II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 46 

To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and to establish 

the United States Coral Reef Task Force, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 26, 2021 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. SCHATZ, Ms. HIRONO, and Mr. SCOTT of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 

and to establish the United States Coral Reef Task 

Force, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—REAUTHORIZATION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 

ACT OF 2000 


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Sec. 101. Reauthorization of Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. 

Sec. 102. Modification to section 204 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403). 

TITLE II—UNITED STATES CORAL REEF TASK FORCE 

Sec. 201. Establishment. 

Sec. 202. Duties. 

Sec. 203. Membership. 

Sec. 204. Responsibilities of Federal agency members. 

Sec. 205. Working groups. 

Sec. 206. Definitions. 

TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CORAL REEF 

AUTHORITIES 

Sec. 301. Coral reef conservation and restoration assistance. 

TITLE IV—SUSAN L. WILLIAMS NATIONAL CORAL REEF 

MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP 

Sec. 401. Short title. 

Sec. 402. Definitions. 

Sec. 403. Establishment of fellowship program. 

Sec. 404. Fellowship awards. 

Sec. 405. Matching requirement. 

1 TITLE I—REAUTHORIZATION OF 

2 CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 

3 ACT OF 2000 

4 SEC. 101. REAUTHORIZATION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVA5 TION ACT OF 2000. 

6 (a) PURPOSES; FEDERAL CORAL REEF MANAGE7 MENT AND RESTORATION ACTIVITIES.—The Coral Reef 

8 Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is 

9 amended by striking sections 202 and 203 and inserting 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 202. PURPOSES. 

12 ‘‘The purposes of this title are— 

13 ‘‘(1) to preserve, sustain, and restore the condi14 tion of United States coral reef ecosystems chalVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:32 Feb 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S46.IS S46

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1 lenged by natural and human-accelerated changes, 

2 including increasing ocean temperatures, ocean 

3 acidification, coral bleaching, coral diseases, water 

4 quality degradation, invasive species, and illegal, un5 reported, and unregulated fishing; 

6 ‘‘(2) to promote the science-based management 

7 and sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems to ben8 efit local communities and the Nation, including 

9 through improved integration and cooperation 

10 among Federal, State, and locally managed jurisdic11 tions with coral reef equities; 

12 ‘‘(3) to develop sound scientific information on 

13 the condition of coral reef ecosystems, continuing 

14 and emerging threats to such ecosystems, and the 

15 efficacy of innovative tools, technologies, and strate16 gies to mitigate stressors and restore such eco17 systems, including evaluation criteria to determine 

18 the effectiveness of management interventions, and 

19 accurate mapping for coral reef restoration; 

20 ‘‘(4) to assist in the preservation of coral reefs 

21 by supporting science-based, consensus-driven State, 

22 Tribal, and community-based coral reef manage23 ment, including conservation and restoration 

24 projects that empower local communities, small busi25 nesses, and nongovernmental organizations; 


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1 ‘‘(5) to provide financial resources, technical as2 sistance, and scientific expertise to supplement and 

3 strengthen State and community-based management 

4 programs and conservation and restoration projects; 

5 ‘‘(6) to establish a formal mechanism for col6 lecting and allocating monetary donations from the 

7 private sector to be used for coral reef conservation 

8 and restoration projects; 

9 ‘‘(7) to support the rapid and effective, science10 based assessment and response to emergencies that 

11 imminently threaten coral reefs, such as coral dis12 ease outbreaks, invasive species, hurricanes, marine 

13 heat waves, coral bleaching, and other natural disas14 ters, vessel groundings or chemical spills, and other 

15 exigent circumstances; and 

16 ‘‘(8) to serve as a model for advancing similar 

17 international efforts to preserve, sustain, and restore 

18 coral reef ecosystems in the jurisdictions of United 

19 States allies and trading partners. 

20 ‘‘SEC. 203. FEDERAL CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT AND RES21 TORATION ACTIVITIES. 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator or the Sec23 retary of the Interior may conduct activities described in 

24 subsection (b) to conserve and restore coral reefs and coral 

25 reef ecosystems that are consistent with— 


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1 ‘‘(1) all applicable laws governing resource 

2 management in Federal and State waters, including 

3 this Act; 

4 ‘‘(2) the national coral reef resilience strategy 

5 in effect under section 204A; 

6 ‘‘(3) coral reef action plans in effect under sec7 tion 205, as applicable; and 

8 ‘‘(4) coral reef emergency plans in effect under 

9 section 209, as applicable. 

10 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—Activities described 

11 in this subsection are activities to conserve, research, mon12 itor, assess, and restore coral reefs and coral reef eco13 systems in waters managed under the jurisdiction of a 

14 Federal agency specified in subsection (c) or in coordina15 tion with a State in waters managed under the jurisdiction 

16 of such State, including— 

17 ‘‘(1) developing, including through the collection 

18 of requisite data, high-quality and digitized maps re19 flecting— 

20 ‘‘(A) current and historical live coral cover 

21 data; 

22 ‘‘(B) coral reef habitat quality data; 

23 ‘‘(C) priority areas for coral reef conserva24 tion to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem 


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1 structure and function that benefit coastal com2 munities and living marine resources; 

3 ‘‘(D) priority areas for coral reef restora4 tion to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem 

5 structure and function to benefit coastal com6 munities and living marine resources; and 

7 ‘‘(E) areas of concern that may require en8 hanced monitoring of coral health and cover; 

9 ‘‘(2) enhancing compliance with Federal laws 

10 that prohibit or regulate— 

11 ‘‘(A) the taking of coral products or spe12 cies associated with coral reefs; or 

13 ‘‘(B) the use and management of coral reef 

14 ecosystems; 

15 ‘‘(3) long-term ecological monitoring of coral 

16 reef ecosystems; 

17 ‘‘(4) implementing species-specific recovery 

18 plans for listed coral species consistent with the En19 dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

20 seq.); 

21 ‘‘(5) restoring degraded coral reef ecosystems; 

22 ‘‘(6) promoting ecologically sound navigation 

23 and anchorages, including mooring buoy systems to 

24 promote enhanced recreational access, near coral 

25 reefs; 


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1 ‘‘(7) monitoring and responding to severe 

2 bleaching or mortality events, disease outbreaks, 

3 invasive species outbreaks, and significant maritime 

4 accidents, including chemical spill cleanup and the 

5 removal of grounded vessels; 

6 ‘‘(8) conducting scientific research that contrib7 utes to the understanding, sustainable use, and long8 term conservation of coral reefs; 

9 ‘‘(9) enhancing public awareness, under10 standing, and appreciation of coral reefs and coral 

11 reef ecosystems; 

12 ‘‘(10) preventing or minimizing the likelihood of 

13 vessel impacts or other physical damage to coral 

14 reefs through navigational aids and expansion of 

15 reef-safe anchorages; and 

16 ‘‘(11) centrally archiving, managing, and dis17 tributing data sets and coral reef ecosystem assess18 ments and publishing such information on publicly 

19 available internet websites of— 

20 ‘‘(A) the Coral Reef Conservation Program 

21 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad22 ministration; and 

23 ‘‘(B) the Task Force. 

24 ‘‘(c) FEDERAL AGENCIES SPECIFIED.—A Federal 

25 agency specified in this subsection is one of the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

2 Administration. 

3 ‘‘(2) The National Park Service. 

4 ‘‘(3) The United States Fish and Wildlife Serv5 ice. 

6 ‘‘(4) The Office of Insular Affairs. 

7 ‘‘(d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability 

9 of appropriations and at the discretion of the Sec10 retary of Commerce, the Administrator may enter 

11 into cooperative agreements with States to fund 

12 coral reef conservation and restoration activities in 

13 waters managed under the jurisdiction of such 

14 States that are consistent with the national coral 

15 reef resilience strategy in effect under section 204A. 

16 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The Administrator may not 

17 provide more than $500,000 in total funding under 

18 paragraph (1) to any one State in any fiscal year.’’. 

19 (b) ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS.—The Coral Reef Con20 servation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended 

21 by striking sections 205 through 210 and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 204A. NATIONAL CORAL REEF RESILIENCE STRAT24 EGY. 

25 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) develop a national coral reef resilience 

2 strategy; and 

3 ‘‘(2) periodically, but not less frequently than 

4 every 15 years, review and revise the strategy. 

5 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by sub6 section (a) shall include the following: 

7 ‘‘(1) A discussion addressing— 

8 ‘‘(A) continuing and emerging threats to 

9 the resilience of United States coral reef eco10 systems; 

11 ‘‘(B) remaining gaps in coral reef eco12 system research, monitoring, and assessment; 

13 ‘‘(C) the status of management coopera14 tion and integration among Federal, State, 

15 Tribal, and locally managed jurisdictions with 

16 coral reef equities; 

17 ‘‘(D) the status of efforts to manage and 

18 disseminate critical information, and enhance 

19 interjurisdictional data sharing, related to re20 search, reports, datasets, and maps; 

21 ‘‘(E) areas of special focus, which may in22 clude— 

23 ‘‘(i) improving natural coral recruit24 ment; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) preventing avoidable losses of 

2 corals and their habitat; 

3 ‘‘(iii) enhancing the resilience of coral 

4 populations; 

5 ‘‘(iv) supporting a resilience-based 

6 management approach; 

7 ‘‘(v) developing, coordinating, and im8 plementing watershed management plans; 

9 ‘‘(vi) building and sustaining water10 shed management capacity at the local 

11 level; 

12 ‘‘(vii) providing data essential for 

13 coral reef fisheries management; 

14 ‘‘(viii) building capacity for coral reef 

15 fisheries management; 

16 ‘‘(ix) increasing understanding of 

17 coral reef ecosystem services; 

18 ‘‘(x) educating the public on the im19 portance of coral reefs, threats and solu20 tions; and 

21 ‘‘(xi) evaluating intervention efficacy; 

22 ‘‘(F) the status of conservation efforts, in23 cluding the use of marine protected areas to 

24 serve as replenishment zones developed con25 sistent with local practices and traditions and 


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1 in cooperation with, and with respect for the 

2 scientific, technical, and management expertise 

3 and responsibilities of, State fish and wildlife 

4 management agencies; and 

5 ‘‘(G) science-based adaptive management 

6 and restoration efforts. 

