II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1465 

To strengthen programs relating to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes science 

training by providing coordination of efforts, greater interagency cooperation, and the strengthening and expansion of related programs administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 

to diversify the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes science community 

by attracting underrepresented groups. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 22, 2005 

Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself, Mr. INOUYE, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. LEVIN, and 

Mr. SARBANES) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To strengthen programs relating to ocean, coastal, and Great 

Lakes science training by providing coordination of efforts, greater interagency cooperation, and the strengthening and expansion of related programs administered 

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and to diversify the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 

science community by attracting underrepresented 

groups. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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•S 1465 IS 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

3 ‘‘Ocean and Coastal Literacy in Urban and other Environ4 ments’’. 

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

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—OCEAN AND COASTAL SCIENCE EDUCATION COORDINATION

Sec. 101. National Science and Technology Council Technical Amendments. 

Sec. 102. National Ocean and Coastal Science Education Task Force. 

Sec. 103. Ocean and coastal science education advisory panel. 

TITLE II—INTERAGENCY PROGRAMS TO ADVANCE OCEAN AND COASTAL

KNOWLEDGE

Sec. 201. National strategy for ocean and coastal science education. 

Sec. 202. Ocean and coastal science education program. 

TITLE III—NOAA OCEAN AND COASTAL SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Sec. 301. NOAA ocean and coastal science education programs. 

Sec. 302. Amendment to the National Sea Grant College Program Act. 

Sec. 303. Amendment to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. 

TITLE IV—AUTHORIZATIONS

Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 The Congress finds the following: 

9 (1) The coastal regions and ocean waters of the 

10 United States are vital to the Nation’s public safety, 

11 homeland security, transportation, trade, energy pro12 duction, recreation and tourism, food production, 

13 scientific research and education, environmental and 

14 human health, and historical and cultural heritage. 
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1 (2) Development, resource extraction, and other 

2 human activities throughout watersheds, coupled 

3 with an expanding coastal population, are contrib4 uting to processes of environmental change that may 

5 significantly threaten the long-term health and sus6 tainability of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes eco7 systems. 

8 (3) The United States Commission on Ocean 

9 Policy reports that United States high school grad10 uates’ scientific literacy is below the international 

11 average and finds that exciting ocean, coastal, and 

12 Great Lakes sciences and education has the poten13 tial to stem the tide of science illiteracy in the Na14 tion. 

15 (4) Development and implementation of ocean, 

16 coastal, and Great Lakes literacy programs are es17 sential to ensure a public that is fully knowledgeable 

18 about, fully informed about, and fully capable of de19 cisions contributing to ocean, coastal, and Great 

20 Lakes issues. 

21 (5) Development and implementation of edu22 cation and training programs are essential to build 

23 a national scientific, technological, and engineering 

24 workforce fully representative of the Nation’s citi25 zens that meets the needs of growing ocean, coastal, 
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1 and Great Lakes economies and better prepares the 

2 Nation for competition in the global economy. 

3 (6) Those involved in ocean, coastal, and Great 

4 Lakes policy and sciences are not fully representa5 tive of the Nation’s citizens, with only 10 percent of 

6 United States graduate students in marine sciences 

7 from underrepresented groups. 

8 (7) A coordinated program of ocean and coastal 

9 science education would assist the Nation and the 

10 world in furthering knowledge of the ocean and the 

11 global climate system, ensuring homeland and na12 tional security, developing innovative marine prod13 ucts, improving weather and climate forecasts, im14 proving human health, strengthening management 

15 and sustainable use of ocean and coastal resources, 

16 increasing the safety and efficiency of maritime op17 erations, and protecting the environment and miti18 gate man-made and natural hazards. 

19 (8) Seven of the 10 most populated urban cen20 ters in the United States are located along our ma21 rine, estuarine, and Great Lakes coasts, and a co22 ordinated program of education specifically focused 

23 on urban coastal issues, including urban stake24 holders, would focus national attention on the 
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1 unique challenges faced by urban coastal commu2 nities. 

3 (9) Increased Federal cooperation and invest4 ment are essential to build on ocean, coastal, and 

5 Great Lakes research and education activities that 

6 are taking place within numerous federal, state, and 

7 local agencies, academic institutions and industries 

8 and to establish new partnerships for sharing ocean, 

9 coastal, and Great Lakes science resources, intellec10 tual talent, and facilities. 

11 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

12 In this Act: 

13 (1) ADMINISTRATOR; ADMINISTRATION.—The 

14 terms ‘‘Administrator’’ and ‘‘Administration’’ mean 

15 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At16 mospheric Administration and that Administration, 

17 respectively. 

