To authorize certain hydrographic services programs, to name a cove in Alaska in honor of the late Able Bodied Seaman Eric Steiner Koss, and for other purposes.

Summary: Hydrographic Services Amendments of 2004 - Title I: NOAA Hydrographic Services Improvement - (Sec. 102) Amends the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 (HSIA) to require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (Administrator) to establish, equip, and maintain up to four Regional Navigation Response teams in priority coastal areas to conduct activities related to navigational safety and the validation of hydrographic data.

Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) establish and implement a volunteer program and accept volunteer services; and (2) participate in a joint institute that develops new hydrographic technology and conducts academic, educational, and outreach activities that assist the Administrator. (Sec. 103) Designates as Koss Cove a cove on the southern coast of Elrington Island in Alaska, in honor of the late Able Bodied Seaman Eric Steiner Koss who served on the NOAA vessel RAINIER and died in the performance of a nautical charting mission off the Alaskan coast. (Sec. 104) Requires the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) and the Secretary of the Interior to provide to specified congressional committees a plan to depict the same shorelines on NOAA nautical charts and U.S. Geological Survey mapping products. (Sec. 105) Revises HSIA requirements relating to the Hydrographic Services Advisory Panel and certain duties of the Secretary and the NOAA Administrator. (Sec. 106) Authorizes specified funds under HSIA in each fiscal year for the Great Lakes Water Level Observation Network. Title II: Fishery Survey Vessels - (Sec. 201) Amends the Fisheries Survey Vessel Authorization Act of 2000 to revise and extend for FY 2005 and 2006 the authorization of appropriations for certain fishery survey vessels. (Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary to report to specified committees on the acquisition of a new hydrographic survey vessel having specified capabilities, the retirement of any current vessel(s), and operation and maintenance cost comparisons between the two.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hydrographic Services Amendments of 
2004''.

            TITLE I--NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES IMPROVEMENT

SEC. 101. REFERENCES.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this title an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal 
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to 
be made to a section or other provision of the Hydrographic Services 
Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892 et seq.).

SEC. 102. FUNCTIONS OF ADMINISTRATOR.

    (a) Regional Navigation Response Teams.--Section 303(a) (33 U.S.C. 
892a(a)) is amended by striking paragraphs (7) and (8) and inserting 
the following:
            ``(7) establish, equip, and maintain up to 4 Regional 
        Navigation Response teams in priority coastal areas identified 
        by the Secretary, in consultation with the Commandant of the 
        Coast Guard, to conduct activities related to navigational 
        safety and the validation of hydrographic data;
            ``(8) to the greatest extent practicable and cost-
        effective, fulfill the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (7) 
        through contracts or other agreements with private sector 
        entities; and
            ``(9) participate in the development of, and implement for 
        the United States in cooperation with other appropriate Federal 
        agencies, international standards for hydrographic data and 
        hydrographic services.''.
    (b) Authority To Accept Volunteer Services.--Section 303 (33 U.S.C. 
892a) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Authority To Accept Volunteer Services.--
            ``(1) In general.--To help fulfill the duties of the 
        Administrator, including authorities under the Act of 1947 (33 
        U.S.C. 883a et seq.), this Act, or in response to a maritime 
        emergency, the Administrator may--
                    ``(A) establish a volunteer program; and
                    ``(B) enter into special agreements with qualified 
                organizations to assist in the implementation of a 
                volunteer program.
            ``(2) Legal status of volunteers.--
                    ``(A) Paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 7(c) of 
                the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(c)) 
                shall apply to volunteers who provide services to the 
                Administrator under a volunteer program established 
                under paragraph (1).
                    ``(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), any 
                reference in section 7(c) of the Fish and Wildlife Act 
                of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(c)) to the Secretary of 
                Interior or the Secretary of Commerce is deemed to 
                refer to the Administrator.
            ``(3) Qualified organization.--In this subsection, the term 
        `qualified organization' means a nongovernmental, not-for-
        profit organization, determined by the Administrator to have 
        demonstrated expertise in boating safety and a commitment to 
        improving the quality of hydrographic services and related 
        oceanographic and meteorological information that is made 
        available to mariners.
    ``(e) Participation in Joint Institute.--The Secretary may 
participate in a joint institute that develops new hydrographic 
technology and conducts academic, educational, and outreach activities 
that assist the Administrator in fulfilling the functions of the 
Administrator under this section.''.

SEC. 103. KOSS COVE.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law or 
existing policy, the cove described in subsection (b) shall be known 
and designated as ``Koss Cove'', in honor of the late Able Bodied 
Seaman Eric Steiner Koss of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration vessel RAINIER who died in the performance of a nautical 
charting mission off the Alaskan coast.
    (b) Cove Described.--The cove referred to in subsection (a) is--
            (1) adjacent to and southeast of Point Elrington, Alaska, 
        and forms a portion of the southern coast of Elrington Island;
            (2) \3/4\ mile across the mouth;
            (3) centered at 59 degrees 56.1 minutes North, 148 degrees 
        14 minutes West; and
            (4) 45 miles of Seward, Alaska.
    (c) References.--Any reference in any law, regulation, document, 
record, map, or other paper of the United States to the cove described 
in subsection (b) is deemed to be a reference to Koss Cove.

SEC. 104. DEPICTION OF SAME SHORELINES ON CHARTS AND MAPPING PRODUCTS.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of the Act, the 
Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior, in 
consultation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall 
provide to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate a plan to depict the same shorelines on National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration nautical charts and United States Geological 
Survey mapping products.

SEC. 105. AMENDMENTS TO THE HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES PANEL.

    Section 305 of the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 
(33 U.S.C. 892c) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``Secretary'' and 
        inserting ``Secretary of Commerce''; and
            (2) in subsection (c)(3), subsection (d), and subsection 
        (e), by striking ``Secretary'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``Administrator''.

SEC. 106. GREAT LAKES WATER LEVEL MEASUREMENTS.

    Section 306(5) of the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 
(33 U.S.C. 892d(5)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (E) as 
        clauses (i) through (v), respectively;
            (2) by striking ``(5)'' and inserting ``(5)(A)''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
            ``(B) Of the amounts authorized under subparagraph (A), 
        $2,000,000 in each fiscal year is authorized for the Great 
        Lakes Water Level Observation Network.''.

                    TITLE II--FISHERY SURVEY VESSELS

SEC. 201. FISHERY SURVEY VESSELS.

    Section 302(c) of the Fisheries Survey Vessel Authorization Act of 
2000 (33 U.S.C. 891b note) is amended by striking ``$60,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2002 and 2003'' and inserting ``$51,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2005 and $39,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.

SEC. 202. ACQUISITION OF HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY VESSEL.

    No later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the Committee on Resources of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate--
            (1) a detailed requirements package and cost estimate for 
        the construction and equipping of a hydrographic survey vessel 
        that is capable of--
                    (A) staying at sea continuously for at least 30 
                days;
                    (B) carrying at least 4 hydrographic survey 
                launches;
                    (C) conducting hydrographic surveys; and
                    (D) conducting other work necessary to provide 
                mariners with the accurate and timely data needed to 
                conduct safe and efficient maritime commerce;
            (2) an explanation of what vessel or vessels would be 
        retired if a vessel described in paragraph (1) were to become 
        operational; and
            (3) a comparison of the 10-year estimated costs of 
        operation and maintenance of a new vessel described in 
        paragraph (1) versus such costs for a vessel or vessels 
        proposed for retirement under paragraph (2).

            Passed the House of Representatives March 23, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.

                            By Gerasimos C. Vans,

                                                          Deputy Clerk.