7 ‘‘(2) A statement of national goals and objec8 tives designed to guide— 

9 ‘‘(A) future Federal coral reef management 

10 and restoration activities authorized under sec11 tion 203; 

12 ‘‘(B) conservation and restoration prior13 ities for grants awarded under section 213; and 

14 ‘‘(C) research priorities for the cooperative 

15 institutes established under section 215(c). 

16 ‘‘(3) General templates for use by covered reef 

17 managers to guide the development of— 

18 ‘‘(A) coral reef action plans under section 

19 205; and 

20 ‘‘(B) coral reef emergency plans under sec21 tion 209. 

22 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing all elements of 

23 the strategy required by subsection (a), the Administrator 

24 shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) consult with the Secretary of the Interior, 

2 the Task Force, covered States, and Tribal organiza3 tions; 

4 ‘‘(2) engage stakeholders, including coral reef 

5 stewardship partnerships, coral reef institutes and 

6 research centers described in section 215(c), and 

7 coral reef conservation grant awardees; and 

8 ‘‘(3) solicit public review and comment regard9 ing scoping and the draft strategy. 

10 ‘‘(d) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS; PUBLICATION.— 

11 The Administrator shall— 

12 ‘‘(1) submit the strategy required by subsection 

13 (a) and any revisions to the strategy to the appro14 priate congressional committees; and 

15 ‘‘(2) publish the strategy and any such revisions 

16 on publicly available internet websites of— 

17 ‘‘(A) the Coral Reef Conservation Program 

18 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad19 ministration; and 

20 ‘‘(B) the Task Force. 

21 ‘‘(e) TRANSITION RULE.—On and after the date of 

22 the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 

23 2021, the 2018 Coral Reef Conservation Program Stra24 tegic Plan of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad25 ministration shall be considered to be the national coral 


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1 reef resilience strategy in effect under this section until 

2 the earlier of— 

3 ‘‘(1) September 30, 2033; or 

4 ‘‘(2) the date on which the Administrator devel5 ops a national coral reef resilience strategy under 

6 this section. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 205. CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS. 

8 ‘‘(a) CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS.—Except as pro9 vided in subsection (h), not later than 3 years after the 

10 date of the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act 

11 of 2021, and not later than 2 years after the publication 

12 of a revised national coral reef resilience strategy under 

13 section 204A, each covered reef manager shall prepare and 

14 submit to the Task Force a coral reef action plan to guide 

15 management and restoration activities to be undertaken 

16 within the responsibilities and jurisdiction of the manager. 

17 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A covered reef manager pre18 paring a coral reef action plan under subsection (a) 

19 shall— 

20 ‘‘(1) ensure that the plan is consistent with all 

21 elements of the national coral reef resilience strategy 

22 in effect; and 

23 ‘‘(2) revise the plan not less frequently than 

24 once every 5 years. 


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1 ‘‘(c) PLAN ELEMENTS.—A coral reef action plan 

2 under subsection (a) shall include a discussion of the fol3 lowing elements: 

4 ‘‘(1) Short- and mid-term coral reef conserva5 tion and restoration objectives within the applicable 

6 jurisdiction. 

7 ‘‘(2) An updated adaptive management frame8 work to inform research, monitoring, and assessment 

9 needs. 

10 ‘‘(3) The status of any coral reef emergency 

11 plans in effect under section 209 covering coral reef 

12 ecosystems within the applicable jurisdiction. 

13 ‘‘(4) Tools, strategies, and partnerships nec14 essary to identify, monitor, and redress pollution 

15 and water quality impacts to coral reef ecosystems 

16 within the applicable jurisdiction. 

17 ‘‘(5) The status of efforts to improve coral reef 

18 ecosystem management cooperation and integration 

19 among neighboring Federal, State, Tribal, or locally 

20 managed jurisdictions, including the identification of 

21 existing research and monitoring activities that can 

22 be leveraged for coral reef status and trends assess23 ments within the applicable jurisdiction. 

24 ‘‘(6) An accounting of annual expenditures on 

25 coral reef management and restoration activities 


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1 within the applicable jurisdiction while the preceding 

2 action plan, if any, was in effect. 

3 ‘‘(7) Estimated budgetary and resource consid4 erations necessary to carry out the proposed action 

5 plan. 

6 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator 

7 and the Task Force shall make all reasonable efforts to 

8 provide technical assistance upon request by a covered reef 

9 manager developing a coral reef action plan under sub10 section (a). 

11 ‘‘(e) ADOPTION OF CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS.— 

12 A covered reef manager may adopt a coral reef action plan 

13 developed by another covered reef manager, in full or in 

14 part, as relevant to the adopting manager’s applicable ju15 risdiction. 

16 ‘‘(f) PUBLIC REVIEW.—The development of a coral 

17 reef action plan by a covered reef manager under sub18 section (a), and the adoption of a plan under subsection 

19 (e), shall be subject to public review and comment. 

20 ‘‘(g) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator shall publish 

21 each coral reef action plan prepared and submitted to the 

22 Task Force under this section on publicly available inter23 net websites of— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the Coral Reef Conservation Program of 

2 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra3 tion; and 

4 ‘‘(2) the Task Force. 

5 ‘‘(h) APPLICABILITY TO COVERED STATES AND

6 CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS.—A covered 

7 State or non-Federal coral reef stewardship partnership 

8 is not required to develop a coral reef action plan under 

9 subsection (a), but may do so in its own discretion. In 

10 developing a coral reef action plan, a covered State or non11 Federal coral reef stewardship partnership is encouraged, 

12 but not mandated, to comply with the requirements of this 

13 section. 

14 ‘‘(i) PLAN IN EFFECT.—A coral reef action plan shall 

15 be deemed to be in effect if the plan was submitted to 

16 the Task Force under this section during the preceding 

17 6 years. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 206. CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS. 

19 ‘‘(a) CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS.— 

20 The Administrator shall establish standards for the forma21 tion of partnerships among government and community 

22 members for the stewardship of coral reefs (in this title 

23 referred to as ‘coral reef stewardship partnerships’) in ac24 cordance with this section, including guidance for preparaVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:32 Feb 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S46.IS S46

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1 tion and submission of coral reef action plans under sec2 tion 205. 

3 ‘‘(b) IDENTIFICATION OF REEFS.—Each coral reef 

4 stewardship partnership shall identify with particularity 

5 the coral reef or ecologically significant component of a 

6 coral reef that will be the subject of its stewardship activi7 ties. 

8 ‘‘(c) MEMBERSHIP FOR FEDERAL REEFS.—A coral 

9 reef stewardship partnership that has identified, as the 

10 subject of its stewardship activities, a coral reef or eco11 logically significant component of a coral reef that is fully 

12 or partially under the management jurisdiction of any 

13 Federal agency specified in section 203(c) shall, at a min14 imum, include the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) That Federal agency, a representative of 

16 which shall serve as chair of the coral reef steward17 ship partnership. 

18 ‘‘(2) A State, county, or Tribal organization’s 

19 resource management agency. 

20 ‘‘(3) A coral reef research center described in 

21 section 215(c)(4) or another institution of higher 

22 education. 

23 ‘‘(4) A nongovernmental organization. 


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1 ‘‘(5) Such other members as the partnership 

2 considers appropriate, such as interested stakeholder 

3 groups. 

4 ‘‘(d) MEMBERSHIP FOR NON-FEDERAL REEFS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A coral reef stewardship 

6 partnership that has identified, as the subject of its 

7 stewardship activities, a coral reef or ecologically sig8 nificant component of a coral reef that is not under 

9 the management jurisdiction of any Federal agency 

10 specified in section 203(c) shall, at a minimum, in11 clude the following: 

12 ‘‘(A) A State, county, or Tribal organiza13 tion’s resource management agency, a rep14 resentative of which shall serve as the chair of 

15 the coral reef stewardship partnership. 

16 ‘‘(B) A coral reef research center described 

17 in section 215(c)(4) or another institution of 

18 higher education. 

19 ‘‘(C) A nongovernmental organization. 

20 ‘‘(D) Such other members as the partner21 ship considers appropriate, such as interested 

22 stakeholder groups. 

23 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara25 graph (B), a coral reef stewardship partnership 


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1 described in paragraph (1) may also include 

2 representatives of one or more Federal agencies 

3 that have management responsibility in the reef 

4 that is the subject of the partnership’s steward5 ship activities. 