18 (2) ADVISORY PANEL.—The term ‘‘Advisory 

19 Panel’’ means the Ocean Research and Education 

20 Advisory Panel established under section 103. 

21 (3) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

22 National Science and Technology Council. 

23 (4) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

24 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti25 tution that is— 
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•S 1465 IS 

1 (A) a historically Black college or univer2 sity that is a part B institution, as defined in 

3 section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 

4 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)); 

5 (B) a Hispanic-serving institution, as de6 fined in section 502(a)(5) of the Higher Edu7 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)); 

8 (C) a tribally controlled college or univer9 sity, as defined in section 316(b)(3) of the 

10 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

11 1059c(b)(3)); 

12 (D) an Alaska Native-serving institution 

13 under section 317(b) of the Higher Education 

14 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)); 

15 (E) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution 

16 under section 317(b) of the Higher Education 

17 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)); or 

18 (F) an institution determined by the Sec19 retary of Education to have enrolled a substan20 tial number of minority, low-income students 

21 during the previous academic year who received 

22 assistance under subpart I of part A of title IV 

23 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

24 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.) for that year. 
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1 (5) OCEAN AND COASTAL.—When used as an 

2 adjective, the term ‘‘ocean and coastal’’ means 

3 ocean, coastal (including estuarine), and Great 

4 Lakes. 

5 (6) OCEAN AND COASTAL SCIENCES.—The term 

6 ‘‘ocean and coastal sciences’’ includes the explo7 ration of ocean, coastal (including estuarine), and 

8 Great Lakes environments, the development of meth9 ods and instruments to study and monitor such envi10 ronments, and the conduct of basic and applied re11 search to advance understanding of— 

12 (A) the physics, chemistry, biology, and ge13 ology of the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes; 

14 (B) ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes proc15 esses and interactions with other components of 

16 the total Earth system; and 

17 (C) the impacts of the ocean, coastal re18 gions, and Great Lakes on society and manner 

19 in which such environments are influenced by 

20 human activity. 

21 (7) OCEAN AND COASTAL SCIENCE EDU22 CATION.—The term ‘‘ocean and coastal science edu23 cation’’ includes literacy, outreach, formal education, 

24 and informal education focused on the oceans, 

25 coasts, and Great Lakes at all levels, including ele-
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•S 1465 IS 

1 mentary, secondary, undergraduate, graduate, and 

2 the general public. 

3 (8) STRATEGY.—The term ‘‘strategy’’ means 

4 the National Strategy for Ocean and Coastal 

5 Science, Education, and Literary developed under 

6 section 201. 

7 (9) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘‘task force’’ 

8 means the National Ocean and Coastal Science Edu9 cation Task Force established under section 102. 

10 (10) UNDERREPRESENTED GROUP.—The term 

11 ‘‘underrepresented group’’ means, with respect to 

12 ocean and coastal sciences, policy, and education 

13 programs and activities, members of a minority 

14 group, women, individuals with disabilities, and any 

15 other class of individuals who are underrepresented. 

16 TITLE I—OCEAN AND COASTAL 

17 SCIENCE EDUCATION CO18 ORDINATION 

19 SEC. 101. NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL 

20 TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. 

21 (a) DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECH22 NOLOGY POLICY TO CHAIR COUNCIL.—Section 207(a) of 

23 the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, 

24 and Priorities Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6616(a)) is amend25 ed— 
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•S 1465 IS 

1 (1) by striking ‘‘CHAIRMAN OF FEDERAL CO2 ORDINATING COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, 

3 AND TECHNOLOGY’’ in the subsection heading and 

4 inserting ‘‘CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE AND

5 TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL’’; and 

6 (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(1) serve as Chair of the National Science and 

9 Technology Council; and’’. 

10 (b) FUNCTIONS.—Section 401 of the National 

11 Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Prior12 ities Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6651) is amended to read 

13 as follows: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 401. FUNCTIONS OF COUNCIL. 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The National Science and Tech16 nology Council shall consider problems and developments 

17 in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math18 ematics and related activities affecting more than one 

19 Federal agency, and shall recommend policies and other 

20 measures designed to— 

21 ‘‘(1) provide more effective planning and ad22 ministration of Federal scientific, engineering, and 

23 technology programs; 

24 ‘‘(2) identify research and education needs, in25 cluding areas requiring additional emphasis; 
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1 ‘‘(3) achieve more effective use of the scientific, 

2 engineering, and technological resources and facili3 ties of Federal agencies, including elimination of un4 warranted duplication; and 

5 ‘‘(4) further international cooperation in 

6 science, engineering and technology. 

