II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3348 

To amend the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control 

Act of 1998 to address harmful algal blooms, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 

Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself and Ms. BALDWIN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To amend the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research 

and Control Act of 1998 to address harmful algal 

blooms, and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Harmful Algal Bloom 

5 and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 

6 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS 

2 AND HYPOXIA RESEARCH AND CONTROL ACT 

3 OF 1998. 

4 (a) ASSESSMENTS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 603 of the Harmful 

6 Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control 

7 Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 4001) is amended— 

8 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

9 ‘‘ASSESSMENTS’’ and inserting ‘‘TASK

10 FORCE, ASSESSMENTS, AND ACTION

11 STRATEGY’’; 

12 (B) in subsection (a)— 

13 (i) by redesignating paragraphs (13) 

14 and (14) as paragraphs (14) and (15), re15 spectively; and 

16 (ii) by inserting after paragraph (12) 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(13) the Department of Energy;’’; 

19 (C) by striking subsections (b), (c), (d), 

20 (e), (g), (h), and (i) and redesignating sub21 section (f) as subsection (b); 

22 (D) in subsection (b), as so redesignated— 

23 (i) in paragraph (1), in the first sen24 tence, by striking ‘‘coastal waters including 

25 the Great Lakes’’ and inserting ‘‘marine, 

26 estuarine, and freshwater systems’’; and 


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1 (ii) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (I) by amending subparagraph 

3 (A) to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(A) examine— 

5 ‘‘(i) the causes and ecological consequences 

6 of hypoxia on marine and aquatic species in 

7 their natural environments; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) the socio-cultural or economic costs of 

9 hypoxia, including impacts on food safety and 

10 security;’’; 

11 (II) by redesignating subpara12 graphs (B), (C), and (D) as subpara13 graphs (D), (E), and (F), respectively; 

14 (III) by inserting after subpara15 graph (A) the following: 

16 ‘‘(B) examine the effect of other environmental 

17 stressors on hypoxia; 

18 ‘‘(C) evaluate alternatives for reducing, miti19 gating, and controlling hypoxia and its environ20 mental impacts;’’; 

21 (IV) in subparagraph (D), as re22 designated by subclause (II), by in23 serting ‘‘, social,’’ after ‘‘ecological’’; 

24 and 


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1 (V) in subparagraph (E), as re2 designated by subclause (II), by strik3 ing ‘‘hypoxia modeling and monitoring 

4 data’’ and inserting ‘‘hypoxia mod5 eling, forecasting, and monitoring and 

6 observation data’’; and 

7 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(c) ACTION STRATEGY AND SCIENTIFIC ASSESS9 MENT FOR MARINE AND FRESHWATER HARMFUL ALGAL

10 BLOOMS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than 

12 once every 5 years, the Task Force shall complete 

13 and submit to Congress an action strategy for harm14 ful algal blooms in the United States. 

15 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—Each Action Strategy 

16 shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) examine, and include a scientific as18 sessment of, marine and freshwater harmful 

19 algal blooms, including such blooms— 

20 ‘‘(i) in the Great Lakes and upper 

21 reaches of estuaries; 

22 ‘‘(ii) in freshwater lakes and rivers; 

23 and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) that originate in freshwater 

2 lakes or rivers and migrate to coastal 

3 waters; 

4 ‘‘(B) examine the causes, ecological con5 sequences, and economic or socio-cultural im6 pacts, including food safety and security, of 

7 harmful algal blooms; 

8 ‘‘(C) examine the effect of other environ9 mental stressors on harmful algal blooms; 

10 ‘‘(D) examine potential methods to pre11 vent, control, and mitigate harmful algal blooms 

12 and the potential ecological, social, cultural, and 

13 economic costs and benefits of such methods; 

14 ‘‘(E) identify priorities for research needed 

15 to advance techniques and technologies to de16 tect, predict, monitor, respond to, and minimize 

17 the occurrence, duration, and severity of harm18 ful algal blooms, including recommendations to 

19 eliminate significant gaps in harmful algal 

20 bloom forecasting, monitoring, and observation 

21 data; 

