I

104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 3537

To improve coordination of Federal Oceanographic programs.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 29, 1996

Mr. SAXTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committees on National Security, and Science, for a period to be subsequently determined by the

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To improve coordination of Federal Oceanographic programs.

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 ‘‘Federal Oceanography

5 Coordination Improvement Act of 1996’’.

6 SEC. 2. FEDERAL OCEANOGRAPHY COORDINATION IM7 PROVEMENT.

8 The Congress finds the following:

9 (1) The oceans and coastal areas of the United

10 States are among the Nation’s most valuable natural
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1 resources, making substantial contributions to eco2 nomic growth, quality of life, and national security.

3 (2) Oceans drive global and regional climate.

4 Therefore, they contain information affecting agri5 culture, fishing, and the prediction of severe weath6 er.

7 (3) Understanding of the oceans through basic

8 and applied research is essential for using the

9 oceans wisely and protecting their limited resources.

10 Therefore, the United States should maintain its

11 world leadership in oceanography as one key to its

12 competitive future.

13 (4) Ocean research and education activities take

14 place within Federal agencies, academic institutions,

15 and industry. These entities often have similar re16 quirements for research facilities, data, and other re17 sources (such as oceanographic research vessels).

18 (5) The need exists for a formal mechanism to

19 coordinate existing partnerships and establish new

20 partnerships for the sharing of resources, intellectual

21 talent, and facilities in the ocean sciences and edu22 cation, so that optimal use can be made of this most

23 important natural resource for the well-being of all

24 Americans.
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1 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSES OF PROGRAM.

2 The Secretary of Commerce shall establish a program

3 to be known as the ‘‘National Oceanographic Partnership

4 Program’’. The purposes of the program are as follows:

5 (1) To promote the national goals of assuring

6 national security, advancing economic development,

7 protecting quality of life, and strengthening science

8 education and communication through improved

9 knowledge of the ocean.

10 (2) To coordinate and strengthen oceanographic

11 efforts in support of those goals by—

12 (A) identifying and carrying out partner13 ships among Federal agencies, academia, indus14 try, and other members of the oceanographic

15 scientific community in the areas of data, re16 sources, education, and communication; and

17 (B) reporting annually to Congress on the

18 program.

19 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL OCEAN RESEARCH

20 LEADERSHIP COUNCIL.

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

22 Ocean Research Leadership Council (hereinafter in this

23 section referred to as the ‘‘Council’’).

24 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council is composed of the

25 following members:
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1 (1) The Administrator of the National Oceanic

2 and Atmospheric Administration, who shall be the

3 Chairman of the Council.

4 (2) The Secretary of the Navy.

5 (3) The Director of the National Science Foun6 dation.

7 (4) The Administrator of the National Aero8 nautics and Space Administration.

9 (5) The Deputy Secretary of Energy.

10 (6) The Administrator of the Environmental

11 Protection Agency.

12 (7) The Commandant of the Coast Guard.

13 (8) The Director of the Geological Survey of the

14 Department of the Interior.

15 (9) The Director of the Defense Advanced Re16 search Projects Agency.

17 (10) The Director of the Minerals Management

18 Service of the Department of the Interior.

19 (11) The President of the National Academy of

20 Sciences, the President of the National Academy of

21 Engineering, and the President of the Institute of

22 Medicine.

23 (12) The Director of the Office of Science and

24 Technology.
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1 (13) The Director of the Office of Management

2 and Budget.

3 (14) One member appointed by the Chairman

4 from among individuals who will represent the views

5 of ocean industries.

6 (15) One member appointed by the Chairman

7 from among individuals who will represent the views

8 of State governments.

9 (16) One member appointed by the Chairman

10 from among individuals who will represent the views

11 of academia.

12 (17) One member appointed by the Chairman

13 from among individuals who will represent such

14 other views as the Chairman considers appropriate.

15 (c) TERM OF OFFICE.—The term of office of a mem16 ber of the Council appointed under paragraph (14), (15),

17 (16), or (17) of subsection (b) shall be two years, except

18 that any person appointed to fill a vacancy occurring be19 fore the expiration of the term for which his or her prede20 cessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder

21 of such term.

22 (d) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS OF COUNCIL MEM23 BERS.—The Administrator of the National Oceanic and

24 Atmospheric Administration shall make the appointments
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1 required by subsection (b) by not later than December 1,

2 1996.

3 (e) RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNCIL.—The Council

4 shall have the following responsibilities:

5 (1) To establish the Ocean Research Partner6 ship Coordinating Group as provided in section

7 7903.

8 (2) To establish the Ocean Research Advisory

9 Panel as provided in section 6.

10 (3) To submit to Congress an annual report

11 pursuant to subsection (f).

12 (f) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than March 1 of

13 each year, the Council shall submit to Congress a report

14 on the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. The

15 report shall contain the following:

16 (1) A description of activities of the program

17 carried out during the fiscal year before the fiscal

18 year in which the report is prepared. The description

19 also shall include a list of the members of the Ocean

20 Research Partnership Coordinating Group, the

21 Ocean Research Advisory Panel, and any working

22 groups in existence during the fiscal year covered.

23 (2) A general outline of the activities planned

24 for the program during the fiscal year in which the

25 report is prepared.
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1 (3) A summary of projects continued from the

2 fiscal year before the fiscal year in which the report

3 is prepared and projects expected to be started dur4 ing the fiscal year in which the report is prepared

5 and during the following fiscal year.

6 (4) A description of the involvement of the pro7 gram with Federal interagency coordinating entities.

