[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                    HON. F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR.

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 11, 1998

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 
amendment to S. 927, The National Sea Grant College Program 
Reauthorization Act of 1998. I think that it is especially appropriate 
that we bring this bill before the House early in 1998, which has been 
designated by the United Nations as the ``Year of the Ocean.'' I can 
think of no better way to enter into the spirit of this designation 
than by passing the Sea Grant bill before us today.
  Thirty-two years ago, the National Sea Grant College Program was 
established by Congress to improve our understanding of the nation's 
marine environment and to manage marine resources better. Since then, 
ocean and marine science hasn't stood still, and neither should the Sea 
Grant program. This latest reauthorization bill is the fruit of a 
bipartisan effort between the Committee on Science and the Committee on 
Resources to update and reinvigorate the Sea Grant program and to 
improve the accountability of the program to the taxpayers. I believe 
this bill achieves both of these goals, and I urge my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to support it.
  This five-year reauthorization is not much different from the H.R. 
437, which passed the House overwhelmingly last June. It adds and 
modifies various definitions, clarifies the responsibilities of the 
Program Director, and outlines the duties of the Sea Grant institutions 
conducting Sea Grant programs. It also includes merit reviews of grant 
and contract applications, repeals the Sea Grant International Program, 
which has never been funded, and ensures peer review of research 
sponsored by Sea Grant. Moreover, by limiting administrative spending 
to no more than 5 percent of the lesser of the amount authorized or 
appropriated each fiscal year, the bill also will help ensure that the 
taxpayers' money is being spent on research, not red tape.
  In addition to the base authorization for the Sea Grant program, the 
bill includes additional authorizations for competitive, peer-reviewed 
research into the problems of zebra mussels, oyster disease, and 
phiesteria. I don't have to tell you how these organisms have plagued 
many communities throughout America and of the economic losses they 
have caused. This bill will help us get the best scientific minds 
working to improve our understanding of these problems and to find 
solutions.
  The Sea Grant program has contributed greatly to our knowledge of the 
marine environment these past three decades and has earned the support 
of the political and scientific community. I believe the bill the 
Science and Resources Committees have crafted will put the program on a 
sound footing for the future and, just as important, will provide the 
taxpayer with value for money. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Before closing, I would like to commend the gentleman from California 
[Mr. Calvert], Chairman of the Science Committee's Subcommittee on 
Energy and the Environment, and the subcommittee's ranking member, the 
gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer], for their hard work on this 
legislation. I would also like to thank the ranking member of the 
Science Committee, the gentleman from California [Mr. Brown], for his 
support throughout the process.
  I also want to take a moment to thank the gentleman from Alaska, the 
Chairman of the Committee on Resources [Mr. Young], and his colleagues 
on the Committee on Resources, including the gentleman from California 
[Mr. Miller], the ranking member of the committee; the gentleman from 
New Jersey [Mr. Saxton], Chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, 
Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans; and the gentleman from Hawaii [Mr. 
Abercrombie], the subcommittee's ranking member. They can be proud of 
their handiwork.

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