7 ‘‘(b) COORDINATION.—The Council may be assigned 

8 responsibility for developing long-range and coordinated 

9 plans for scientific and technical research and education 

10 activities which involve the participation of more than 2 

11 agencies. The plans shall— 

12 ‘‘(1) identify research approaches and priorities 

13 which most effectively advance scientific under14 standing and provide a basis for policy decisions; 

15 ‘‘(2) provide for effective cooperation and co16 ordination of research among Federal agencies; and 

17 ‘‘(3) encourage domestic and, as appropriate, 

18 international cooperation among government, indus19 try and university scientists. 

20 ‘‘(c) OTHER DUTIES.—The Council shall perform 

21 such other related advisory duties as shall be assigned by 

22 the President or by the Chair of the Council. 

23 ‘‘(d) ASSISTANCE OF OTHER AGENCIES.—For the 

24 purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section, each 
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1 Federal agency represented on the Council shall furnish 

2 necessary assistance to the Council, including— 

3 ‘‘(1) detailing employees to the Council to per4 form such functions, consistent with the purposes of 

5 this section, as the Chairman of the Council may as6 sign to them; and 

7 ‘‘(2) undertaking upon the request of the Chair, 

8 such special studies for the Council as come within 

9 the scope of authority of the Council. 

10 ‘‘(e) STANDING COMMITTEES; TASK FORCES; WORK11 ING GROUPS.—For the purpose of developing interagency 

12 plans, conducting studies, and making reports as directed 

13 by the Chairman, standing committees, task forces, and 

14 working groups of the Council may be established.’’. 

15 SEC. 102. NATIONAL OCEAN AND COASTAL SCIENCE EDU16 CATION COMMITTEE. 

17 (a) TASK FORCE.—The President shall establish a 

18 National Ocean and Coastal Science Education Task 

19 Force. 

20 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The task force shall be composed 

21 senior representatives with responsibility for, and exper22 tise in, education from each of the following agencies and 

23 departments: 

24 (1) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad25 ministration. 
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1 (2) The Navy. 

2 (3) The National Science Foundation. 

3 (4) The National Aeronautics and Space Ad4 ministration. 

5 (5) The Department of Energy. 

6 (6) The Environmental Protection Agency. 

7 (7) The Coast Guard. 

8 (8) The United States Geological Survey. 

9 (9) The United States Fish and Wildlife Serv10 ice. 

11 (10) The National Park Service. 

12 (11) The Minerals Management Service. 

13 (12) The Army Corps of Engineers. 

14 (13) The National Institutes of Health. 

15 (14) The Department of Agriculture. 

16 (15) The Office of Science and Technology Pol17 icy. 

18 (16) The Department of Labor. 

19 (17) The Department of Education. 

20 (18) The Smithsonian Institution. 

21 (19) Such other Federal agencies and depart22 ments as the chair and vice chairs of the task force 

23 deem appropriate. 

24 (c) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIRS.—The chair and vice 

25 chairs of the task force shall be appointed every 2 years 
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1 by a selection committee composed of leaders of the de2 partments and agencies represented on the task force in3 cluding, at a minimum, the Administrator and the Direc4 tor of the National Science Foundation. The term of office 

5 of the chair and vice chairs shall be 2 years. A person 

6 who has previously served as chair or vice chair may be 

7 reappointed. 

8 (d) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The task force shall— 

9 (1) serve as the primary source of advice and 

10 support on ocean and coastal science education for 

11 the Council and assist in carrying out the functions 

12 of the Council as they relate to such matters, includ13 ing budgetary analyses; 

14 (2) serve as the committee on ocean and coastal 

15 science education for the Council and carry out 

16 Council functions under section 401 of the National 

17 Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and 

18 Priorities Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6651) that relate 

19 to ocean and coastal sciences; 

20 (3) improve cooperation among Federal depart21 ments and agencies with respect to ocean and coast22 al sciences and education budgets, programs, oper23 ations, facilities and personnel; 
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1 (4) stimulate collaborations among Federal de2 partments and agencies to allow more efficient and 

3 effective use of existing Federal assets; 

4 (5) provide a forum for development of the na5 tional strategy for ocean and coastal science edu6 cation and oversee its implementation; 

7 (6) establish standards for United States ocean 

8 and coastal literacy, which may include development 

9 of ocean and coastal science assessments or curricula 

10 to meet national or State science standards in ele11 mentary and secondary education science programs; 

12 (7) establish standards for an ocean and coastal 

13 literacy outreach program to link science and edu14 cation programs to broader communities, especially 