6 ‘‘(B) REQUESTS; APPROVAL.—A represent7 ative of a Federal agency described in subpara8 graph (A) may become a member of a coral reef 

9 stewardship partnership described in paragraph 

10 (1) if— 

11 ‘‘(i) the representative submits a re12 quest to become a member to the chair of 

13 the partnership referred to in paragraph 

14 (1)(A); and 

15 ‘‘(ii) the chair consents to the request. 

16 ‘‘(e) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY

17 COMMITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act 

18 (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to coral reef stewardship 

19 partnerships. 

20 ‘‘SEC. 207. STATE BLOCK GRANTS. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall provide 

22 block grants of financial assistance to covered States to 

23 support management and restoration activities and fur24 ther the implementation of coral reef action plans in effect 


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1 under section 205 by covered States and non-Federal coral 

2 reef stewardship partnerships. 

3 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY FOR ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS.—A 

4 covered State shall qualify for and receive additional grant 

5 amounts beyond the base award specified in subsection 

6 (c)(1) if there is at least one coral reef action plan in effect 

7 within the jurisdiction of the covered State developed by 

8 that covered State or a non-Federal coral reef stewardship 

9 partnership. 

10 ‘‘(c) FUNDING FORMULA.—Subject to the availability 

11 of appropriations, the amount of each block grant awarded 

12 to a covered State under this section shall be the sum of— 

13 ‘‘(1) a base award of $100,000; and 

14 ‘‘(2) if the State is eligible under subsection 

15 (b)— 

16 ‘‘(A) an amount that is equal to non-Fed17 eral expenditures of up to $3,000,000 on coral 

18 reef management and restoration activities 

19 within the jurisdiction of the State, as reported 

20 within the previous fiscal year; and 

21 ‘‘(B) an additional amount, from any 

22 funds appropriated for block grants under this 

23 section that remain after distribution under 

24 subparagraph (A) and paragraph (1), based on 

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1 Federal expenditures on coral reef management 

2 and restoration activities, as reported within the 

3 previous fiscal year, in excess of $3,000,000, 

4 relative to other covered States. 

5 ‘‘(d) EXCLUSIONS.—For the purposes of calculating 

6 block grant amounts under subsection (c), Federal funds 

7 provided to a covered State or non-Federal coral reef stew8 ardship partnership shall not be considered as qualifying 

9 non-Federal expenditures, but non-Federal matching 

10 funds used to leverage Federal awards may be considered 

11 as qualifying non-Federal expenditures. 

12 ‘‘(e) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.— 

13 The Administrator is responsible for— 

14 ‘‘(1) providing guidance on qualifying non-Fed15 eral expenditures and the proper documentation of 

16 such expenditures; 

17 ‘‘(2) issuing annual solicitations to covered 

18 States for additional awards under this section; and 

19 ‘‘(3) determining the appropriate allocation of 

20 additional amounts among covered States in accord21 ance with this section. 

22 ‘‘(f) RESPONSIBILITIES OF COVERED STATES.—Each 

23 covered State is responsible for documenting non-Federal 

24 expenditures within the jurisdiction of the State and for25 mally reporting those expenditures for review in response 


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1 to annual solicitations by the Administrator under sub2 section (e). 

3 ‘‘(g) UNEXPENDED AMOUNTS.—Any amounts avail4 able for block grants under this section that are not ex5 pended shall be transferred to the Coral Reef Stewardship 

6 Fund under section 208(b). 

7 ‘‘(h) WAIVERS OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.—The 

8 Administrator may waive the eligibility requirements 

9 under subsection (b) through fiscal year 2023. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 208. CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP FUND. 

11 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS.— 

12 The Administrator may enter into an agreement with the 

13 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (in this section re14 ferred to as the ‘Foundation’), authorizing the Foundation 

15 to receive, hold, and administer funds received under this 

16 section. 

17 ‘‘(b) FUND.—The Foundation shall invest, reinvest, 

18 and otherwise administer the funds received under this 

19 section and maintain such funds and any interest or reve20 nues earned in a separate interest-bearing account, to be 

21 known as the ‘Coral Reef Stewardship Fund’ (in this sec22 tion referred to as the ‘Fund’, and known before the date 

23 of the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 

24 2021 as the Coral Reef Conservation Fund administered 

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1 tion), established by the Foundation solely to support 

2 coral reef stewardship partnership activities that— 

3 ‘‘(1) further the purposes of this title; and 

4 ‘‘(2) are consistent with— 

5 ‘‘(A) the national coral reef resilience 

6 strategy in effect under section 204A; and 

7 ‘‘(B) coral reef action plans in effect, if 

8 any, under section 205 covering a coral reef or 

9 ecologically significant component of a coral 

10 reef to be impacted by such activities, if appli11 cable. 

12 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION TO SOLICIT DONATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to an agreement 

14 entered into under subsection (a), the Foundation 

15 may accept, receive, solicit, hold, administer, and use 

16 any gift (including, notwithstanding section 1342 of 

17 title 31, United States Code, donations of services) 

18 to further the purposes of this title. 

19 ‘‘(2) DEPOSITS IN FUND.—Notwithstanding 

20 section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, any 

21 funds received as a gift shall be deposited and main22 tained in the Fund. 

23 ‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—Not later than 

24 30 days after funds are deposited in the Fund under 

25 paragraph (2), the Foundation shall notify the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:32 Feb 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S46.IS S46

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1 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate and the 

2 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep3 resentatives of the source and amount of such funds. 

4 ‘‘(d) REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE.—The Adminis5 trator shall conduct a continuing review of all deposits 

6 into, and disbursements from, the Fund. Each review shall 

7 include a written assessment concerning the extent to 

8 which the Foundation has implemented the goals and re9 quirements of— 

10 ‘‘(1) this section; and 

11 ‘‘(2) the national coral reef resilience strategy 

12 in effect under section 204A. 

13 ‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATION.—Under an agreement en14 tered into pursuant to subsection (a), and subject to the 

15 availability of appropriations, the Administrator may 

16 transfer funds appropriated to carry out this title to the 

17 Foundation. Amounts received by the Foundation under 

18 this subsection may be used for matching, in whole or in 

19 part, contributions (whether in money, services, or prop20 erty) made to the Foundation by private persons, State 

21 or local government agencies, or Tribal organizations. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 209. CORAL REEF EMERGENCY PLANS. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A covered reef manager may de24 velop and periodically update a plan (in this title referred 

25 to as a ‘coral reef emergency plan’) consistent with the 


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1 template described in section 204A(b)(3) to guide the 

2 rapid and effective response to circumstances that pose 

3 an urgent and immediate threat to the coral reef eco4 systems within the manager’s responsibilities and jurisdic5 tions, and consistent with any applicable coral reef action 

6 plan. 

7 ‘‘(b) CORAL REEF EMERGENCIES.—The Adminis8 trator shall develop a list of, and criteria for, cir9 cumstances that pose an urgent and immediate threat to 

10 coral reefs (in this title referred to as ‘coral reef emer11 gencies’), including— 

12 ‘‘(1) new and ongoing outbreaks of disease; 

13 ‘‘(2) new and ongoing outbreaks of invasive or 

14 nuisance species; 

15 ‘‘(3) new and ongoing coral bleaching events; 

16 ‘‘(4) natural disasters; 

17 ‘‘(5) man-made disasters, including vessel 

18 groundings, hazardous spills, or coastal construction 

19 accidents; and 

20 ‘‘(6) other exigent circumstances. 

21 ‘‘(c) BEST RESPONSE PRACTICES.—The Adminis22 trator shall develop guidance on best practices to respond 

23 to coral reef emergencies that can be adopted within coral 

24 reef emergency plans. Such best practices shall be— 


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1 ‘‘(1) based on the best available science and in2 tegrated with evolving innovative technologies; and 

3 ‘‘(2) revised not less frequently than once every 

4 5 years. 

5 ‘‘(d) PLAN ELEMENTS.—A coral reef emergency plan 

6 shall include the following elements: 

7 ‘‘(1) A description of particular threats, and the 

8 proposed responses, consistent with the best prac9 tices developed under subsection (d). 

10 ‘‘(2) A delineation of roles and responsibilities 

11 for executing the plan. 

12 ‘‘(3) Evidence of engagement with interested 

13 stakeholder groups, as applicable, in the develop14 ment of the plan. 

15 ‘‘(4) Any other information the Administrator 

16 considers to be necessary for the plan. 

17 ‘‘(e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator 

18 and the Task Force shall make all reasonable efforts to 

19 provide technical assistance upon request by a covered reef 

20 manager developing a coral reef emergency plan under 

21 subsection (a). 

22 ‘‘(f) ADOPTION OF CORAL REEF EMERGENCY

23 PLANS.—A covered reef manager may adopt a coral reef 

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1 ager, in full or in part, as relevant to the adopting man2 ager’s applicable jurisdiction. 

3 ‘‘(g) PUBLIC REVIEW.—The development of a coral 

4 reef action plan by a covered reef manager under sub5 section (a), and the adoption of a plan under subsection 

6 (f), shall be subject to public review and comment. 

7 ‘‘(h) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator shall publish 

8 each coral reef emergency plan prepared and submitted 

9 to the Task Force under this section on publicly available 

10 internet websites of— 

11 ‘‘(1) the Coral Reef Conservation Program of 

12 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra13 tion; and 

14 ‘‘(2) the Task Force. 