22 ‘‘(F) evaluate progress made by, and the 

23 needs of, activities and actions of the Task 

24 Force to prevent, control, and mitigate harmful 

25 algal blooms; 


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1 ‘‘(G) identify ways to improve coordination 

2 and prevent unnecessary duplication of effort 

3 among Federal agencies with respect to re4 search on harmful algal blooms; and 

5 ‘‘(H) include regional chapters relating to 

6 the requirements described in this paragraph in 

7 order to highlight geographically and eco8 logically diverse locations with significant eco9 logical, social, cultural, and economic impacts 

10 from harmful algal blooms. 

11 ‘‘(d) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out subsections 

12 (b) and (c), the Task Force shall consult with— 

13 ‘‘(1) States, Indian tribes, and local govern14 ments; and 

15 ‘‘(2) appropriate industries (including fisheries, 

16 agriculture, and fertilizer), academic institutions, 

17 and nongovernmental organizations with relevant ex18 pertise.’’. 

19 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con20 tents in section 2 of the Coast Guard Authorization 

21 Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–383; 112 Stat. 3412; 

22 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by striking the item re23 lating to section 603 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 603. Task Force, assessments, and Action Strategy.’’. 

24 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 102 

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1 ments Act of 2004 (33 U.S.C. 4001a) is amended 

2 by striking ‘‘In developing’’ and all that follows 

3 through ‘‘management.’’. 

4 (b) NATIONAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HY5 POXIA PROGRAM.—Section 603A of the Harmful Algal 

6 Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 

7 (33 U.S.C. 4002) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘predicting,’’ and in11 serting ‘‘monitoring, observing, fore12 casting,’’; and 

13 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi14 colon; and 

15 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(2) the scientific assessment submitted under 

18 section 603(b); and 

19 ‘‘(3) the Action Strategy.’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (c)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘ocean 

22 and Great Lakes science and management pro23 grams and centers’’ and inserting ‘‘programs 

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1 ment of marine, estuarine, and freshwater sys2 tems’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘while 

4 recognizing each agency is acting under its own 

5 independent mission and authority’’ before the 

6 semicolon; 

7 (3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘Except as 

8 provided in subsection (h), the’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘The’’; 

10 (4) in subsection (e)— 

11 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

12 by inserting ‘‘(or the Administrator, as provided 

13 under subsection (g))’’ after ‘‘Under Sec14 retary’’; 

15 (B) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

16 follows: 

17 ‘‘(2) examine, in collaboration with State and 

18 local entities and Indian tribes, including island 

19 communities, low-population rural communities, In20 digenous communities, subsistence communities, 

21 fisheries, and recreation industries that are most de22 pendent on coastal and water resources that may be 

23 impacted by marine and freshwater harmful algal 

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1 sequences, cultural impacts, and social and economic 

2 costs of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia;’’; 

3 (C) by striking paragraph (3); 

4 (D) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), 

5 and (6) as paragraphs (3), (4), and (5), respec6 tively; 

7 (E) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, 

8 by striking ‘‘agencies’’ and inserting ‘‘entities, 

9 regional coastal observing systems (as defined 

10 in section 12303 of the Integrated Coastal and 

11 Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (33 

12 U.S.C. 3602)),’’; 

13 (F) in paragraph (5), as redesignated by 

14 subparagraph (D), by inserting ‘‘and commu15 nities’’ after ‘‘ecosystems’’; 

16 (G) by inserting after paragraph (5), as re17 designated by subparagraph (D), the following: 

18 ‘‘(6) support sustained observations, including 

19 through peer-reviewed, merit-based, competitive 

20 grant funding, to provide State and local entities, 

21 Indian tribes, and other entities access to real-time 

22 or near real-time observation data for decision-mak23 ing to protect human and ecological health and local 

24 economies;’’; 


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1 (H) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘and 

2 Indian tribes’’ after ‘‘managers’’; and 

3 (I) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking ‘‘, trib4 al, and local stakeholders’’ and inserting ‘‘and 

5 local stakeholders and Indian tribes’’; 

6 (5) by amending subsections (f), (g), and (h) to 

7 read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(f) COOPERATION AND COORDINATION.—The 

9 Under Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) work cooperatively with and avoid duplica11 tion of effort of other agencies on the Task Force 

12 and States, Indian tribes, and nongovernmental or13 ganizations concerned with marine and freshwater 

14 issues; and 

15 ‘‘(2) coordinate harmful algal bloom and hy16 poxia and related activities and research with those 

17 entities. 