15 with respect to underrepresented groups and urban 

16 coastal areas; 

17 (8) foster the development of ocean and coastal 

18 education and outreach programs that are integrated 

19 with and based upon Federal ocean and coastal 

20 science programs and that link educators and sci21 entists, especially with respect to underrepresented 

22 groups and specifically urban coastal issues; 

23 (9) coordinate Federal programs to improve 

24 representation of underrepresented groups and 

25 groups from urban areas in ocean-related careers; 
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1 (10) coordinate Federal ocean and coastal edu2 cation activities for students at all levels, including 

3 funding for educational opportunities at the elemen4 tary, secondary, undergraduate, graduate, and post5 doctoral levels; 

6 (11) identify and work to establish linkages 

7 among Federal programs and those of States, aca8 demic institutions, museums and aquariums, indus9 try, foundations, and other non-governmental orga10 nizations; 

11 (12) coordinate United States government 

12 ocean and coastal science education activities with 

13 those of other nations; 

14 (13) carry out such other activities as the 

15 Council may require; and 

16 (14) establish such interagency subcommittees 

17 and working groups as necessary to support the 

18 functions of the task force and develop comprehen19 sive and balanced Federal programs and approaches 

20 to ocean and coastal sciences and education needs. 

21 SEC. 103. OCEAN AND COASTAL SCIENCE EDUCATION ADVI22 SORY PANEL. 

23 (a) MEMBERSHIP.— 

24 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The task force shall main25 tain an Ocean and Coastal Science Education Advi-
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1 sory Panel consisting of not less than 10 and not 

2 more than 18 members appointed by the chair. 

3 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the advisory 

4 panel shall be selected from among individuals rep5 resenting ocean and coastal industries and founda6 tions, State governments, museums and aquariums, 

7 non-governmental organizations, formal and infor8 mal educators, ocean and coastal science educators, 

9 and such other participants in ocean and coastal ac10 tivities as the chair considers appropriate, who have 

11 the requisite expertise under paragraph (3). 

12 (3) EXPERTISE.—Members shall have expertise 

13 in fields of endeavor including ocean and coastal 

14 sciences, ocean and coastal science education, out15 reach, ocean and coastal management and policy, 

16 and ocean engineering. 

17 (4) REPRESENTATIVES OF UNDERREP18 RESENTED GROUPS.—Representatives of underrep19 resented groups shall have balanced representation 

20 on the advisory panel without regard to the require21 ments of paragraphs (2) and (3). 

22 (b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The advisory panel will ad23 vise the task force on— 
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1 (1) development and implementation of the na2 tional strategy for ocean and coastal science edu3 cation; 

4 (2) matters relating to links between ocean and 

5 coastal science education and ocean and coastal ob6 serving systems, oceanographic facilities and labora7 tories, and national oceanographic data require8 ments; 

9 (3) issues pertaining to involvement of under10 represented groups in ocean-related careers; and 

11 (4) Any additional matters that the task force 

12 considers appropriate. 

13 (c) FUNDING.—The chair and vice chairs of the task 

14 force annually shall make funds available to support the 

15 activities of the Advisory Panel. 

16 TITLE II—INTERAGENCY PRO17 GRAMS TO ADVANCE OCEAN 

18 AND COASTAL KNOWLEDGE 

19 SEC. 201. NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR OCEAN AND COASTAL 

20 SCIENCE EDUCATION AND LITERACY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The task force shall develop a na22 tional strategy for ocean and coastal science education and 

23 literacy. The chair shall submit the strategy to the Con24 gress within 1 year after the date of enactment of this 

25 Act, and submit a revised strategy at least once every 3 
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1 years thereafter. The initial strategy shall be based on the 

2 recommendations of the United States Commission on 

3 Ocean Policy and shall establish, for the 10-year period 

4 beginning in the year the strategy is submitted, the goals 

5 and priorities for education that most effectively support 

6 national workforce and professional development needs 

7 and improve public understanding and ability to partici8 pate in ocean policy decisions. 