15 ‘‘(i) PLAN IN EFFECT.—A coral reef emergency plan 

16 shall be deemed to be in effect if the plan was submitted 

17 to the Task Force under this section during the preceding 

18 6 years. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 210. CORAL REEF EMERGENCY FUND. 

20 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—There is estab21 lished in the Treasury an interest-bearing fund to be 

22 known as the ‘Coral Reef Emergency Fund’, which shall 

23 consist of amounts deposited into the Fund under sub24 section (c). 

25 ‘‘(b) USES.—Amounts in the Fund— 


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1 ‘‘(1) shall be available only for use by the Sec2 retary to compensate covered coral reef mangers to 

3 implement a coral reef emergency plan in effect 

4 under sections 210 and 212; and 

5 ‘‘(2) shall remain available until expended. 

6 ‘‘(c) DEPOSITS INTO THE FUND.—Subject to the 

7 availability of appropriations, there shall be deposited into 

8 the Fund— 

9 ‘‘(1) amounts appropriated for the Fund; and 

10 ‘‘(2) other amounts appropriated to the Sec11 retary for use with respect to coral reef emergencies. 

12 ‘‘(d) ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of carrying 

14 out this title, the Secretary may accept, receive, so15 licit, hold, administer, and use any gift (including, 

16 notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United 

17 States Code, donations of services). 

18 ‘‘(2) DEPOSITS IN FUND.—Notwithstanding 

19 section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, any 

20 funds received as a gift shall be deposited and main21 tained in the Fund. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 211. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. 

23 ‘‘(a) CORAL REEF EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) SUA SPONTE DECLARATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

2 determine and declare a coral reef emergency, 

3 including at the recommendation of the Sec4 retary of the Interior. 

5 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In declaring a 

6 coral reef emergency under subparagraph (A), 

7 the Secretary shall— 

8 ‘‘(i) certify that an emergency has oc9 curred that is ecologically significant and 

10 harmful to coral reefs; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) submit to the appropriate con12 gressional committees findings and anal13 ysis to justify the declaration. 

14 ‘‘(2) PETITIONS.—If a covered State or non15 Federal coral reef stewardship partnership believes 

16 that a coral reef emergency has occurred, and is im17 pacting coral reefs or ecologically significant compo18 nents of coral reefs subject to the responsibilities or 

19 jurisdiction of the State or partnership, the State or 

20 partnership may petition the Secretary for a declara21 tion of a coral reef emergency. 

22 ‘‘(3) EVALUATION AND ACTION.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 

24 days after receiving a petition under paragraph 


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1 (2) (except as provided in subparagraph (B)), 

2 the Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(i) evaluate the petition to determine 

4 whether a coral reef emergency has oc5 curred; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) declare a coral reef emergency or 

7 deny the petition. 

8 ‘‘(B) EXTENSION.—The Secretary may ex9 tend the deadline provided for under subpara10 graph (A) by not more than 15 days. 

11 ‘‘(4) APPEAL.—If the Secretary denies a peti12 tion for an emergency declaration submitted under 

13 paragraph (2), the State or partnership that sub14 mitted the petition may, not later than 15 days after 

15 receiving notice of the denial, appeal the denial to 

16 the Secretary. Not later than 15 days after receiving 

17 an appeal under this paragraph, the Secretary shall 

18 grant or deny the appeal. 

19 ‘‘(5) REVOCATION.—The Secretary may revoke 

20 any declaration of a coral reef emergency in whole 

21 or in part after determining that circumstances no 

22 longer require an emergency response. 

23 ‘‘(6) RECOVERY OF EMERGENCY FUNDING.— 

24 The Administrator may seek compensation from 

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1 pended in excess of $500,000 under this section as 

2 a result of an emergency declaration arising from di3 rect impacts to coral reefs from man-made disasters 

4 or accidents. 

5 ‘‘(b) GRANT AUTHORITY.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability 

7 of appropriations, upon the declaration of a coral 

8 reef emergency under subsection (a), the Secretary 

9 shall provide grants to carry out proposals that meet 

10 the requirements of paragraph (2) to implement 

11 coral reef emergency plans in effect under section 

12 209. 

13 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A proposal for a grant 

14 under this subsection to implement a coral reef 

15 emergency plan in effect under section 209 shall in16 clude— 

17 ‘‘(A) the name of the entity submitting the 

18 proposal; 

19 ‘‘(B) a copy of the coral reef emergency 

20 plan; 

21 ‘‘(C) a description of the qualifications of 

22 the individuals and entities who will implement 

23 the plan; 


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1 ‘‘(D) an estimate of the funds and time re2 quired to complete the implementation of the 

3 plan; and 

4 ‘‘(E) any other information the Secretary 

5 considers to be necessary for evaluating the eli6 gibility of the proposal for a grant under this 

7 subsection. 

8 ‘‘(3) REVIEW.—Not later than 30 days after re9 ceiving a proposal for a grant under this subsection, 

10 the Secretary shall review the proposal and deter11 mine if the proposal meets the requirements of para12 graph (2). 

13 ‘‘(4) CONCURRENT REVIEW.—An entity seeking 

14 a grant under this subsection may submit a proposal 

15 under paragraph (2) to the Secretary at any time 

16 following the submission of a petition for an emer17 gency declaration under subsection (a)(2) that is ap18 plicable to coral reefs or ecologically significant com19 ponents of coral reefs subject to the responsibilities 

20 or jurisdiction of the entity. 

21 ‘‘SEC. 212. VESSEL GROUNDING INVENTORY. 

22 ‘‘The Administrator, in coordination with the heads 

23 of other Federal agencies, shall establish and maintain an 

24 inventory of all vessel grounding incidents involving 

25 United States coral reefs, including a description of— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the impacts of each such incident to coral 

2 reefs and related natural resources; 

3 ‘‘(2) vessel and ownership information relating 

4 to each such incident, if available; 

5 ‘‘(3) the estimated cost of removal of the vessel, 

6 mitigation, or restoration relating to each such inci7 dent; 

8 ‘‘(4) the response actions taken by the owner of 

9 the vessel, the Administrator, the Commandant of 

10 the Coast Guard, or representatives of other Federal 

11 or State agencies; 

12 ‘‘(5) the status of the response actions, includ13 ing the dates of— 

14 ‘‘(A) vessel removal; 

15 ‘‘(B) mitigation or restoration activities, 

16 including whether a coral reef emergency plan 

17 was implemented; and 

18 ‘‘(C) any actions taken to prevent future 

19 grounding incidents; and 

20 ‘‘(6) recommendations for additional naviga21 tional aids or other mechanisms for preventing fu22 ture grounding incidents. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 213. RUTH D. GATES CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 

2 GRANT PROGRAM. 

3 ‘‘(a) GRANTS.—Subject to the availability of appro4 priations, the Administrator shall establish a program (to 

5 be known as the ‘Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation 

6 Grant Program’) to provide grants for projects for the 

7 conservation and restoration of coral reef ecosystems (in 

8 this section referred to as ‘coral reef projects’) pursuant 

9 to proposals approved by the Administrator in accordance 

10 with this section. 

11 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity described in 

13 paragraph (2) may submit to the Administrator a 

14 proposal for a coral reef project. 

15 ‘‘(2) ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—An entity de16 scribed in this paragraph is— 

17 ‘‘(A) a natural resource management au18 thority of a State or local government or Tribal 

19 organization— 

20 ‘‘(i) with responsibility for coral reef 

21 management; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) the activities of which directly or 

23 indirectly affect coral reefs or coral reef 

24 ecosystems; 

25 ‘‘(B) a regional fishery management coun26 cil established under the Magnuson-Stevens 


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1 Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 

2 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); 

3 ‘‘(C) a coral reef stewardship partnership 

4 seeking to implement a coral reef action plan in 

5 effect under section 205; 

6 ‘‘(D) a coral reef research center des7 ignated under section 215(c)(4); or 

8 ‘‘(E) another nongovernmental organiza9 tion or research institution with demonstrated 

10 expertise in the conservation or restoration of 

11 coral reefs in practice or through significant 

12 contributions to the body of existing scientific 

13 research on coral reefs. 

14 ‘‘(c) PROJECT PROPOSALS.—Each proposal for a 

15 grant under this section for a coral reef project shall in16 clude the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) The name of the individual or entity re18 sponsible for conducting the project. 

19 ‘‘(2) A description of the qualifications of the 

20 individual or entity. 

21 ‘‘(3) A succinct statement of the purposes of 

22 the project. 

23 ‘‘(4) An estimate of the funds and time re24 quired to complete the project. 


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1 ‘‘(5) Evidence of support for the project by ap2 propriate representatives of States or other govern3 ment jurisdictions in which the project will be con4 ducted. 

5 ‘‘(6) Information regarding the source and 

6 amount of matching funding available to the appli7 cant. 

8 ‘‘(7) A description of how the project meets one 

9 or more of the criteria under subsection (e)(2). 

10 ‘‘(8) In the case of a proposal submitted by a 

11 coral reef stewardship partnership, a description of 

12 how the project aligns with the applicable coral reef 

13 action plan in effect under section 205. 

14 ‘‘(9) Any other information the Administrator 

15 considers to be necessary for evaluating the eligi16 bility of the project for a grant under this sub17 section. 

18 ‘‘(d) PROJECT REVIEW AND APPROVAL.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall re20 view each coral reef project proposal submitted 

21 under this section to determine if the project meets 

22 the criteria set forth in subsection (e). 