18 ‘‘(g) FRESHWATER AND ESTUARINE PROGRAM DU19 TIES.—The Administrator, in coordination with the Task 

20 Force, shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) carry out the duties under the Administra22 tor’s purview under subsection (e) for freshwater as23 pects of the Program through the activities required 

24 under section 603C; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) coordinate with the Under Secretary on es2 tuarine aspects of the Program through the activi3 ties required under this section. 

4 ‘‘(h) ANTI-DEFICIENCY ACT APPLIED TO HARMFUL

5 ALGAL BLOOM SERVICES.—Any services accepted by an 

6 officer or employee of the United States Government 

7 under this title relating to the development and dissemina8 tion of forecasts and bulletins through the Harmful Algal 

9 Bloom Operational Forecast System of the National Cen10 ters for Coastal Ocean Science and the National Oceanic 

11 and Atmospheric Administration shall be considered, for 

12 purposes of section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, 

13 services for an emergency involving the safety of human 

14 life or the protection of property. Such consideration shall 

15 apply only to services performed for areas with active 

16 harmful algal blooms during any lapse in appropriations 

17 beginning on or after the date of the enactment of the 

18 Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control 

19 Amendments Act of 2023.’’; and 

20 (6) by striking subsection (i). 

21 (c) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN22 ISTRATION ACTIVITIES.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 603B of the Harm24 ful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control 


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1 Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 4003) is amended to read 

2 as follows: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 603B. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC AD4 MINISTRATION ACTIVITIES. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) carry out response activities for marine, 

7 coastal, and Great Lakes harmful algal bloom and 

8 hypoxia events; 

9 ‘‘(2) develop and enhance operational harmful 

10 algal bloom observing and forecasting programs, in11 cluding operational observations and forecasting, 

12 monitoring, modeling, data management, and infor13 mation dissemination; 

14 ‘‘(3) maintain and enhance peer-reviewed, 

15 merit-based, competitive grant funding relating to 

16 harmful algal blooms and hypoxia— 

17 ‘‘(A) to maintain and enhance baseline 

18 monitoring programs established by the Pro19 gram; 

20 ‘‘(B) to support the projects maintained 

21 and established by the Program; 

22 ‘‘(C) to address the research and manage23 ment needs and priorities identified in the Ac24 tion Strategy; 


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1 ‘‘(D) to accelerate the utilization of effec2 tive methods of intervention and mitigation to 

3 reduce the frequency, severity, and impacts of 

4 harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events; 

5 ‘‘(E) to identify opportunities to improve 

6 monitoring of harmful algal bloom and hypoxia, 

7 with a particular focus on coastal waters that 

8 may affect fisheries, public health, or subsist9 ence harvest; 

10 ‘‘(F) to examine the effects of other envi11 ronmental stressors on harmful algal blooms 

12 and hypoxia; 

13 ‘‘(G) to assess the effects of multiple envi14 ronmental stressors on living marine resources 

15 and coastal ecosystems; and 

16 ‘‘(H) to evaluate adaptation and mitigation 

17 strategies to address the impacts of harmful 

18 algal blooms and hypoxia; 

19 ‘‘(4) enhance communication and coordination 

20 among Federal agencies carrying out activities and 

21 research relating to marine and freshwater harmful 

22 algal bloom and hypoxia; 

23 ‘‘(5) to the greatest extent practicable, leverage 

24 existing resources and expertise available from local 

25 research universities and institutions; and 


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1 ‘‘(6) use cost effective methods in carrying out 

2 this section. 