9 (b) SPECIFIC ACTIONS.—The strategy shall— 

10 (1) provide for increased Federal investment in 

11 ocean and coastal science education over 5 years and 

12 for additional investments in education and out13 reach, technology development, and ocean explo14 ration; 

15 (2) make recommendations for the coordination 

16 of Federal ocean and coastal science education ac17 tivities with those of States, regional entities, other 

18 nations, and international organizations; 

19 (3) consider and use, as appropriate, reports 

20 and studies conducted by Federal agencies and de21 partments, the National Research Council, or other 

22 entities; 

23 (4) establish a plan to improve representation 

24 of traditionally underrepresented groups in ocean-re25 lated careers, both policy and science; 
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1 (5) establish a plan to address specifically 

2 urban marine and coastal issues, emphasizing the 

3 link between urban communities and coastal issues 

4 including health, recreation, open space, develop5 ment, and resource use; 

6 (6) build on and complement existing programs; 

7 and 

8 (7) develop an evaluation and assessment strat9 egy for determining the most effective practices for 

10 existing and new ocean and coastal science education 

11 programs. 

12 (c) ELEMENTS.—The strategy shall include the fol13 lowing elements: 

14 (1) Ocean and coastal science education coordi15 nation and establishment of mechanisms to improve 

16 ocean literacy and contribute to public awareness of 

17 the condition and importance of the ocean. 

18 (2) Partnerships among Federal agencies, 

19 States, academia, industries, members of the ocean 

20 and coastal science community, and underrep21 resented groups. 

22 (3) Workforce and professional development in23 cluding traineeships, scholarships, fellowships, and 

24 internships. 
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1 (4) Information management systems that pro2 vide information from varied sources to produce in3 formation readily usable by ocean and coastal 

4 science educators, students, and the public. 

5 (5) The development, adapted for ocean and 

6 coastal science education, of technology and sensor 

7 development, including adaptation of their products 

8 for ocean and coastal science education. 

9 (6) The development of information manage10 ment systems and new learning technologies for effi11 cient delivery of Federal marine science assets to 

12 students, teachers, and citizen decision-makers. 

13 (d) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—In developing the 

14 strategy, the task force shall consult with the Advisory 

15 Panel, academic, State, industry, museums and aquar16 iums, education, and conservation groups and representa17 tives. Not later than 90 days before the chair submits the 

18 strategy, or any revision thereof, to the Congress, a sum19 mary of the proposed strategy or revision and a response 

20 to comments shall be published in the Federal Register 

21 for a public comment period of not less than 60 days. 

22 SEC. 202. OCEAN AND COASTAL SCIENCE EDUCATION PRO23 GRAM. 

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Consistent with the strategy, 

25 the President shall establish an interagency ocean and 
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•S 1465 IS 

1 coastal education program to improve public awareness, 

2 understanding, and appreciation of the role of the ocean 

3 in meeting our Nation’s economic, social, and environ4 mental needs. The program shall complement and build 

5 upon existing efforts rather than duplicate such efforts. 

6 The ocean and coastal education program shall include 

7 formal education activities for elementary, secondary, un8 dergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, con9 tinuing education activities for adults, and informal edu10 cation activities for learners of all ages. Under the pro11 gram, particular attention shall be paid with respect to— 

12 (1) students from underrepresented groups, es13 pecially at the elementary and secondary levels; and 

14 (2) elementary and secondary students in urban 

15 areas, with the goal of improving public awareness 

16 and literacy of urban coastal problems. 

17 (b) ELEMENTS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The program shall use ap19 propriate interagency coordination mechanisms, 

20 build upon existing programs, and shall, at a min21 imum, provide sustained funding for— 

22 (A) development of model instructional 

23 programs for students at all levels, with special 

24 focus on developing an urban unit; 
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1 (B) a regional education network to sup2 port academic competition and experiential 

3 learning opportunities for middle and high 

4 school students; 

5 (C) a regional education network specifi6 cally to enhance ocean literacy opportunities for 

7 minority students and students in urban areas; 

8 (D) teacher enrichment programs that pro9 vide for participation in ocean and coastal 

10 sciences, research expeditions, voyages of explo11 ration, and the conduct of scientific research; 

12 (E) educator professional development and 

13 student training and support to provide diverse 

14 ocean-related education opportunities at the un15 dergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels; 

16 (F) mentoring programs and partnerships 

17 with minority-serving institutions, building on 

18 elementary and secondary minority programs, 

19 to ensure diversity in the ocean and coastal 

20 workforce; 

21 (G) a national network of Centers for 

22 Ocean and Coastal Sciences Education Excel23 lence to improve the acquisition of knowledge 

24 by students at all levels through enhanced col-
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1 laborations between the scientific and education 

2 communities; 

3 (H) the National Ocean and Coastal 

4 Sciences Bowl, a competition among high 

5 schools to promote knowledge of the ocean and 

6 coasts, with evaluation of the potential merits 

7 of a similar program for middle schools; 

8 (I) the EstuaryLive program, a experien9 tial learning program focused on coastal re10 sources and issues; and 

11 (J) an internet-based ocean and coastal 

12 science portal to provide a centralized source of 

13 Federal, State, academic, non-governmental, 

14 and other ocean and coastal science education 

15 materials, programs, and products. 