23 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIZATION OF CONSERVATION

24 PROJECTS.—The Administrator shall prioritize the 

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1 teria for approval under subparagraphs (A) through 

2 (G) of subsection (e)(2) that are proposed to be con3 ducted within priority areas identified for coral reef 

4 conservation by the Administrator and consistent 

5 with the national coral reef resilience strategy in ef6 fect under section 204A. 

7 ‘‘(3) PRIORITIZATION OF RESTORATION

8 PROJECTS.—The Administrator shall prioritize the 

9 awarding of grants for projects that meet the cri10 teria for approval under subparagraphs (E) through 

11 (L) of subsection (e)(2) that are proposed to be con12 ducted within priority areas identified for coral reef 

13 restoration by the Administrator and consistent with 

14 the national coral reef resilience strategy in effect 

15 under section 204A. 

16 ‘‘(4) REVIEW; APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL.— 

17 Not later than 180 days after receiving a proposal 

18 for a coral reef project under this section, the Ad19 ministrator shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) request and consider written com21 ments on the proposal from each Federal agen22 cy, State government, Tribal organization, or 

23 other government jurisdiction, including the rel24 evant regional fishery management councils es25 tablished under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 


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1 Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 

2 1801 et seq.), or any National Marine Sanc3 tuary or Marine National Monument, with ju4 risdiction or management authority over coral 

5 reef ecosystems in the area where the project is 

6 to be conducted, including the extent to which 

7 the project is consistent with locally established 

8 priorities, unless such entities were directly in9 volved in the development of the project pro10 posal; 

11 ‘‘(B) provide for the merit-based peer re12 view of the proposal and require standardized 

13 documentation of that peer review; 

14 ‘‘(C) after considering any written com15 ments and recommendations based on the re16 views under subparagraphs (A) and (B), ap17 prove or disapprove the proposal; and 

18 ‘‘(D) provide written notification of that 

19 approval or disapproval, with summaries of all 

20 written comments, recommendations, and peer21 reviews, to the entity that submitted the pro22 posal, and each of those States, Tribal organi23 zations, and other government jurisdictions that 

24 provided comments under subparagraph (A). 


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1 ‘‘(e) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—The Administrator 

2 may not approve a proposal for a coral reef project under 

3 this section unless the project— 

4 ‘‘(1) is consistent with— 

5 ‘‘(A) the national coral reef resilience 

6 strategy in effect under section 204A; and 

7 ‘‘(B) any Federal or non-Federal coral reef 

8 action plans in effect under section 205 cov9 ering a coral reef or ecologically significant 

10 component of a coral reef to be affected by the 

11 project; and 

12 ‘‘(2) will enhance the conservation and restora13 tion of coral reefs by— 

14 ‘‘(A) addressing conflicts arising from the 

15 use of environments near coral reefs or from 

16 the use of corals, species associated with coral 

17 reefs, and coral products, including supporting 

18 consensus-driven, community-based planning 

19 and management initiatives for the protection 

20 of coral reef ecosystems; 

21 ‘‘(B) improving compliance with laws that 

22 prohibit or regulate the taking of coral products 

23 or species associated with coral reefs or regulate 

24 the use and management of coral reef eco25 systems; 


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1 ‘‘(C) designing and implementing networks 

2 of real-time water quality monitoring along 

3 coral reefs, including data collection related to 

4 turbidity, nutrient availability, harmful algal 

5 blooms, and plankton assemblages, with an em6 phasis on coral reefs impacted by agriculture 

7 and urban development; 

8 ‘‘(D) promoting ecologically sound naviga9 tion and anchorages, including mooring buoy 

10 systems to promote enhanced recreational ac11 cess, near coral reefs; 

12 ‘‘(E) furthering the goals and objectives of 

13 coral reef action plans in effect under section 

14 205 and coral reef emergency plans in effect 

15 under section 209; 

16 ‘‘(F) mapping the location and distribution 

17 of coral reefs and potential coral reef habitat; 

18 ‘‘(G) stimulating innovation to advance the 

19 ability of the United States to understand, re20 search, or monitor coral reef ecosystems, or to 

21 develop management or adaptation options to 

22 preserve, sustain, and restore coral reef eco23 systems; 

24 ‘‘(H) implementing research to ensure the 

25 population viability of listed coral species in 


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1 United States waters as detailed in the popu2 lation-based recovery criteria included in spe3 cies-specific recovery plans consistent with the 

4 Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

5 1531 et seq.); 

6 ‘‘(I) developing and implementing cost-ef7 fective methods to restore degraded coral reef 

8 ecosystems or to create geographically appro9 priate coral reef ecosystems in suitable waters, 

10 including by improving habitat or promoting 

11 success of keystone species, with an emphasis 

12 on novel restoration strategies and techniques 

13 to advance coral reef recovery and growth near 

14 population centers threatened by rising sea lev15 els and storm surge; 

16 ‘‘(J) translating and applying coral genet17 ics research to coral reef ecosystem restoration, 

18 including research related to traits that pro19 mote resilience to increasing ocean tempera20 tures, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, coral 

21 diseases, and invasive species; 

22 ‘‘(K) developing and maintaining in situ 

23 native coral propagation sites; or 


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1 ‘‘(L) developing and maintaining ex situ 

2 coral propagation nurseries and land-based 

3 coral gene banks to— 

4 ‘‘(i) conserve or augment genetic di5 versity of native coral populations; 

6 ‘‘(ii) support captive breeding of rare 

7 coral species; or 

8 ‘‘(iii) enhance resilience of native coral 

9 populations to increasing ocean tempera10 tures, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, 

11 and coral diseases through selective breed12 ing, conditioning, or other approaches that 

13 target genes, gene expression, phenotypic 

14 traits, or phenotypic plasticity. 

15 ‘‘(f) FUNDING REQUIREMENTS.—To the extent prac16 ticable based upon proposals for coral reef projects sub17 mitted to the Administrator, the Administrator shall en18 sure that funding for grants awarded under this section 

19 during a fiscal year is distributed as follows: 

20 ‘‘(1) Not less than 40 percent of funds available 

21 shall be awarded for projects in the Pacific Ocean 

22 within the maritime areas and zones subject to the 

23 jurisdiction or control of the United States. 

24 ‘‘(2) Not less than 40 percent of the funds 

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1 tic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Caribbean Sea 

2 within the maritime areas and zones subject to the 

3 jurisdiction or control of the United States. 

4 ‘‘(3) Not more than 67 percent of funds distrib5 uted in each region in accordance with paragraphs 

6 (1) and (2) shall be made exclusively available to 

7 projects that are— 

8 ‘‘(A) submitted by a coral reef stewardship 

9 partnership; and 

10 ‘‘(B) consistent with the coral reef action 

11 plan in effect under section 205 by such a part12 nership. 

13 ‘‘(4) Of the funds distributed to support 

14 projects in accordance with paragraph (3), not less 

15 than 20 percent and not more than 33 percent shall 

16 be awarded for projects submitted by a Federal coral 

17 reef stewardship partnership. 

18 ‘‘(g) PROJECT REPORTING.—Each entity receiving a 

19 grant under this section shall submit to the Administrator 

20 such reports at such times and containing such informa21 tion for evaluating project performance as the Adminis22 trator may require. 

23 ‘‘(h) TASK FORCE.—The Administrator may consult 

24 with the Secretary of the Interior and the Task Force to 


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1 obtain guidance in establishing priorities and evaluating 

2 proposals for coral reef projects under this section. 

3 ‘‘(i) UNEXPENDED AMOUNTS.—Any amounts avail4 able for grants under this section that are not expended 

5 shall be transferred to the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund 

6 under section 208(b). 

7 ‘‘SEC. 214. REPORTS ON ADMINISTRATION. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

9 date of the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act 

10 of 2021, and every 2 years thereafter, the Administrator 

11 shall submit to the committees specified in subsection (b) 

12 a report on the administration of this title during the 2- 

13 year period preceding submission of the report, includ14 ing— 

15 ‘‘(1) a description of all activities undertaken to 

16 implement the most recent national coral reef resil17 ience strategy under section 204A; 

18 ‘‘(2) a statement of all funds obligated under 

19 the authorities of this title; and 

20 ‘‘(3) a summary, disaggregated by State, of 

21 Federal and non-Federal contributions toward the 

22 costs of each project or activity funded, in full or in 

23 part, under the authorities of this title. 

24 ‘‘(b) COMMITTEES SPECIFIED.—The committees 

25 specified in this subsection are— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

2 Transportation and the Committee on Appropria3 tions of the Senate; and 

4 ‘‘(2) the Committee on Natural Resources and 

5 the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

6 Representatives. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 215. AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may enter 

9 into and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or cooper10 ative agreements as may be necessary to carry out the 

11 purposes of this title. 

12 ‘‘(b) FUNDING.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Under an agreement en14 tered into under subsection (a), the Administrator 

15 may reimburse or provide funds authorized to be ap16 propriated by section 216 to, and may receive funds 

17 or reimbursements from, individuals and entities de18 scribed in paragraph (2) to carry out activities au19 thorized by this title. 

20 ‘‘(2) INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES DE21 SCRIBED.—Individuals and entities described in this 

22 paragraph are the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) Federal agencies, instrumentalities, 

24 and laboratories. 

25 ‘‘(B) State and local governments. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Indian Tribes and Tribal organiza2 tions. 

3 ‘‘(D) International organizations. 