3 ‘‘(b) INTEGRATED COASTAL AND OCEAN OBSERVA4 TION SYSTEM.—The collection of monitoring and observ5 ing data under this section shall comply with all data 

6 standards and protocols developed pursuant to the Inte7 grated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 

8 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.). Such data shall be made 

9 available through the National Integrated Coastal and 

10 Ocean Observation System established under section 

11 12304 of that Act (33 U.S.C. 3603).’’. 

12 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con13 tents in section 2 of the Coast Guard Authorization 

14 Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–383; 112 Stat. 3412; 

15 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by striking the item re16 lating to section 603B and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 603B. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration activities.’’. 

17 (d) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ACTIVI18 TIES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Harmful Algal Bloom 

20 and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 is 

21 amended by inserting after section 603B (33 U.S.C. 

22 4003) the following: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 603C. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AC24 TIVITIES. 

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


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1 ‘‘(1) carry out research on the ecology and 

2 human health impacts of freshwater harmful algal 

3 blooms and hypoxia events; 

4 ‘‘(2) develop and maintain forecasting and mon5 itoring of, and event response to, freshwater harmful 

6 algal blooms in lakes, rivers, estuaries (including 

7 tributaries thereof), and reservoirs; 

8 ‘‘(3) enhance communication and coordination 

9 among Federal agencies carrying out freshwater 

10 harmful algal bloom and hypoxia activities and re11 search; 

12 ‘‘(4) to the greatest extent practicable, leverage 

13 existing resources and expertise available at local re14 search universities and institutions; and 

15 ‘‘(5) use cost-effective methods in carrying out 

16 this section. 

17 ‘‘(b) NONDUPLICATION.—The Administrator shall 

18 ensure that activities carried out under subsection (a) 

19 focus on new approaches to addressing freshwater harmful 

20 algal blooms and are not duplicative of existing research 

21 and development programs authorized by this title or any 

22 other law.’’. 

23 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con24 tents in section 2 of the Coast Guard Authorization 

25 Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–383; 112 Stat. 3412; 


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1 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by inserting after the 

2 item relating to section 603B the following: 

‘‘Sec. 603C. Environmental Protection Agency activities.’’. 

3 (e) NATIONAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HY4 POXIA OBSERVING NETWORK.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 606 of the Harmful 

6 Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control 

7 Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 4005) is amended to read 

8 as follows: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 606. NATIONAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM OBSERVING 

10 NETWORK. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary, acting 

12 through the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science 

13 and the Integrated Ocean Observing System of the Na14 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall in15 tegrate Federal, State, regional, and local observing capa16 bilities to establish a national network of observing sys17 tems for the monitoring, detection, and forecasting of 

18 harmful algal blooms by leveraging the capacity of re19 gional associations of the Integrated Ocean Observing Sys20 tem, including through the incorporation of emerging tech21 nologies and new data integration methods, such as artifi22 cial intelligence. 

23 ‘‘(b) COORDINATION AND DATA ASSEMBLY.—In car24 rying out subsection (a), the Program Office of the Inte25 grated Ocean Observing System shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) coordinate with the National Centers for 

2 Coastal Ocean Science regarding observations, data 

3 integration, and information dissemination; and 

4 ‘‘(2) establish a center for the assembly of data 

5 on harmful algal blooms to integrate, disseminate, 

6 and provide a central architecture to support ecologi7 cal forecasting.’’. 

8 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con9 tents in section 2 of the Coast Guard Authorization 

10 Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–383; 112 Stat. 3412; 

11 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by striking the item re12 lating to section 606 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 606. National harmful algal bloom observing network.’’. 

13 (f) NATIONAL-LEVEL INCUBATOR PROGRAM.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Harmful Algal Blooms 

15 and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 is 

16 amended by inserting after section 606 (33 U.S.C. 

17 4005) the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 606A. NATIONAL-LEVEL INCUBATOR PROGRAM. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary, in collabo20 ration with the Administrator and research universities 

21 and institutions, shall establish a national-level incubator 

22 program (in this section referred to as the ‘program’) to 

23 increase the number of strategies, technologies, and meas24 ures available to prevent, mitigate, and control harmful 

25 algal blooms. 