16 (2) EVALUATION.—The task force shall assess 

17 and evaluate the elements of the program for suc18 cess on a continuing basis. 

19 (c) INTERAGENCY FUNDING.—The Administration, 

20 the National Science Foundation, and other Federal agen21 cies involved in the program are authorized to participate 

22 in interagency financing and share, transfer, receive, and 

23 spend funds appropriated to any Federal participant in 

24 the program for the purposes of carrying out any adminis25 trative or programmatic project or activity under this sec-
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1 tion. Funds may be transferred among such departments 

2 and agencies through an appropriate instrument that 

3 specifies the goods, services, or space being acquired from 

4 another Federal participant and the costs of the same. 

5 TITLE III—NOAA OCEAN 

6 SCIENCE AND COASTAL EDU7 CATION PROGRAMS 

8 SEC. 301. NOAA OCEAN AND COASTAL SCIENCE EDUCATION 

9 PROGRAMS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

11 (1) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH PROGRAMS.— 

12 The Administrator shall conduct, develop, support, 

13 promote, and coordinate formal and informal edu14 cational activities authorized by this section to en15 hance public awareness and understanding of the 

16 science, service, and stewardship missions of the Ad17 ministration, such as the EstuaryLive program, the 

18 Bay Watershed Education and Training Program, 

19 and the Teacher-at-Sea and Teacher-in-the Air Pro20 grams. In conducting those activities, the Adminis21 trator shall consult with the task force and build 

22 upon the educational programs and activities of the 

23 National Sea Grant College Program, the National 

24 Marine Sanctuaries Program, the National Estua25 rine Research Reserve System, regional offices of the 
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1 Administration, and programs relating to ocean ex2 ploration, undersea research, marine resources, ma3 rine observations, and oceans and human health. 

4 (2) EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDED.—In 

5 carrying out this section, the Administrator shall in6 clude among the educational activities education of 

7 the general public, teachers, students at all levels 

8 (including primary and secondary levels), and ocean 

9 and coastal managers and stakeholders, with par10 ticular attention to addressing the lack of participa11 tion by underrepresented groups in ocean and coast12 al sciences and policy careers. 

13 (3) GRANT AND CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—In 

14 carrying out educational activities under this section, 

15 the Administrator may enter into grants, contracts, 

16 cooperative agreements, resource sharing agreements 

17 or interagency financing with Federal, State and re18 gional agencies, tribes, commercial organizations, 

19 educational institutions, non-profit organizations or 

20 other persons. 

21 (4) GOALS; STANDARDS; PERIODIC ASSESS22 MENTS.—The Administrator shall establish goals 

23 and standards for assessing the success of each of 

24 the Administration’s educational activities under this 
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1 section and shall evaluate the success of each such 

2 activity every 3-to-5 years. 

3 (5) STRATEGIES.—The Administrator, in con4 sultation with the appropriate program directors, 

5 shall ensure that educational activities under this 

6 section will— 

7 (A) integrate agency-conducted and agen8 cy-funded science into high-quality educational 

9 materials; 

10 (B) improve access to Administration edu11 cational resources; 

12 (C) support educator professional develop13 ment programs to improve understanding and 

14 use of agency sciences; 

15 (D) promote participation in agency-re16 lated sciences and careers, particularly by mem17 bers of underrepresented groups; and 

18 (E) leverage partnerships to enhance for19 mal and informal environmental science edu20 cation. 

21 (b) REGIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es23 tablish a regional elementary and secondary edu24 cation program that— 
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1 (A) focuses on providing experiential learn2 ing opportunities for students in the area of 

3 ocean and coastal resources, based on the model 

4 of the Bay Watershed Education and Training 

5 Program; 

6 (B) is administered, wherever possible, at 

7 the local and regional offices of the Administra8 tion or Sea Grant College Program offices or 

9 offices of other appropriate existing programs; 

10 and 

11 (C) shall provide funding, on a competitive 

12 basis, to organizations emphasizing experiential 

13 learning for elementary and secondary students. 

14 (2) PRIORITIES.—The regional program shall 

15 give a priority to— 

16 (A) providing experiential ocean and coast17 al education programs for elementary, middle, 

18 and secondary school students that are aligned 

19 with National or State standards of learning; 

20 and 

21 (B) providing teacher training in ocean 

22 and coastal education, including adequate train23 ing for teachers to bring experiential learning 

24 into their classrooms. 
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1 (c) OCEAN AND COASTAL LITERACY IN URBAN ENVI2 RONMENTS PROGRAM.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es4 tablish an Ocean and Coastal Literacy in Urban En5 vironments Program (to be known as the Ocean 

6 CLUE Program) that is designed to broaden knowl7 edge about the oceans and coastal areas among 

8 underrepresented groups and in urban areas. 

