[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2560 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2560
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Sea Turtle Rescue
Assistance Grant Program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 10, 2023
Mr. Keating introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Sea Turtle Rescue
Assistance Grant Program, 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 ``Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. SEA TURTLE RESCUE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a grant program,
to be known as the ``Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Grant Program'', to
encourage and facilitate coordinated rapid response and rescue by
awarding grants for the purposes described in subsection (c).
(b) Designation of Stranding Regions.--The Secretary shall
designate geographic regions of the United States as stranding regions
for the purposes of carrying out this section.
(c) Purposes.--The purposes of the Program are to provide for--
(1) the recovery, short- or long-term care, transportation,
and treatment of stranded marine turtles;
(2) the release of rescued and recovered marine turtles;
(3) the collection of data and samples from stranded marine
turtles for scientific research or assessments regarding marine
turtle health, including tagging information; and
(4) facility operation costs that are directly related to
activities described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
(d) Equitable Distribution of Funds.--The Secretary shall ensure,
to the extent practicable, that funds awarded under this section are
distributed equitably among stranding regions, taking into account--
(1) the number of stranding events that occurred in each
stranding region in the preceding 5 years; and
(2) the conservation priorities and recovery needs of
species of marine turtles that are threatened or endangered
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.).
(e) Application.--An applicant for a grant under this section shall
submit an application in such form and manner as the Secretary shall
prescribe.
(f) Grant Criteria.--
(1) Development of criteria.--The Secretary shall, in
consultation with the Director of the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service, establish by regulation appropriate criteria
for awarding grants under this section.
(2) Stakeholder engagement.--As part of the process for
developing and finalizing criteria under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall, in consultation with the Director of the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, provide opportunities
for engagement with representatives from stranding regions and
representatives of public and private organizations with an
established record in rescue, rehabilitation, and release, as
well as related scientific research, marine conservation, and
forensic science, with respect to stranded marine turtles.
(3) Required criteria.--The criteria developed under
paragraph (1) shall prioritize applicants with an established
record of rescuing, rehabilitation, scientific research, and
forensic science with respect to stranded marine turtles or
conducting scientific research and forensic science on stranded
marine turtles.
(g) Limitations.--
(1) Maximum amount of grant.--No grant awarded under this
section may exceed $150,000 in any 12-month period.
(2) Matching requirement.--The non-Federal share of the
costs of an activity conducted with a grant awarded under the
Program shall be not less than 50 percent of such costs,
including in-kind services and the use of property.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $5,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029 to remain available until
expended. Not more than 3 percent shall be used for administrative
expenses to carry out this Act.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Marine turtle.--The term ``marine turtle'' means any
member of the family Cheloniidae or Dermochelyidae.
(2) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Sea Turtle
Rescue Assistance Grant Program established under subsection
(a).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce.
(4) Stranding.--The term ``stranding'' means an event in
which--
(A) a marine turtle is dead and is--
(i) on a beach or shore of the United
States; or
(ii) in waters under the jurisdiction of
the United States (including any navigable
waters); or
(B) a marine turtle is alive and is--
(i) on a beach or shore of the United
States and unable to return to the water;
(ii) on a beach or shore of the United
States and in need of medical attention; or
(iii) in waters under the jurisdiction of
the United States (including any navigable
waters), and in need of medical attention or
other necessary intervention to aid its
likelihood of survival.
(5) Stranding region.--The term ``stranding region'' means
a geographic region designated by the Secretary under
subsection (b).
<all>