[House Report 106-251]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



106th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    106-251

======================================================================



 
           FISHERIES SURVEY VESSEL AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1999

                                _______
                                

  July 22, 1999.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______


  Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2181]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 2181) to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to acquire 
and equip fishery survey vessels, having considered the same, 
report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that 
the bill do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 2181 is to authorize the Secretary of 
Commerce to acquire and equip fishery survey vessels.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 
maintains a fleet of 16 oceanographic, fishery research, and 
hydrographic vessels which provide the agency with 3,500 days 
at sea. Most of these vessels are reaching the end of their 
useful life, and NOAA has been studying how to meet its ship-
based data collection needs for over a decade. In 1993, NOAA 
prepared an ambitious 15-year fleet replacement and 
modernization plan as required by Congress. That plan had an 
estimated cost of $1.9 billion. No funds were ever requested to 
implement that plan. Funding realities have led NOAA to 
reconsider the comprehensive nature of the 1993 plan.
    After a comprehensive review of its fishery survey needs, 
the agency determined that it needs long-term access to modern 
fishery survey vessels. Using the same vessels year after year, 
data can be easily compared to show trends in various fish 
populations. NOAA also requires vessels with acoustically quiet 
hulls and hydroacoustic survey capabilities to make the best 
possible estimates of fishery populations. Without accurate 
fishery population data, NOAA is unable to satisfy its fishery 
management responsibilities under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, and various international 
treaties. The Administration included $50 million in its Fiscal 
Year 2000 budget request to construct the first of a new class 
of fishery survey vessels. The Administration intends to 
request funds to equip that vessel and to construct a second 
vessel in its Fiscal Year 2001 budget request.
    The average age of NOAA's existing fishery survey vessels 
is 33 years, and one vessel will be celebrating its 50th year 
of federal service in 2000. Thirty years is generally 
considered the commercially useful life of a vessel. A list of 
NOAA's existing fishery survey vessels follows.


                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 2181 was introduced on June 10, 1999, by Congressmen 
Don Young (R-AK) and Jim Saxton (R-NJ). The bill was referred 
to the Committee on Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans. On 
March 18, 1999, the Subcommittee held a hearing on NOAA's 
Fiscal Year 2000 budget request which included $51.5 million to 
acquire a new fishery survey vessel. The Administration 
testified in support of this request. On June 22, 1999, the 
Subcommittee met to mark up the bill. H.R. 2181 was ordered 
favorably reported, without amendment, to the Full Committee by 
voice vote. On June 30, 1999, the full Resources Committee met 
to consider the bill. No amendments were offered and H.R. 2181 
was then ordered favorably reported to the House of 
Representatives by voice vote.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    The short title of H.R. 2181 is the Fisheries Survey Vessel 
Authorization Act of 1999.

Section 2. Acquisition of fishery survey vessels

    Section 2 authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to purchase, 
lease, lease-purchase, or charter and fully equip with the 
necessary scientific instrumentation, up to six fishery survey 
vessels. Each vessel must meet the hull standard for acoustic 
quietness specified by the International Council for 
Exploration of the Sea, be capable of staying at sea for 30 
continuous days, and be able to conduct fish population studies 
using a variety of techniques, including hydroacoustics. These 
ships must also be capable of providing NOAA's fishery managers 
with the needed data in a timely fashion. This section also 
authorizes $60 million in each fiscal year from 2000 through 
2005 to acquire the fishery survey vessels. These funds are 
sufficient to acquire and equip one ship per year.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Resources' oversight findings and recommendations 
are reflected in the body of this report.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United 
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) 
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
    2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2) 
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this 
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures.
    3. Government Reform Oversight Findings. Under clause 
3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee has received no report of 
oversight findings and recommendations from the Committee on 
Government Reform on this bill.
    4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause 
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act 
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate 
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, July 20, 1999.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2181, the 
Fisheries Survey Vessel Authorization Act of 1999.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 2181--Fisheries Survey Vessel Authorization Act of 1999

    Summary: Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, 
CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2181 would cost the 
Federal Government $235 million over the 2000-2004 period. (An 
additional $125 million would be spent after 2004). The bill 
would not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-
as-you-go procedures would not apply. H.R. 2181 contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs 
on state, local, or tribal governments.
    H.R. 2181 would authorize the Secretary of Commerce to 
acquire, subject to the availability of appropriations, up to 
six vessels for conducting fishery surveys and other 
activities. The Secretary could acquire the vessels by 
purchase, lease, lease-purchase, or charter. For this purpose, 
the bill would authorize the appropriation of $60 million for 
each of fiscal years 2000 through 2005.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of H.R. 2181 is shown in the following table. 
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 
(natural resources and environment). For purposes of this 
estimate, CBO assumes that the entire amounts authorized will 
be appropriated for each year. Outlays are based on historic 
spending patterns for similar acquisitions.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                               -------------------------------------------------
                                                                  2000      2001      2002      2003      2004
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Authorization Level...........................................        60        60        60        60        60
Estimated Outlays.............................................        21        42        54        58        60
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 2181 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on State, local, or 
tribal governments.
    Estimate prepared by: Deborah Reis.
    Estimate approved by: Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    This bill makes no changes in existing law.

                                
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