4 ‘‘(E) Foreign governments not subject to 

5 economic sanctions imposed by the United 

6 States. 

7 ‘‘(F) Institutions of higher education, re8 search centers, and other educational institu9 tions. 

10 ‘‘(G) Nonprofit organizations. 

11 ‘‘(H) Commercial organizations. 

12 ‘‘(I) Other public or private individuals or 

13 entities. 

14 ‘‘(c) COOPERATIVE INSTITUTES.— 

15 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es16 tablish 2 cooperative institutes for the purpose of 

17 advancing and sustaining essential capabilities in 

18 coral reef research, to be known as the ‘Atlantic 

19 Coral Reef Institute’ and the ‘Pacific Coral Reef In20 stitute’. 

21 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—Each institute established 

22 under paragraph (1) shall be housed within a single 

23 coral reef research center designated by the Admin24 istrator under paragraph (4) in the Atlantic and Pa25 cific basins, respectively, and may contract with 


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1 other coral reef research centers within the same 

2 basin to support each institute’s capacity and reach. 

3 ‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—The institutes established 

4 under paragraph (1) shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) conduct federally directed research to 

6 fill national and regional coral reef ecosystem 

7 research gaps and improve understanding of, 

8 and responses to, continuing and emerging 

9 threats to the resilience of United States coral 

10 reef ecosystems consistent with the national 

11 coral reef resilience strategy in effect under sec12 tion 204A; 

13 ‘‘(B) support ecological research and moni14 toring to study the effects of conservation and 

15 restoration activities funded by this title on pro16 moting more effective coral reef management 

17 and restoration; and 

18 ‘‘(C) through agreements— 

19 ‘‘(i) collaborate directly with govern20 mental resource management agencies, 

21 coral reef stewardship partnerships, non22 profit organizations, and other coral reef 

23 research centers designated under para24 graph (4); 


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1 ‘‘(ii) assist in the development and im2 plementation of— 

3 ‘‘(I) the national coral reef resil4 ience strategy under section 204A; 

5 ‘‘(II) coral reef action plans 

6 under section 205; and 

7 ‘‘(III) coral reef emergency plans 

8 under section 209; 

9 ‘‘(iii) build capacity within govern10 mental resource management agencies to 

11 establish research priorities and translate 

12 and apply research findings to manage13 ment and restoration practices; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) conduct public education and 

15 awareness programs for policymakers, re16 source managers, and the general public 

17 on— 

18 ‘‘(I) coral reefs and coral reef 

19 ecosystems; 

20 ‘‘(II) best practices for coral reef 

21 ecosystem management and restora22 tion; 

23 ‘‘(III) the value of coral reefs; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(IV) the threats to the sustain2 ability of coral reef ecosystems. 

3 ‘‘(4) CORAL REEF RESEARCH CENTERS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

5 shall periodically solicit applications and des6 ignate all qualifying institutions in a covered 

7 State as coral reef research centers. 

8 ‘‘(B) CRITERIA.—An institution qualifies 

9 for designation as a coral reef research center 

10 under subparagraph (A) if the Administrator 

11 determines that the institution— 

12 ‘‘(i) is operated by an institution of 

13 higher education or nonprofit marine re14 search organization; 

15 ‘‘(ii) has established management16 driven national or regional coral reef re17 search or restoration programs; 

18 ‘‘(iii) has demonstrated abilities to co19 ordinate closely with appropriate Federal 

20 and State agencies, as well as other aca21 demic and nonprofit organizations; and 

22 ‘‘(iv) maintains significant local com23 munity engagement and outreach pro24 grams related to coral reef ecosystems. 


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1 ‘‘(d) MULTIYEAR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The 

2 Administrator may enter into multiyear cooperative agree3 ments with the heads of other Federal agencies, States, 

4 Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations, local governments, 

5 the coral reef cooperative institutes established under sub6 section (c), and other institutions of higher education, 

7 nonprofit research organizations, and nongovernmental 

8 organizations to carry out activities authorized under this 

9 title. 

10 ‘‘(e) USE OF RESOURCES OF OTHER AGENCIES.— 

11 The Administrator may use, with consent and with or 

12 without reimbursement, the land, services, equipment, per13 sonnel, and facilities of any agency or instrumentality of— 

14 ‘‘(1) the United States; 

15 ‘‘(2) any State or local government; 

16 ‘‘(3) any Indian Tribe; or 

17 ‘‘(4) any foreign government not subject to eco18 nomic sanctions imposed by the United States. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 216. CORAL REEF PRIZE COMPETITIONS. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The head of any Federal agency 

21 with a representative serving on the U.S. Coral Reef Task 

22 Force established by Executive Order 13089 (16 U.S.C. 

23 6401 note; relating to coral reef protection), may, individ24 ually or in cooperation with one or more agencies, carry 

25 out a program to award prizes competitively under section 


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1 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 

2 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719). 

3 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—Any program carried out under 

4 this section shall be for the purpose of stimulating innova5 tion to advance the ability of the United States to under6 stand, research, or monitor coral reef ecosystems, or to 

7 develop management or adaptation options to preserve, 

8 sustain, and restore coral reef ecosystems. 

9 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY PROGRAMS.—Priority shall be given to 

10 establishing programs under this section that address 

11 communities, environments, or industries that are in dis12 tress as a result of the decline or degradation of coral reef 

13 ecosystems, including— 

14 ‘‘(1) scientific research and monitoring that 

15 furthers the understanding of causes behind coral 

16 reef decline and degradation and the generally slow 

17 recovery following disturbances, including ocean 

18 acidification and its impacts on coral reproduction; 

19 ‘‘(2) the development of monitoring or manage20 ment options for communities or industries that are 

21 experiencing significant financial hardship; 

22 ‘‘(3) the development of adaptation options to 

23 alleviate economic harm and job loss caused by dam24 age to coral reef ecosystems; 


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1 ‘‘(4) the development of measures to help vul2 nerable communities or industries, with an emphasis 

3 on rural communities and businesses; and 

4 ‘‘(5) the development of adaptation and man5 agement options for impacted tourism industries. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 217. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap8 propriated to the Secretary to carry out this title the fol9 lowing amounts, which shall remain available until ex10 pended: 

11 ‘‘(1) $31,000,000 for fiscal year 2021. 

12 ‘‘(2) $32,500,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

13 ‘‘(3) $34,000,000 for fiscal year 2023. 

14 ‘‘(4) $35,500,000 for fiscal year 2024. 

15 ‘‘(5) $37,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

16 ‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATION.—Of the amounts appro17 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations 

18 under subsection (a), not more than the lesser of 

19 $1,500,000 or 10 percent may be used for program ad20 ministration or for overhead costs incurred by the Na21 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the De22 partment of Commerce and assessed as an administrative 

23 charge. 

24 ‘‘(c) CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION

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1 priated under subsection (a), there shall be made available 

2 to the Secretary not less than the following amounts for 

3 authorized activities under sections 203 and 207: 

4 ‘‘(1) $23,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, of which 

5 not less than $8,000,000 shall be made available to 

6 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

7 under section 207. 

8 ‘‘(2) $24,500,000 for fiscal year 2022, of which 

9 not less than $8,500,000 shall be made available to 

10 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

11 under section 207. 

12 ‘‘(3) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2023, of which 

13 not less than $9,000,000 shall be made available to 

14 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

15 under section 207. 

16 ‘‘(4) $27,500,000 for fiscal year 2024, of which 

17 not less than $10,000,000 shall be made available to 

18 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

19 under section 207. 

20 ‘‘(5) $29,000,000 for fiscal year 2025, of which 

21 not less than $11,000,000 shall be made available to 

22 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

23 under section 207. 

24 ‘‘(d) FEDERALLY DIRECTED RESEARCH AND CORAL

25 REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM GRANTS.—From the 


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1 amounts authorized to be appropriated under subsection 

2 (a), there shall be made available to the Secretary not less 

3 than $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 

4 2025 to support purposes consistent with this title, of 

5 which— 

6 ‘‘(1) not less than $3,500,000 shall be made 

7 available for each such fiscal year for authorized ac8 tivities under section 213; and 

9 ‘‘(2) not less than $4,500,000 shall be made 

10 available for each such fiscal year through coopera11 tive agreements with the cooperative institutes estab12 lished under section 215(c). 

13 ‘‘SEC. 218. DEFINITIONS. 

14 ‘‘In this title: 

15 ‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Adminis16 trator’ means the Administrator of the National 

17 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

18 ‘‘(2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT19 TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com20 mittees’ means the Committee on Commerce, 

21 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

22 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

23 Representatives. 

24 ‘‘(3) CONSERVATION.—The term ‘conservation’ 

25 means the use of methods and procedures necessary 


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1 to preserve or sustain native corals and associated 

2 species as diverse, viable, and self-perpetuating coral 

3 reef ecosystems with minimal impacts from invasive 

4 species, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) all activities associated with resource 

6 management, such as monitoring, assessment, 

7 protection, restoration, sustainable use, man8 agement of habitat, and maintenance or aug9 mentation of genetic diversity; 

10 ‘‘(B) mapping; 

11 ‘‘(C) scientific expertise and technical as12 sistance in the development and implementation 

13 of management strategies for marine protected 

14 areas and marine resources consistent with the 

15 National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 

16 1431 et seq.) and the Magnuson-Stevens Fish17 ery Conservation and Management Act (16 

18 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); 

19 ‘‘(D) law enforcement; 

20 ‘‘(E) conflict resolution initiatives; 

21 ‘‘(F) community outreach and education; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(G) promotion of safe and ecologically 

24 sound navigation and anchoring. 


