            ``(1) determining whether such activities can be used as a 
        model for other communities; and
            ``(2) identifying opportunities for the National Oceanic 
        and Atmospheric Administration and other relevant Federal 
        agencies to support such activities.''.
    (b) Ongoing Input Mechanism.--Section 12404(b)(5) of the Federal 
Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 
3703(b)(5)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``including information'' and inserting the 
        following: ``including--
                    ``(A) information'';
            (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
        and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) an ongoing mechanism that allows affected 
                industry members, coastal stakeholders, non-Federal 
                resource managers, community acidification networks, 
                indigenous knowledge groups, and scientific experts not 
                employed by the Federal Government to provide input on 
                research, data, and monitoring that is necessary to 
                support on-the-ground management, decisionmaking, and 
                adaptation related to ocean acidification and its 
                impacts.''.
    (c) Strategic Research Plan.--Section 12405 of the Federal Ocean 
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3704) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (8), by striking ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (B) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) make recommendations for research that should be 
        conducted, including in the social sciences and economics, to 
        address the key knowledge gaps identified in the community 
        vulnerability assessment report conducted under section 
        12406(b).''; and
            (2) in subsection (e), by inserting ``, tribal governments, 
        indigenous knowledge groups,'' after ``industry''.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 12409(a) of the 
Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 
U.S.C. 3708(a)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) NOAA.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out the 
purposes of this subtitle $2.7 million for each of fiscal years 2020 
through 2024.''.
    (e) Report on Support for State and Local Vulnerability Assessments 
and Strategic Research Planning.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall submit to Congress a 
report on the efforts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration to support State, local, and tribal community 
vulnerability assessments, strategic research and planning, and 
monitoring needs, pursuant to section 12406(c) of the Federal Ocean 
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (as added by 
subsection (a) of this section).

            Passed the House of Representatives June 5, 2019.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.
116th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 1716

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator 
  of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to conduct 
     coastal community vulnerability assessments related to ocean 
                 acidification, and for other purposes.