8 (5) The amounts requested, in the budget sub9 mitted to Congress pursuant to section 1105(a) of

10 title 31 for the fiscal year following the fiscal year

11 in which the report is prepared, for the programs,

12 projects, and activities of the program and the esti13 mated expenditures under such programs, projects,

14 and activities during such following fiscal year.

15 The first annual report required by this subsection shall

16 be submitted to Congress not later than March 1, 1997.

17 The first report shall include, in addition to the informa18 tion otherwise required by this subsection, information

19 about the terms of office, procedures, and responsibilities

20 of the Ocean Research Advisory Panel established by the

21 Council.

22 SEC. 5. OCEAN RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP COORDINATING

23 GROUP.

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Council shall establish

25 an entity to be known as the ‘‘Ocean Research Partnership
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1 Coordinating Group’’ (hereinafter in this section referred

2 to as the ‘‘Coordinating Group’’).

3 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Coordinating Group shall

4 consist of members appointed by the Council, with one

5 member appointed from each Federal department or agen6 cy having an oceanographic research or development pro7 gram.

8 (c) CHAIRMAN.—The Council shall appoint the Chair9 man of the Coordinating Group.

10 (d) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Subject to the authority, di11 rection, and control of the Council, the Coordinating

12 Group shall have the following responsibilities:

13 (1) To prescribe policies and procedures to im14 plement the National Oceanographic Partnership

15 Program.

16 (2) To review, select, and identify and allocate

17 funds for partnership projects for implementation

18 under the program, based on the following criteria:

19 (A) Whether the project addresses critical

20 research objectives or operational goals, such as

21 data accessibility and quality assurance, sharing

22 of resources, education, or communication.

23 (B) Whether the project has broad partici24 pation within the oceanographic community.
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1 (C) Whether the partners have a long-term

2 commitment to the objectives of the project.

3 (D) Whether the resources supporting the

4 project are shared among the partners.

5 (E) Whether the project has been sub6 jected to adequate peer review.

7 (3) To promote participation in partnership

8 projects by each Federal department and agency in9 volved with oceanographic research and development

10 by publicizing the program and by prescribing guide11 lines for participation in the program.

12 (4) To submit to the Council an annual report

13 pursuant to subsection (h).

14 (e) PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM OFFICE.—The Coordi15 nating Group shall establish in the National Ocean Service

16 and oversee a partnership program office to carry out such

17 duties as the Chairman of the Coordinating Group consid18 ers appropriate to implement the National Oceanographic

19 Partnership Program, including the following:

20 (1) To establish and oversee working groups to

21 propose partnership projects to the Coordinating

22 Group and advise the Group on such projects.

23 (2) To manage peer review of partnership

24 projects proposed to the Coordinating Group and

25 competitions for projects selected by the Group.
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1 (3) To submit to the Coordinating Group an

2 annual report on the status of all partnership

3 projects and activities of the office.

4 (f) CONTRACT AND GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Co5 ordinating Group may authorize in the National Ocean

6 Service to enter into contracts and make grants, using

7 funds appropriated pursuant to an authorization for the

8 National Oceanographic Partnership Program, for the

9 purpose of implementing the program and carrying out

10 the Coordinating Group’s responsibilities.

11 (g) FORMS OF PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS.—Partner12 ship projects selected by the Coordinating Group may be

13 in any form that the Coordinating Group considers appro14 priate, including memoranda of understanding, dem15 onstration projects, cooperative research and development

16 agreements, and similar instruments.

17 (h) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than February 1

18 of each year, the Coordinating Group shall submit to the

19 Council a report on the National Oceanographic Partner20 ship Program. The report shall contain, at a minimum,

21 copies of any recommendations or reports to the Coordi22 nating Group by the Ocean Research Advisory Panel.

23 SEC. 6. OCEAN RESEARCH ADVISORY PANEL.

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Council shall appoint an

25 Ocean Research Advisory Panel (hereinafter in this sec-
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1 tion referred to as the ‘‘Advisory Panel’’) consisting of not

2 less than 10 and not more than 18 members.

3 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—Members of the Advisory Panel

4 shall be appointed from among persons who are eminent

5 in the fields of marine science or marine policy, or related

6 fields, and who are representative, at a minimum, of the

7 interests of government, academia, and industry.

8 (c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—

9 (1) REVIEW OF PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS.—The

10 Coordinating Group shall refer to the Advisory

11 Panel, and the Advisory Panel shall review, each

12 proposed partnership project estimated to cost more

13 than $500,000. The Advisory Panel shall make any

14 recommendations to the Coordinating Group that

15 the Advisory Panel considers appropriate regarding

16 such projects.

17 (2) OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Advisory

18 Panel shall make any recommendations to the Co19 ordinating Group regarding activities that should be

20 addressed by the National Oceanographic Partner21 ship Program that the Advisory Panel considers ap22 propriate.

23 (d) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS OF ADVISORY PANEL

24 MEMBERS.—The Council shall make the appointments to

25 the Advisory Panel by not later than January 1, 1997.
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1 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts authorized to be

3 appropriated to the Department of Defense, $30,000,000

4 is authorized for the National Oceanographic Partnership

5 Program.

6 (b) REQUIRED FUNDING FOR PROGRAM OFFICE.—

7 Of the amount appropriated for the National Oceano8 graphic Partnership Program for fiscal year 1997, at least

9 $500,000, or 3 percent of the amount appropriated,

10 whichever is greater, shall be available for operations of

11 the partnership program office established under section

12 5(e) for such fiscal year.

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