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1 ‘‘(4) CORAL.—The term ‘coral’ means species 

2 of the phylum Cnidaria, including— 

3 ‘‘(A) all species of the orders Antipatharia 

4 (black corals), Scleractinia (stony corals), 

5 Alcyonacea (soft corals, organ pipe corals, 

6 gorgonians), and Helioporacea (blue coral), of 

7 the class Anthozoa; and 

8 ‘‘(B) all species of the order Anthoathecata 

9 (fire corals and other hydrocorals) of the class 

10 Hydrozoa. 

11 ‘‘(5) CORAL REEF.—The term ‘coral reef’ 

12 means limestone structures in the form of a reef or 

13 shoal, composed in whole or in part by living coral, 

14 skeletal remains of coral, crustose coralline algae, 

15 and other associated sessile marine plants and ani16 mals. 

17 ‘‘(6) CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM.—The term 

18 ‘coral reef ecosystem’ means— 

19 ‘‘(A) corals and other geographically and 

20 ecologically associated marine communities of 

21 other reef organisms (including reef plants and 

22 animals) associated with coral reef habitat; and 

23 ‘‘(B) the biotic and abiotic factors and 

24 processes that control coral calcification rates, 

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1 dance, coral-algal symbiosis, and biodiversity in 

2 such habitat. 

3 ‘‘(7) CORAL PRODUCTS.—The term ‘coral prod4 ucts’ means any living or dead specimens, parts, or 

5 derivatives, or any product containing specimens, 

6 parts, or derivatives, of any species referred to in 

7 paragraph (4). 

8 ‘‘(8) COVERED REEF MANAGER.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘covered 

10 reef manager’ means a management unit of a 

11 Federal agency specified in subparagraph (B) 

12 with jurisdiction over a coral reef ecosystem, 

13 covered State, or coral reef stewardship part14 nership. 

15 ‘‘(B) FEDERAL AGENCIES SPECIFIED.—A 

16 Federal agency specified in this subparagraph 

17 is one of the following: 

18 ‘‘(i) The National Oceanic and Atmos19 pheric Administration. 

20 ‘‘(ii) The National Park Service. 

21 ‘‘(iii) The United States Fish and 

22 Wildlife Service. 

23 ‘‘(iv) The Office of Insular Affairs. 

24 ‘‘(9) COVERED STATE.—The term ‘covered 

25 State’ means Florida, Hawaii, and the territories of 


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1 American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the North2 ern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the 

3 United States Virgin Islands. 

4 ‘‘(10) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

5 has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the 

6 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

7 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

8 ‘‘(11) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

9 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

10 meaning given that term in section 101 of the High11 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

12 ‘‘(12) INTERESTED STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.— 

13 The term ‘interested stakeholder groups’ includes 

14 community members such as businesses, commercial 

15 and recreational fishermen, other recreationalists, 

16 Federal, State, Tribal, and local government units 

17 with related jurisdiction, institutions of higher edu18 cation, and nongovernmental organizations. 

19 ‘‘(13) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

20 ‘nonprofit organization’ means an organization that 

21 is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Rev22 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under sec23 tion 501(a) of such Code. 

24 ‘‘(14) RESTORATION.—The term ‘restoration’ 

25 means the use of methods and procedures necessary 


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1 to enhance, rehabilitate, recreate, or create a func2 tioning coral reef or coral reef ecosystem, in whole 

3 or in part, within suitable waters of the historical 

4 geographic range of such ecosystems, to provide eco5 logical, economic, cultural, or coastal resiliency serv6 ices associated with healthy coral reefs and benefit 

7 native populations of coral reef organisms. 

8 ‘‘(15) RESILIENCE.—The term ‘resilience’ 

9 means the capacity for corals within their native 

10 range, coral reefs, or coral reef ecosystems to recover 

11 from natural and human disturbances as determined 

12 by clearly identifiable, measurable, and science-based 

13 standards. 

14 ‘‘(16) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

15 means the Secretary of Commerce. 

16 ‘‘(17) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means— 

17 ‘‘(A) any State of the United States that 

18 contains a coral reef ecosystem within its sea19 ward boundaries; 

20 ‘‘(B) American Samoa, the Commonwealth 

21 of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto 

22 Rico, or the United States Virgin Islands; or 

23 ‘‘(C) any other territory or possession of 

24 the United States or separate sovereign in free 

25 association with the United States that contains 


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1 a coral reef ecosystem within its seaward 

2 boundaries. 

3 ‘‘(18) STEWARDSHIP.—The term ‘stewardship’, 

4 with respect to a coral reef, includes conservation, 

5 restoration, and public outreach and education. 

6 ‘‘(19) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘Task Force’ 

7 means the United States Coral Reef Task Force es8 tablished under section 201 of the Restoring Resil9 ient Reefs Act of 2021. 

10 ‘‘(20) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Trib11 al organization’ has the meaning given the term 

12 ‘tribal organization’ in section 3765 of title 38, 

13 United States Code.’’. 

14 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO NATIONAL

15 OCEANS AND COASTAL SECURITY ACT.—Section 905(a) 

16 of the National Oceans and Coastal Security Act (16 

17 U.S.C. 7504(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘and coastal in18 frastructure’’ and inserting ‘‘, coastal infrastructure, and 

19 ecosystem services provided by natural systems such as 

20 coral reefs’’. 

21 SEC. 102. MODIFICATION TO SECTION 204 OF THE CORAL 

22 REEF CONSERVATION ACT OF 2000 (16 U.S.C. 

23 6403). 

24 Section 204 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

25 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘this section’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘section 213’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE.—For purposes of para6 graph (1), block grant funds awarded to the terri7 tories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 

8 Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, or 

9 the United States Virgin Islands under section 207 

10 shall qualify as the non-Federal share of project 

11 costs.’’; and 

12 (3) by striking subsections (c) through (j). 

13 TITLE II—UNITED STATES 

14 CORAL REEF TASK FORCE 

15 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT. 

16 There is established a task force to lead, coordinate, 

17 and strengthen Federal Government actions to better pre18 serve, conserve, and restore coral reef ecosystems, to be 

19 known as the ‘‘United States Coral Reef Task Force’’ (in 

20 this title referred to as the ‘‘Task Force’’). 

21 SEC. 202. DUTIES. 

22 The duties of the Task Force shall be— 

23 (1) to coordinate, in cooperation with State, 

24 Tribal, and local government partners, coral reef re25 search centers designated under section 215(c) of 


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1 the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (as amend2 ed by section 101), and other nongovernmental and 

3 academic partners as appropriate, activities regard4 ing the mapping, monitoring, research, conservation, 

5 mitigation, and restoration of coral reefs and coral 

6 reef ecosystems; 

7 (2) to monitor and advise regarding implemen8 tation of the policy and Federal agency responsibil9 ities set forth in— 

10 (A) Executive Order 13089 (63 Fed. Reg. 

11 32701; relating to coral reef protection); and 

12 (B) the national coral reef resilience strat13 egy developed under section 204A of the Coral 

14 Reef Conservation Act of 2000, as amended by 

15 section 101; 

16 (3) to work with the Secretary of State and the 

17 Administrator of the United States Agency for 

18 International Development, and in coordination with 

19 the other members of the Task Force— 

20 (A) to assess the United States role in 

21 international trade and protection of coral spe22 cies; 

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1 servation and sustainable use of coral reef re2 sources worldwide; and 

3 (C) to collaborate with international com4 munities successful in managing coral reefs; 

5 (4) to provide technical assistance for the devel6 opment and implementation, as appropriate, of— 

7 (A) the national coral reef resilience strat8 egy under section 204A of the Coral Reef Con9 servation Act of 2000, as amended by section 

10 101; 

11 (B) coral reef action plans under section 

12 205 of that Act; and 

13 (C) coral reef emergency plans under sec14 tion 209 of that Act; and 

15 (5) to produce a report each year, for submis16 sion to the appropriate congressional committees 

17 and publication on a publicly available internet 

18 website of the Task Force, highlighting the status of 

19 the coral reef equities of a covered State on a rotat20 ing basis, including— 

21 (A) a summary of recent coral reef man22 agement and restoration activities undertaken 

23 in that State; and 

24 (B) updated estimates of the direct and in25 direct economic activity supported by, and other 


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1 benefits associated with, those coral reef equi2 ties. 

3 SEC. 203. MEMBERSHIP. 

4 (a) VOTING MEMBERSHIP.—The Task Force shall 

5 have the following voting members: 

6 (1) The Secretary of Commerce, acting through 

7 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At8 mospheric Administration, and the Secretary of the 

9 Interior, who shall be co-chairs of the Task Force. 

10 (2) The Administrator of the United States 

11 Agency for International Development. 

12 (3) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

13 (4) The Secretary of Defense. 

14 (5) The Secretary of the Army, acting through 

15 the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. 

16 (6) The Secretary of Homeland Security, acting 

17 through the Administrator of the Federal Emer18 gency Management Agency. 

19 (7) The Commandant of the Coast Guard. 

20 (8) The Attorney General. 

21 (9) The Secretary of State. 

22 (10) The Secretary of Transportation. 

23 (11) The Administrator of the Environmental 

24 Protection Agency. 


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1 (12) The Administrator of the National Aero2 nautics and Space Administration. 

3 (13) The Director of the National Science 

4 Foundation. 

5 (14) The Governor, or a representative of the 

6 Governor, of each covered State. 

7 (b) NONVOTING MEMBERS.—The Task Force shall 

8 have the following nonvoting members: 

9 (1) A member of the South Atlantic Fishery 

10 Management Council who is designated by the Gov11 ernor of Florida under section 302(b)(1) of the Mag12 nuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Manage13 ment Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(b)(1)). 

14 (2) A member of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

15 Management Council who is designated by the Gov16 ernor of Florida under such section. 

17 (3) A member of the Western Pacific Fishery 

18 Management Council who is designated under such 

19 section and selected as follows: 

20 (A) For the period beginning on the date 

21 of the enactment of this Act and ending on De22 cember 31 of the calendar year during which 

23 such date of enactment occurs, the member 

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1 waii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Com2 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

3 (B) For each calendar year thereafter, the 

4 governors of Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, 

5 and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar6 iana Islands shall, on a rotating basis, take 

7 turns selecting the member. 

8 (4) A member of the Caribbean Fishery Man9 agement Council who is designated under such sec10 tion and selected as follows: 

11 (A) For the period beginning on the date 

12 of the enactment of this Act and ending on De13 cember 31 of the calendar year during which 

14 such date of enactment occurs, the member 

15 shall be selected jointly by the governors of 

16 Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Is17 lands. 

18 (B) For each calendar year thereafter, the 

19 governors of Puerto Rico and the United States 

20 Virgin Islands shall, on an alternating basis, 

21 take turns selecting the member. 

22 (5) A member appointed by the President of 

23 the Federated States of Micronesia. 

24 (6) A member appointed by the President of 

25 the Republic of the Marshall Islands. 


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1 (7) A member appointed by the President of 

2 the Republic of Palau. 

3 SEC. 204. RESPONSIBILITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCY MEM4 BERS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—A member of the Task Force 

6 specified in paragraphs (1) through (14) of section 203(a) 

7 shall— 

8 (1) identify the actions of the agency that mem9 ber represents that may affect coral reef ecosystems; 

10 (2) utilize the programs and authorities of that 

11 agency to protect and enhance the conditions of such 

12 ecosystems, including through the promotion of basic 

13 and applied scientific research; 

14 (3) collaborate with the Task Force to appro15 priately reflect budgetary needs for coral reef con16 servation and restoration activities in all agency 

17 budget planning and justification documents and 

18 processes; and 

19 (4) engage in any other coordinated efforts ap20 proved by the Task Force. 

21 (b) CO-CHAIRS.—In addition to their responsibilities 

22 under subsection (a), the co-chairs of the Task Force shall 

23 administer performance of the functions of the Task Force 

24 and facilitate the coordination of the members of the Task 


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1 Force specified in paragraphs (1) through (14) of section 

2 203(a). 

3 SEC. 205. WORKING GROUPS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The co-chairs of the Task Force 

5 may establish working groups as necessary to meet the 

6 goals and carry out the duties of the Task Force. 

7 (b) REQUESTS FROM MEMBERS.—The members of 

8 the Task Force may request that the co-chairs establish 

9 a working group under subsection (a). 

10 (c) PARTICIPATION BY NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANI11 ZATIONS.—The co-chairs may allow nongovernmental or12 ganizations as appropriate, including academic institu13 tions, conservation groups, and commercial and rec14 reational fishing associations, to participate in a working 

15 group established under subsection (a). 

16 (d) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY

17 COMMITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act 

18 (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to working groups estab19 lished under this section. 

20 SEC. 206. DEFINITIONS. 

21 In this title: 

22 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT23 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com24 mittees’’ means the Committee on Commerce, 

25 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 


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1 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

2 Representatives. 

3 (2) CONSERVATION, CORAL, CORAL REEF, 

4 ETC.—The terms ‘‘conservation’’, ‘‘coral’’, ‘‘coral 

5 reef’’, ‘‘coral reef ecosystem’’, ‘‘covered State’’, ‘‘res6 toration’’, ‘‘resilience’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the mean7 ing given those terms in section 218 of the Coral 

8 Reef Conservation Act of 2000, as amended by sec9 tion 101. 

10 TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF THE 

11 INTERIOR CORAL REEF AU12 THORITIES 

13 SEC. 301. CORAL REEF CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION 

14 ASSISTANCE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior may 

16 provide scientific expertise and technical assistance, and 

17 subject to the availability of appropriations, financial as18 sistance for the conservation and restoration of coral reefs 

19 consistent with all applicable laws governing resource 

20 management in Federal, State, and Tribal waters, includ21 ing— 

22 (1) the national coral reef resilience strategy in 

23 effect under section 204A of the Coral Reef Con24 servation Act of 2000, as amended by section 101; 


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1 (2) coral reef action plans in effect under sec2 tion 205 of that Act, as applicable; and 

3 (3) coral reef emergency plans in effect under 

4 section 209 of that Act, as applicable. 

5 (b) OFFICE OF INSULAR AFFAIRS CORAL REEF INI6 TIATIVE.—The Secretary may establish within the Office 

7 of Insular Affairs a Coral Reef Initiative Program— 

8 (1) to provide grant funding to support local 

9 management, conservation, and protection of coral 

10 reef ecosystems in— 

11 (A) insular areas of covered States; and 

12 (B) Freely Associated States; 

13 (2) to complement the other conservation and 

14 assistance activities conducted under this Act; and 

15 (3) to provide other technical, scientific, and fi16 nancial assistance and conduct conservation activi17 ties that advance the purpose of this Act. 

18 (c) CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF

19 COMMERCE.—The Secretary of the Interior may consult 

20 with the Secretary of Commerce regarding the conduct of 

21 any activities to conserve and restore coral reefs and coral 

22 reef ecosystems in waters managed under the jurisdiction 

23 of the Federal agencies specified in paragraphs (2) and 

24 (3) of section 203(c) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act 

25 of 2000, as amended by section 101. 


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1 (d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—Subject to the 

2 availability of appropriations, the Secretary of the Interior 

3 may enter into cooperative agreements with covered reef 

4 managers to fund coral reef conservation and restoration 

5 activities in waters managed under the jurisdiction of such 

6 managers that— 

7 (1) are consistent with the national coral reef 

8 resilience strategy in effect under section 204A of 

9 the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, as amend10 ed by section 101; and 

11 (2) support and enhance the success of— 

12 (A) coral reef action plans in effect under 

13 section 205 of that Act; and 

14 (B) coral reef emergency plans in effect 

15 under section 209 of that Act. 

16 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘con17 servation’’, ‘‘coral reef’’, ‘‘covered reef manager’’, ‘‘covered 

18 State’’, ‘‘restoration’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the meaning 

19 given those terms in section 218 of the Coral Reef Con20 servation Act of 2000, as amended by section 101. 


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1 TITLE IV—SUSAN L. WILLIAMS 

2 NATIONAL CORAL REEF MAN3 AGEMENT FELLOWSHIP 

4 SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Susan L. Williams 

6 National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Act of 

7 2021’’. 

8 SEC. 402. DEFINITIONS. 

9 In this title: 

10 (1) FELLOW.—The term ‘‘fellow’’ means a Na11 tional Coral Reef Management Fellow. 

12 (2) FELLOWSHIP.—The term ‘‘fellowship’’ 

13 means the National Coral Reef Management Fellow14 ship established in section 403. 

15 (3) INDIAN TRIBE; TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.— 

16 The terms ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ and ‘‘Tribal organiza17 tion’’ have the meanings given those terms in section 

18 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

19 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

20 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

21 the Secretary of Commerce. 

22 SEC. 403. ESTABLISHMENT OF FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a National 

24 Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program. 


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1 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the fellowship 

2 are— 

3 (1) to encourage future leaders of the United 

4 States to develop additional coral reef management 

5 capacity in States and local communities with coral 

6 reefs; 

7 (2) to provide management agencies of States, 

8 Tribal organizations, and Freely Associated States 

9 with highly qualified candidates whose education and 

10 work experience meet the specific needs of each 

11 State, Indian Tribe, and Freely Associated State; 

12 and 

13 (3) to provide fellows with professional experi14 ence in management of coastal and coral reef re15 sources. 

16 SEC. 404. FELLOWSHIP AWARDS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award the fel18 lowship in accordance with this section. 

19 (b) TERM OF FELLOWSHIP.—A fellowship awarded 

20 under this section shall be for a term of not more than 

21 24 months. 

22 (c) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Secretary shall award the 

23 fellowship to individuals who have demonstrated— 

24 (1) an intent to pursue a career in marine serv25 ices and outstanding potential for such a career; 


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1 (2) leadership potential, actual leadership expe2 rience, or both; 

3 (3) a college or graduate degree in biological 

4 science, experience that correlates with aptitude and 

5 interest for marine management, or both; 

6 (4) proficient writing and speaking skills; and 

7 (5) such other attributes as the Secretary con8 siders appropriate. 

9 SEC. 405. MATCHING REQUIREMENT. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

11 (b), the non-Federal share of the costs of a fellowship 

12 under this section shall be 25 percent of such costs. 

13 (b) WAIVER OF REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary 

14 may waive the application of subsection (a) if the Sec15 retary finds that such waiver is necessary to support a 

16 project that the Secretary has identified as a high priority. 

Æ 


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