I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4394 

To reauthorize and amend the National Sea Grant College Program Act, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 25, 2016 

Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself and Mr. GRIJALVA) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and amend the National Sea Grant College 

Program Act, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Opportunities in Coop5 erative Education And New Research Partnerships Act’’ 

6 or the ‘‘OCEAN Research Partnerships Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT REFERENCES. 

8 Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in 

9 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

10 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a provision, the refVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Jan 25, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4394.IH H4394

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1 erence shall be considered to be made to a provision of 

2 the National Sea Grant College Program Act (33 U.S.C. 

3 1121 et seq.). 

4 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF COORDINATION REQUIREMENT. 

5 Section 9 of the National Sea Grant College Program 

6 Amendments of 2002 (33 U.S.C. 857–20) is repealed. 

7 SEC. 4. NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM. 

8 (a) PROGRAM OBJECTIVES.—Section 202(b) (33 

9 U.S.C. 1121(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘for research, 

10 education, extension services, training, technology trans11 fer, and public service’’ after ‘‘assistance’’. 

12 (b) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING TO SEA GRANT PRO13 GRAMS AND PROJECTS.—Section 204(d)(3) (33 U.S.C. 

14 1123(d)(3)) is amended— 

15 (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 

16 by striking ‘‘sea grant colleges and sea grant insti17 tutes’’ and inserting ‘‘sea grant colleges, sea grant 

18 institutes, sea grant programs, and projects,’’; and 

19 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘sea grant 

20 colleges and sea grant institutes’’ and inserting ‘‘sea 

21 grant colleges, sea grant institutes, sea grant pro22 grams, and projects,’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. DEAN JOHN A. KNAUSS MARINE POLICY FELLOW2 SHIPS. 

3 (a) AMENDMENTS.—Section 208(b) (16 U.S.C. 

4 1127(b)) is amended— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary may’’ and in6 serting the following: 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, subject to 

8 the availability of appropriations, shall’’; 

9 (2) by inserting after ‘‘Government.’’ the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(2) PLACEMENT PRIORITIES.—In placing fel12 lows in the legislative branch each year under this 

13 section the Secretary shall give priority to— 

14 ‘‘(A) positions in offices of, or with Mem15 bers on, committees of Congress that have ju16 risdiction over the National Oceanic and Atmos17 pheric Administration; or 

18 ‘‘(B) positions in offices of Members of 

19 Congress that have a demonstrated interest in 

20 ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes resources. 

21 ‘‘(3) DURATION.—’’; and 

22 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(4) DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—During fiscal year 

25 2016 and thereafter, the head of any Federal 

26 agency may, subject to the availability of approVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Jan 25, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4394.IH H4394

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1 priations, appoint, without regard to the provi2 sions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, 

3 United States Code, other than sections 3303 

4 and 3328 of that title, a qualified candidate de5 scribed in subparagraph (B) directly to a posi6 tion with any Federal agency for which the can7 didate meets Office of Personnel Management 

8 qualification standards. 

9 ‘‘(B) DEAN JOHN A. KNAUSS MARINE POL10 ICY FELLOWS.—An individual shall be a quali11 fied candidate described in subparagraph (B) if 

12 the individual is a former recipient of a fellow13 ship under this subsection who— 

14 ‘‘(i) earned a graduate or post15 graduate degree, including a professional 

16 degree, in a field related to ocean, coastal, 

17 or Great Lakes science, resource manage18 ment, law, or policy from an accredited in19 stitution of higher education; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) successfully fulfilled the require21 ments of the fellowship. 

22 ‘‘(C) DEADLINE FOR EXERCISE OF DIRECT

23 APPOINTMENT AUTHORITY.—The head of a 

24 Federal agency may not exercise direct appoint25 ment authority under this paragraph with reVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Jan 25, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4394.IH H4394

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1 spect to a specific qualified candidate after the 

2 end of the 3-year period beginning on the date 

3 the candidate completes fulfillment of the re4 quirements of the candidate’s fellowship under 

5 this subsection.’’. 

6 (b) APPLICATION OF PLACEMENT PRIORITIES.—The 

7 amendment made by subsection (a)(2) of this section shall 

8 apply beginning with respect to the first calendar year be9 ginning after the date of enactment of this Act. 