9 (2) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.—In order to be eli10 gible to participate in the program— 

11 (A) at least 50 percent of the student body 

12 of an applicant school, or a school with which 

13 an applicant group proposes to work, shall con14 sist of members of underrepresented groups; or 

15 (B) the applicant school, or a school with 

16 which an applicant proposes to work, shall be 

17 located in an urban area. 

18 (3) GRANTS.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Under the program, 

20 the Administrator shall award grants to eligible 

21 elementary and secondary schools, or groups 

22 proposing to work with elementary and sec23 ondary schools selected through a competitive 

24 process, on the basis of the merits of their pro25 posals. 
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1 (B) TERM.—A grant under the program 

2 shall be awarded initially for a period of 1 year, 

3 but may be renewed annually for up to 3 addi4 tional years. 

5 (C) REQUIREMENTS.—As a condition of 

6 receiving a grant under the program, a recipi7 ent shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the 

8 Administrator that— 

9 (i) it will use a curriculum of ocean 

10 and coastal science that complements or 

11 satisfies National, State, or regional 

12 science requirements; 

13 (ii) activities funded in whole or in 

14 part by the grant will focus on marine 

15 science, marine policy, and other maritime 

16 social sciences, with experiential teaching 

17 methods explored; 

18 (iii) it will contribute to a coordinated 

19 Ocean CLUE website established by the 

20 Administrator that is accessible by the 

21 public; and 

22 (iv) it will undertake to meet with 

23 other grant recipients at least once during 

24 each year for which it is receiving a grant 
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1 to share curricula and to discuss successful 

2 techniques and challenges. 

3 (d) BAY WATERSHED EDUCATION AND TRAINING

4 PROGRAM.—The Administrator shall expand the Bay Wa5 tershed Education and Training Program by not more 

6 than 1 region per year. 

7 (e) EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.—The 

8 Administrator shall establish a program of educational 

9 partnerships with minority-serving institutions, providing 

10 financial assistance to these institutions to support col11 laborative research and training of students in ocean, at12 mospheric, and Earth sciences through competitive proc13 esses. The program shall have include at least the fol14 lowing 4 components: 

15 (1) Cooperative Science Centers will be estab16 lished at minority-serving institutions in partnership 

17 with other institutions that have established pro18 grams and graduate degrees in ocean, Earth, and 

19 atmospheric disciplines. 

20 (2) An Environmental Entrepreneurship Pro21 gram will provide funding to eligible minority-serving 

22 institutions to attract students who are members of 

23 an underrepresented group to pursue academic 

24 study, careers, and entrepreneurship opportunities in 

25 ocean, Earth, and atmospheric sciences. 
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1 (3) A Graduate Sciences Program will recruit 

2 and provide graduate level training in ocean, Earth, 

3 and atmospheric sciences to outstanding candidates 

4 who are members of an underrepresented group. 

5 (4) An Undergraduate Scholarship Program 

6 will be established whose goal is to increase the 

7 number of students who undertake coursework and 

8 graduate with degrees in fields integral to the Ad9 ministration’s mission. 

10 (f) ADDITIONAL ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY

11 PROGRAMS.—The Administrator shall establish elemen12 tary and secondary ocean education programs, exploring 

13 partnerships with non-governmental organizations and ex14 ploring experiential or non-traditional education tech15 niques, such as the EstuaryLive and the Bay Watershed 

16 Education and Training programs. 

17 (g) TEACHER-AT-SEA; TEACHER-IN-THE-AIR.—The 

18 Administrator shall— 

19 (1) establish a program, to be known as the 

20 Teacher-at-Sea Program, to bring teachers from ele21 mentary, middle, and secondary schools, and from 

22 institutions of higher education to sea aboard Ad23 ministration research and survey ships to work 

24 under the tutelage of scientists and crew; 
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1 (2) establish a related program, to be known as 

2 the Teacher-in-the Air Program, using Administra3 tion aircraft for the purposes of marine observations 

4 and studies of links between the atmosphere and the 

5 ocean; and 

6 (3) consider establishing a counterpart program 

7 to the Teacher-at-Sea Program in coastal areas 

8 using smaller Administration ships. 

