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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2489 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2489

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 28, 2009

                                Received

                           December 24, 2009

  Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
To authorize a national cooperative geospatial imagery program through 
 the United States Geological Survey to promote use of remote sensing 
                                 data.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Land Remote Sensing 
Outreach Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the National Land 
        Remote Sensing Outreach Program established in section 3.
            (2) Educational institution.--The term ``educational 
        institution'' means any public or private elementary or 
        secondary school, or any institution of vocational, 
        professional, or higher education (including a junior college 
        or teachers' college).
            (3) Geospatial imagery.--The term ``geospatial imagery''--
                    (A) means satellite land remote sensing image data 
                registered to map or other spatial coordinates derived 
                from features on the ground; and
                    (B) includes a wide range of graphical products 
                that convey information about natural phenomena and 
                human activities occurring on Earth's surface.
            (4) Image data.--The term ``image data'' means the raw, 
        unprocessed form of data captured from a sensing instrument.
            (5) Land remote sensing.--The term ``land remote sensing'' 
        means image data of land, coastal areas, or islands and reefs 
        acquired from above the surface of the Earth by instruments on 
        satellite platforms.
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (7) State.--The term ``State'' means--
                    (A) each of the several States of the United 
                States;
                    (B) the District of Columbia;
                    (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
                    (D) Guam;
                    (E) American Samoa;
                    (F) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands; and
                    (G) the United States Virgin Islands.
            (8) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the same 
        meaning given that term in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-
        Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)).

SEC. 3. NATIONAL LAND REMOTE SENSING OUTREACH PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain a 
national land remote sensing outreach program within the U.S. 
Geological Survey to advance the availability, timely distribution, and 
widespread use of geospatial imagery for education, research, 
assessment, and monitoring purposes in each State and the lands of an 
Indian tribe.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are--
            (1) to increase accessibility to, and expand the use of, 
        remote sensing data in a standard, easy-to-use format by 
        Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, communities, 
        educational institutions, and the commercial sector; and
            (2) to assist each participating State and Indian tribe in 
        establishing the cooperative infrastructure necessary to 
        increase access to geospatial imagery for research and 
        educational purposes.
    (c) Activities.--
            (1) National land remote sensing outreach program.--The 
        Secretary shall--
                    (A) support geospatial imagery sharing, applied 
                research, and educational programs of each 
                participating State and Indian tribe;
                    (B) identify new geospatial imagery needs and 
                infrastructure;
                    (C) share and cooperate in the development of 
                geospatial imagery applications, education, and 
                training infrastructure in each participating State and 
                the lands of an Indian tribe;
                    (D) cooperate with participating States and Indian 
                tribes to encourage the expansion of geospatial imagery 
                mapping courses taught at appropriate educational 
                institutions;
                    (E) encourage expansion of geospatial imagery 
                research at appropriate educational institutions;
                    (F) encourage expansion of the knowledge and use of 
                geospatial imagery products in the workforce through 
                outreach programs, workshops, and other training 
                opportunities;
                    (G) encourage participating States and Indian 
                tribes to build partnerships with local governments to 
                identify unique research and development needs and 
                geospatial imagery application pilot programs;
                    (H) promote cooperation and sharing of expertise 
                regarding geospatial imagery applications among 
                participating States and Indian tribes; and
                    (I) provide a mechanism to enable the States and 
                Indian tribes to transfer geospatial imagery and 
                applications to the U.S. Geological Survey as 
                appropriate.
            (2) Grants.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to 
                provide grants to qualified educational institutions, 
                or to State, local, and tribal governments, or to 
                consortia of these entities, on a competitive basis 
                to--
                            (i) advance the interest of the Federal 
                        Government in promoting the use of imagery by 
                        educational institutions, States, localities, 
                        and Indian tribes; and
                            (ii) achieve the purposes of the Program 
                        described in section 3(b).
                    (B) Matching funds.--
                            (i) In general.--The Federal share of the 
                        cost of each program for which a grant is made 
                        under this Act may not exceed 75 percent of the 
                        total cost of the program.
                            (ii) Non-federal contribution.--In 
                        providing the non-Federal contribution required 
                        under this paragraph, a grantee--
                                    (I) shall provide for such share 
                                through a payment in cash or in kind, 
                                fairly evaluated, including facilities, 
                                equipment, technology, or services; and
                                    (II) may provide for such share 
                                through State sources or local sources, 
                                including private funds or donated 
                                services.
                            (iii) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the 
                        requirements of subparagraph (B), in whole or 
                        in part, with respect to any program if the 
                        Secretary determines that the grantee has made 
                        a good faith effort to obtain the non-Federal 
                        contribution at the local level but is unable 
                        to do so.
            (3) Federal partner advisory committee.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and 
                maintain a committee to advise the Director of the U.S. 
                Geological Survey regarding the Program.
                    (B) Membership and appointment.--The advisory 
                committee under subparagraph (A) shall be chaired by 
                the U.S. Geological Survey and composed of such 
                representatives of Federal and State agencies, tribal 
                governments, and educational institutions as the 
                Secretary may designate.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
$10,000,000 to carry out this Act for each of fiscal years 2010 through 
2019.

SEC. 5. SUNSET DATE.

    This Act is repealed on the date that is 10 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.

            Passed the House of Representatives October 27, 2009.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.
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