10 SEC. 6. NATIONAL SEA GRANT ADVISORY BOARD REPORTS. 

11 Section 209(b)(2) (33 U.S.C. 1128(b)(2)) is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘BIENNIAL’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘PERIODIC’’; 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘The Board shall report to the 

16 Congress every two years’’ and inserting ‘‘Not less 

17 frequently than once every 3 years, the Board shall 

18 submit to Congress a report’’; and 

19 (3) by inserting before the last sentence the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES OF DEPART22 MENT OF COMMERCE.—’’. 

23 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

24 Section 212 (33 U.S.C. 1131) is amended— 


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1 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

5 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sub6 chapter— 

7 ‘‘(A) $75,600,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

8 ‘‘(B) $79,380,000 for fiscal year 2017; 

9 ‘‘(C) $83,350,000 for fiscal year 2018; 

10 ‘‘(D) $87,520,000 for fiscal year 2019; 

11 ‘‘(E) $91,900,000 for fiscal year 2020; and 

12 ‘‘(F) $96,500,000 for fiscal year 2021. 

13 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY ACTIVITIES FOR FISCAL YEARS

14 2016 THROUGH 2021.—In addition to the amounts 

15 authorized under paragraph (1), there is authorized 

16 to be appropriated $18,000,000 for each of fiscal 

17 years 2016 through 2021 for competitive grants for 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) University research on the biology, 

20 prevention, and control of aquatic nonnative 

21 species. 

22 ‘‘(B) University research on oyster dis23 eases, oyster restoration, and oyster-related 

24 human health risks. 


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1 ‘‘(C) University research on the biology, 

2 prevention, and forecasting of harmful algal 

3 blooms. 

4 ‘‘(D) University research, education, train5 ing, and extension services and activities fo6 cused on coastal resilience and United States 

7 working waterfronts and other regional or na8 tional priority issues identified in the strategic 

9 plan under section 204(c)(1). 

10 ‘‘(E) University research on sustainable 

11 aquaculture techniques and technologies. 

12 ‘‘(F) Fishery extension activities conducted 

13 by sea grant colleges or sea grant institutes to 

14 enhance, and not supplant, existing core pro15 gram funding.’’; 

16 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol17 lows: 

18 ‘‘(b) LIMITATIONS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATION.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—There may not be 

21 used for administration of programs under this 

22 title in a fiscal year more than 5.5 percent of 

23 the lesser of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the amount authorized to be ap2 propriated under this title for the fiscal 

3 year; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) the amount appropriated under 

5 this title for the fiscal year. 

6 ‘‘(B) CRITICAL STAFFING REQUIRE7 MENTS.— 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall 

9 use the authority under subchapter VI of 

10 chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, 

11 and section 1129 of this title, to meet any 

12 critical staffing requirement while carrying 

13 out the activities authorized in this title. 

14 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION FROM CAP.—For 

15 purposes of subparagraph (A), any costs 

16 incurred as a result of an exercise of au17 thority as described in clause (i) shall not 

18 be considered an amount used for adminis19 tration of programs under this title in a 

20 fiscal year.’’; 

21 (3) by striking subsection (c) and redesignating 

22 subsections (d) and (e) as subsections (c) and (d), 

23 respectively; and 

24 (4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by— 


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1 (A) striking ‘‘The amount’’ and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount’’; and 

4 (B) adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION FOR PRIZE COMPETITION.— 

6 Notwithstanding paragraph (1), funds for an7 nounced prizes otherwise authorized shall remain 

8 available, without fiscal year limitation, until the 

9 prize is claimed or the offer is withdrawn.’’. 

10 SEC. 8. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

11 The National Sea Grant College Program Act (33 

12 U.S.C. 1121 et seq.) is amended— 

13 (1) in section 202(a)(6) (33 U.S.C. 

14 1121(a)(6)), by striking ‘‘management, manage15 ment,’’ and inserting ‘‘management,’’; and 

16 (2) in section 204(d)(3)(B) (33 U.S.C. 

17 1123(d)(3)(B)), by moving clause (vi) two ems to 

18 the right. 

Æ 


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