[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2560 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
Union Calendar No. 358
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2560
[Report No. 118-433]
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
April 2, 2024
Additional sponsors: Mr. Garbarino, Mr. Soto, Ms. DelBene, Mrs.
Gonzalez-Colon, Ms. Mace, Mr. Graves of Louisiana, Mr. Magaziner, Mr.
Timmons, Mr. Fry, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Mfume, and Mr. Wilson
of South Carolina
April 2, 2024
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April
10, 2023]
_______________________________________________________________________
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 and
Rehabilitation Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. SEA TURTLE RESCUE ASSISTANCE AND REHABILITATION GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a grant program,
to be known as the ``Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation
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 and Rehabilitation Regions.--The
Secretary shall designate geographic regions of the United States as
stranding and rehabilitation 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 related to marine turtle
health; 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 and rehabilitation regions,
taking into account--
(1) the number of stranding and rehabilitation events that
occurred in each stranding and rehabilitation 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 and
rehabilitation regions and representatives of State governments
and public and private organizations with an established record
in coordination, 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 coordination, rescuing, rehabilitation, scientific
research, and forensic science with respect to stranded and
rehabilitated marine turtles or conducting scientific research
and forensic science on stranded and rehabilitated 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) 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 and Rehabilitation 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 and rehabilitation region.--The term
``stranding and rehabilitation region'' means a geographic
region designated by the Secretary under subsection (b).
Union Calendar No. 358
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2560
[Report No. 118-433]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Sea Turtle Rescue
Assistance Grant Program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
April 2, 2024
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed