[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 132 (Thursday, August 3, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SAVE OUR SEAS ACT OF 2017
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 181, S. 756.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 756) to reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris
Act to promote international action to reduce marine debris,
and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Sullivan amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, the bill,
as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and the motion
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 773) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To improve the bill)
Beginning on page 3, strike line 3 and all that follows
through page 3, line 23, and insert the following:
``(2) Assistance.--If the Administrator makes a
determination under paragraph (1) that there is a severe
marine debris event, the Administrator is authorized to make
sums available to be used by the affected State or by the
Administrator in cooperation with the affected State--
``(A) to assist in the cleanup and response required by the
severe marine debris event; or
``(B) to conduct such other activity as the Administrator
determines is appropriate in response to the severe marine
debris event.''.
On page 4, beginning on line 24, strike ``Federal funding
for research and development'' and insert ``research and
development, including through the establishment of a prize
competition,''.
The bill (S. 756), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:
S. 756
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 ``Save Our Seas Act of 2017''
or the ``SOS Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM.
Subsection (b) of section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33
U.S.C. 1952(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (5)(C), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(6) work with other Federal agencies to develop outreach
and education strategies to address both land- and sea-based
sources of marine debris; and
``(7) work with the Department of State and other Federal
agencies to promote international action to reduce the
incidence of marine debris.''.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS EVENTS.
Section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952) is
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(d) Assistance for Severe Marine Debris Events.--
``(1) In general.--At the discretion of the Administrator
or at the request of the Governor of an affected State, the
Administrator shall determine whether there is a severe
marine debris event.
``(2) Assistance.--If the Administrator makes a
determination under paragraph (1) that there is a severe
marine debris event, the Administrator is authorized to make
sums available to be used by the affected State or by the
Administrator in cooperation with the affected State--
``(A) to assist in the cleanup and response required by the
severe marine debris event; or
``(B) to conduct such other activity as the Administrator
determines is appropriate in response to the severe marine
debris event.
``(3) Funding.--
``(A) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of an
activity carried out under the authority of this subsection
shall be--
``(i) if the activity is funded wholly by funds made
available by an entity, including the government of a foreign
country, to the Federal Government for the purpose of
responding to a severe marine debris event, 100 percent of
the cost of the activity; or
``(ii) for any activity other than an activity funded as
described in clause (i), 75 percent of the cost of the
activity.
``(B) Limitation on administrative expenses.--In the case
of an activity funded as described in subparagraph (A)(i),
not more than 5 percent of the funds made available for the
activity may be used by the Administrator for administrative
expenses.''.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT TO
RESPOND TO MARINE DEBRIS.
It is the sense of Congress that the President should--
(1) support research and development, including through the
establishment of a prize competition, of bio-based and other
alternatives or environmentally feasible improvements to
materials that reduce municipal solid waste and its
consequences in the ocean;
(2) work with representatives of foreign countries that
contribute the most to the global marine debris problem to
learn about, and find solutions to, the contributions of such
countries to marine debris in the world's oceans;
(3) carry out studies to determine--
(A) the primary means by which solid waste enters the
oceans;
(B) the manner in which waste management infrastructure can
be most effective in preventing debris from reaching the
oceans;
(C) the long-term economic impacts of marine debris on the
national economies of each country set out in paragraph (1)
and on the global economy; and
(D) the economic benefits of decreasing the amount of
marine debris in the oceans;
(4) work with representatives of foreign countries that
contribute the most to the global marine debris problem,
including land-based sources, to conclude one or more new
international agreements that include provisions--
(A) to mitigate the risk of land-based marine debris
contributed by such countries reaching an ocean; and
(B) to increase technical assistance and investment in
waste management infrastructure, if the President determines
appropriate; and
(5) encourage the United States Trade Representative to
consider the impact of marine debris in relevant future trade
agreements.
SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP OF THE INTERAGENCY MARINE DEBRIS
COORDINATING COMMITTEE.
Section 5(b) of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1954(b))
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (7); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
``(5) the Department of State;
``(6) the Department of the Interior; and''.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 9 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1958) is
amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal
year 2018 through 2022--
``(1) to the Administrator for carrying out sections 3, 5,
and 6, $10,000,000, of which no more than 10 percent may be
for administrative costs; and
``(2) to the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast
Guard is operating, for the use of the Commandant of the
Coast Guard in carrying out section 4, $2,000,000, of which
no more than 10 percent may be used for administrative
costs.''.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I wish to take a brief detour and
congratulate my colleague who has been working aggressively as we
worked to address the issue of marine debris. This is something on
which, as members of the Oceans Caucus, we have been working with
Senator Sullivan, Senator Whitehouse, and so many. I want to
acknowledge the good work that has gone into this particular piece of
legislation we have just passed.
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