To reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act.

Summary: Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments of 2012 - Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2015 for, and revises provisions of, the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act.

(Sec. 3) Renames such Act as the Marine Debris Act. Replaces provisions establishing within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Program with provisions establishing the Marine Debris Program to identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove the occurrence and adverse impacts of marine debris on the U.S. economy, the marine environment, and navigation safety.

(Sec. 5) Revises Program components, including by requiring the Administrator of NOAA to provide national and regional coordination to assist states, Indian tribes, and regional organizations in identification, determination of sources, assessment, prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris.

Amends the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 to repeal the plastic pollution public education program.

(Sec. 7) Replaces provisions of the Marine Debris Program concerning interagency coordination with provisions establishing the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee under the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987.

Requires such Committee to submit biennial (currently annual) progress reports.

(Sec. 8) Requires the Administrator to ensure the confidentiality of information submitted into the federal information clearinghouse on marine debris. (Currently, the Administrator is required to take steps to ensure the confidentiality of only such information that is submitted by the fishing industry.)

(Sec. 9) Defines the term "marine debris" as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Marine Debris Act Amendments of 
2012''.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment is expressed as an amendment to a section or other provision, 
the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other 
provision of the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act 
(33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.), as in effect immediately before the enactment 
of this Act.

SEC. 3. SHORT TITLE AMENDMENT.

    Section 1 (33 U.S.C. 1951 note) is amended by striking ``Research, 
Prevention, and Reduction''.

SEC. 4. PURPOSE.

    Section 2 (33 U.S.C. 1951) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    ``The purpose of this Act is to address the adverse impacts of 
marine debris on the United States economy, the marine environment, and 
navigation safety through identification, determination of sources, 
assessment, prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris.''.

SEC. 5. NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM.

    (a) Name of Program.--
            (1) In general.--Section 3 (33 U.S.C. 1952) is amended--
                    (A) in the section heading by striking ``prevention 
                and removal''; and
                    (B) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) by striking ``Prevention and Removal 
                        Program to reduce and prevent'' and inserting 
                        ``Program to identify, determine sources of, 
                        assess, prevent, reduce, and remove'';
                            (ii) by inserting ``the economy of the 
                        United States,'' after ``marine debris on''; 
                        and
                            (iii) by inserting a comma after 
                        ``environment''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Paragraph (7) of section 7 (33 
        U.S.C. 1956) is amended by striking ``Prevention and Removal''.
    (b) Program Components.--Section 3(b) (33 U.S.C. 1952(b)) is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(b) Program Components.--The Administrator, acting through the 
Program and subject to the availability of appropriations, shall--
            ``(1) identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, 
        reduce, and remove marine debris, with a focus on marine debris 
        posing a threat to living marine resources and navigation 
        safety;
            ``(2) provide national and regional coordination to assist 
        States, Indian tribes, and regional organizations in 
        identification, determination of sources, assessment, 
        prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris;
            ``(3) undertake efforts to reduce adverse impacts of lost 
        and discarded fishing gear on living marine resources and 
        navigation safety, including--
                    ``(A) research and development of alternatives to 
                gear posing threats to the marine environment, and 
                methods for marking gear used in specific fisheries to 
                enhance the tracking, recovery, and identification of 
                lost and discarded gear; and
                    ``(B) development of effective nonregulatory 
                measures and incentives to cooperatively reduce the 
                volume of lost and discarded fishing gear and to aid in 
                its recovery; and
            ``(4) undertake outreach and education of the public and 
        other stakeholders on sources of marine debris, threats 
        associated with marine debris, and approaches to identify, 
        determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove 
        marine debris and its adverse impacts on the United States 
        economy, the marine environment, and navigational safety, 
        including outreach and education activities through public-
        private initiatives.''.
    (c) Repeal.--Section 2204 of the Marine Plastic Pollution Research 
and Control Act of 1987 and the item relating to that section in the 
table of contents contained in section 2 of the United States-Japan 
Fishery Agreement Approval Act of 1987 (33 U.S.C. 1915) are repealed.
    (d) Grant Criteria and Guidelines.--Section 3(c) (33 U.S.C. 
1952(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``section 2(1)'' and 
        inserting ``section 2'';
            (2) by repealing paragraph (5); and
            (3) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and (7) as paragraphs 
        (5) and (6).

SEC. 6. REPEAL OF OBSOLETE PROVISIONS.

    Section 4 (33 U.S.C. 1953) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(a) Strategy.--''; and
            (2) by repealing subsections (b) and (c).

SEC. 7. AMENDMENTS TO DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in subsection (b), 
        section 2203 of the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and 
        Control Act of 1987 (33 U.S.C. 1914) is redesignated and moved 
        to replace and appear as section 5 of the Marine Debris 
        Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1954).
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The item relating to section 2203 
        in the table of contents contained in section 2 of the United 
        States-Japan Fishery Agreement Approval Act of 1987 is 
        repealed.
    (b) Biennial Progress Reports.--Section 5(c)(2) (33 U.S.C. 
1954(c)(2)), as in effect immediately before the enactment of this 
Act--
            (1) is redesignated as subsection (e) of section 5, as 
        redesignated and moved by the amendment made by subsection (a) 
        of this section; and
            (2) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``Annual progress reports.--'' and 
                all that follows through ``thereafter'' and inserting 
                ``Biennial Progress Reports.--Bienially'';
                    (B) by inserting ``Natural'' before ``Resources'';
                    (C) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (E) 
                as paragraphs (1) through (5) of such subsection; and
                    (D) by moving such subsection 2 ems to the left.

SEC. 8. CONFIDENTIALITY OF SUBMITTED INFORMATION.

    Section 6(2) (33 U.S.C. 1955(2)) is amended by striking ``by the 
fishing industry''.

SEC. 9. MARINE DEBRIS DEFINITION.

    Section 7 (33 U.S.C. 1956) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (9), and 
        moving such paragraph to appear after paragraph (8); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) Marine debris.--The term `marine debris' means any 
        persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and 
        directly or indirectly, and intentionally or unintentionally, 
        disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the 
        Great Lakes.''.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 9 (33 U.S.C. 1958) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``are'' and inserting ``is'';
            (2) by striking ``2006 through 2010'' and all that follows 
        through ``(1)'' and inserting ``through fiscal year 2015'';
            (3) in paragraph (1), by striking ``$10,000,000'' and 
        inserting ``$4,900,000''; and
            (4) by striking ``; and'' and all that follows through the 
        end of paragraph (2) and inserting a period.

            Passed the House of Representatives August 1, 2012.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.