9 (h) NOAA SCIENCE EDUCATION PLAN.—The Ad10 ministrator, in consultation with the Ocean Education 

11 Council and representatives of the Marine Sanctuaries 

12 Program, the Sea Grant Program, the National Estuarine 

13 Research Reserve System, the Office of Exploration, the 

14 National Undersea Research Program, and other appro15 priate Administration programs, shall develop a science 

16 education plan setting forth education goals and strategies 

17 for the Administration, as well as programmatic actions 

18 to carry out such goals and priorities over the next 20 

19 years. The plan shall— 

20 (1) set forth the Administration’s goals, prior21 ities, and programmatic activities for ocean and 

22 coastal science education in 5-year phases; 

23 (2) identify links between the Administration’s 

24 ocean and coastal science education activities and its 

25 programs and missions; 
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1 (3) consider the recommendations of ocean and 

2 coastal science and education experts, as well as 

3 those of professional education associations or orga4 nizations; 

5 (4) be developed in consultation with pro6 grammatic offices, ocean and coastal sciences and 

7 education experts, and interested members of the 

8 public; and 

9 (5) be evaluated and updated every 3-to-5 

10 years. 

11 SEC. 302. AMENDMENT TO THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COL12 LEGE PROGRAM ACT. 

13 Section 212(a) of the National Sea Grant College 

14 Program Act (33 U.S.C 1131(a)) is amended by adding 

15 at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(3) MARINE AND AQUATIC SCIENCE EDU17 CATION.—In addition to the amounts authorized for 

18 each fiscal year under paragraphs (1) and (2), there 

19 are authorized to be appropriated for marine and 

20 aquatic science education in each of fiscal years 

21 2006 through 2011— 

22 ‘‘(A) $6,000,000 in funding for the edu23 cational activities of sea grant programs; 
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1 ‘‘(B) $4,000,000 for competitive grants for 

2 projects and research that target national and 

3 regional ocean and coastal science literacy; and 

4 ‘‘(C) $3,000,000 for competitive grants to 

5 support educational partnerships under the na6 tional Coastal and Ocean Education Program 

7 to be funded through an appropriate inter8 agency mechanism.’’. 

9 SEC. 303. AMENDMENT TO THE COASTAL ZONE MANAGE10 MENT ACT OF 1972. 

11 Section 318(a) of the Coastal Zone Management Act 

12 of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1464(a)) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon in 

14 paragraph (1)(C); 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘1999.’’ in paragraph (2)(C) 

16 and inserting ‘‘1999; and’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(3) for estuarine science education, there are 

19 authorized to be appropriated, in addition to the 

20 amounts authorized for each fiscal year under para21 graphs (1) and (2), in each of fiscal years 2006 

22 through 2011— 

23 ‘‘(A) $3,000,000 in increased funding for 

24 the educational activities of National Estuarine 

25 Research Reserves; and 
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1 ‘‘(B) $1,000,000 for competitive grants for 

2 projects that use National Estuarine Research 

3 Reserve System system-wide monitoring pro4 gram data to advance ocean and coastal science 

5 literacy.’’. 

6 TITLE IV—AUTHORIZATIONS 

7 SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 (a) NATIONAL OCEAN AND COASTAL EDUCATION

9 PROGRAM.—Of the amounts authorized annually to the 

10 Department of the Navy, the National Science Founda11 tion, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra12 tion, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 

13 and other agencies that are members of the National 

14 Ocean and Coastal Science Education Task Force for fis15 cal year 2006 through fiscal year 2011, up to $25,000,000 

16 from each agency may be made available for the National 

17 Ocean and Coastal Education Program under section 202. 

18 (b) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN19 ISTRATION.—In addition to the amounts authorized to be 

20 made available by subsection (a) of this section and under 

21 section 212(a)(3) of the National Sea Grant College Pro22 gram Act (33 U.S.C 1131(a)(3)) and section 318(a)(3) 

23 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 

24 1464(a)(3)), there are authorized to be appropriated to 

25 the Administrator— 
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1 (1) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

2 through 2011 for educational activities under section 

3 301(a); 

4 (2) $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

5 through 2011 for educational activities under section 

6 301 (c); 

7 (3) $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

8 through 2011 for educational activities under section 

9 301(d); 

10 (4) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

11 through 2011 for educational activities under section 

12 301(e); 

13 (5) $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

14 through 2011 for educational activities under section 

15 301(f); and 

16 (6) $200,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

17 through 2011 for educational activities under section 

18 301(g). 

19 (c) AVAILABILITY.—Sums appropriated pursuant to 

20 subsection (b) shall remain available until expended. 

Æ