[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 82 (Thursday, June 10, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6876-S6877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. TORRICELLI (for himself and Mr. Lautenberg):
  S. 1216. A bill to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to 
establish a Marine Mammal Rescue Grant Program, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


                       MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE FUND

  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
to establish the Marine Mammal Rescue Fund. This legislation will amend 
the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 by establishing a grant 
program that Marine Mammal Stranding Centers and Networks can use to 
support the important work they do in responding to marine mammal 
strandings and mortality events.
  Since the enactment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, 47 
facilities nationally have been authorized to handle the rehabilitation 
of stranded marine mammals and over 400 individuals and facilities 
across the country are part of an authorized National Stranding Network 
that responds to strandings and deaths.
  Mr. President, these facilities and individuals provide our country 
with a variety of critical services, including rescue, housing, care, 
rehabilitation, transport, and tracking of marine mammals and sea 
turtles, as well as assistance in investigating mortality events, 
tissue sampling, and removal of carcasses. They also work very closely 
with the National Marine Fisheries Service, a variety of environmental 
groups, and with state and local officials in rescuing, tracking and 
protecting marine mammals and sea turtles on the Endangered Species 
List. Yet they rely primarily on private donations, fundraisers, and 
foundation grants for their operating budgets. They receive no federal 
assistance, and a very few of them get some financial assistance from 
their states.
  As an example, Mr. President, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center 
located in Brigantine in my home state of New Jersey was formed in 
1978. To date, it has responded to over 1,500 calls for stranded 
whales, dolphins, seals and sea turtles that have washed ashore on New 
Jersey's beaches. It has also been called on to assist in strandings as 
far away as Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Yet, their operating 
budget for the past year was just under $300,000, with less than 6 
percent ($17,000) coming from the state. Although the Stranding Center 
in Brigantine has never turned down a request for assistance with a 
stranding, trying to maintain that level of responsiveness and service 
becomes increasingly more difficult each year.
  Virtually all the money raised by the Center, Mr. President, goes to 
pay for the feeding, care, and transportation of rescued marine 
mammals, rehabilitation (including medical care), insurance, day-to-day 
operation of the Center, and staff payroll. Too many times the staff 
are called upon to pay out-of-pocket expenses in travel, subsistence, 
and quarters while responding to strandings or mortality events.
  Mr. President, this should not happen. These people are performing a 
great service to Americans across the country, and they are being asked 
to pay their own way as well. And when responding to mortality events, 
Mr. President, they are performing work that protects public health and 
helps assess the potential danger to human life and to other marine 
mammals.
  I feel very strongly that we should be providing some support to the 
people who are doing this work. To that end, Mr. President, the 
legislation I am introducing would create the Marine Mammal Rescue Fund 
under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It would authorize funding at 
$5,000,000.00, annually, over the next five years, for grants to Marine 
Mammal Stranding Centers and Stranding Network Members authorized by 
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Grants would not exceed 
$100,000.00 per year, and would require a 25 percent non-federal 
funding matching requirement.
  I am proud to offer this legislation on behalf of the Stranding 
Centers across the country, and look forward to working with my 
colleagues to ensure its passage. I ask unanimous consent that the text 
of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1216

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Title IV of the Marine Mammal Protection 
     Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1421a et seq.) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating sections 408 and 409 as sections 409 
     and 410, respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after section 407 the following:

     ``SEC. 408. MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE GRANT PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the 
     Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration.
       ``(2) Chief.--The term `Chief' means the Chief of the 
     Office.
       ``(3) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
     of Commerce.
       ``(4) Stranding center.--The term `stranding center' means 
     a center with respect to which the Secretary has entered into 
     an agreement referred to in section 403 to take marine 
     mammals under section 109(h)(1) in response to a stranding.
       ``(b) Grants.--

[[Page S6877]]

       ``(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
     appropriations, the Secretary, acting through the Chief, 
     shall conduct a grant program to be known as the Marine 
     Mammal Rescue Grant Program, to provide grants to eligible 
     stranding centers and eligible stranding network participants 
     for the recovery or treatment of marine mammals and the 
     collection of health information relating to marine mammals.
       ``(2) Application.--In order to receive a grant under this 
     section, a stranding center or stranding network participant 
     shall submit an application in such form and manner as the 
     Secretary, acting through the Chief, may prescribe.
       ``(3) Eligibility criteria.--The Secretary, acting through 
     the Chief and in consultation with stranding network 
     participants, shall establish criteria for eligibility for 
     participation in the grant program under this section.
       ``(4) Limitation.--The amount of a grant awarded under this 
     section shall not exceed $100,000.
       ``(5) Matching requirement.--The non-Federal share for an 
     activity conducted by a grant recipient under the grant 
     program under this section shall be 25 percent of the cost of 
     that activity.
       ``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Commerce 
     to carry out the grant program under this section, $5,000,000 
     for each of fiscal years 2000 through 2004.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in the first 
     section of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (86 Stat. 
     1027) is amended by striking the items relating to sections 
     408 and 409 and inserting the following:

``Sec. 408. Marine Mammal Rescue Grant Program.
``Sec. 409. Authorization of appropriations.
``Sec. 410. Definitions.''.

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