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1 ‘‘(b) FRAMEWORK.—The program shall establish a 

2 framework for preliminary assessments of novel strategies, 

3 technologies, and measures to prevent, mitigate, and con4 trol harmful algal blooms in order to determine the poten5 tial effectiveness and scalability of such technologies. 

6 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.—The program shall provide merit7 based funding, using amounts otherwise available to the 

8 Under Secretary for the award of grants, for strategies, 

9 technologies, and measures that eliminate or reduce, 

10 through biological, chemical, or physical means, the levels 

11 of harmful algae and associated toxins resulting from 

12 harmful algal blooms. 

13 ‘‘(d) DATABASE.—The program shall include a data14 base for cataloging the licensing and permitting require15 ments, economic costs, feasibility, effectiveness, and 

16 scalability of novel and established strategies, tech17 nologies, and measures to prevent, mitigate, and control 

18 harmful algal blooms. 

19 ‘‘(e) PRIORITIZATION.—In carrying out the program, 

20 the Under Secretary shall prioritize proposed strategies, 

21 technologies, and measures that would, to the maximum 

22 extent practicable— 

23 ‘‘(1) protect key habitats for fish and wildlife; 

24 ‘‘(2) maintain biodiversity; 

25 ‘‘(3) protect public health; 


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1 ‘‘(4) protect coastal resources of national, his2 torical, and cultural significance; or 

3 ‘‘(5) benefit low-income communities, Indian 

4 tribes or Indigenous communities, and rural commu5 nities.’’. 

6 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con7 tents in section 2 of the Coast Guard Authorization 

8 Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–383; 112 Stat. 3412; 

9 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by inserting after the 

10 item relating to section 606 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 606A. National-level incubator program.’’. 

11 (g) DEFINITIONS.—Section 609 of the Harmful Algal 

12 Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 

13 (33 U.S.C. 4008) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘means the 

15 comprehensive research plan and action strategy es16 tablished under section 603B’’ and inserting ‘‘means 

17 the action strategy for harmful algal blooms in the 

18 United States most recently submitted under section 

19 603(c)’’; 

20 (2) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol21 lows: 

22 ‘‘(3) HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM.—The term 

23 ‘harmful algal bloom’ means a high concentration of 

24 marine or freshwater algae or macroalgae, including 

25 Sargassum, resulting in nuisance conditions or 


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1 harmful impacts on marine and freshwater eco2 systems, communities, or human health through the 

3 production of toxic compounds or other biological, 

4 chemical, or physical impacts of the algae out5 break.’’; 

6 (3) by striking paragraph (9); 

7 (4) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), (6), 

8 (7), and (8) as paragraphs (6), (7), (8), (10), and 

9 (11), respectively; 

10 (5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(4) HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HYPOXIA

13 EVENT.—The term ‘harmful algal bloom and hy14 poxia event’ means the occurrence of a harmful algal 

15 bloom or hypoxia as a result of a natural, anthropo16 genic, or undetermined cause. 

17 ‘‘(5) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 

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

19 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

20 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).’’; 

21 (6) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by para22 graph (4)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘aquatic’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘marine or freshwater’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘resident’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘marine or freshwater’’; and 

3 (7) by inserting after paragraph (8), as redesig4 nated by paragraph (4), the following: 

5 ‘‘(9) SUBSISTENCE USE.—The term ‘subsist6 ence use’ means the customary and traditional use 

7 of fish, wildlife, or other freshwater, coastal, or ma8 rine resources by any individual or community to 

9 meet personal or family needs, including essential 

10 economic, nutritional, or cultural applications.’’. 

11 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Sub12 section (a) of section 610 of the Harmful Algal Blooms 

13 and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (33 

14 U.S.C. 4009) is amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro16 priated to carry out this title, for each of fiscal years 2024 

17 through 2028— 

18 ‘‘(1) $19,500,000 to the Under Secretary; and 

19 ‘‘(2) $8,000,000 to the Administrator.’’. 

20 SEC. 3. OTHER HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM MATTERS. 

21 (a) HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM OR HYPOXIA EVENT OF

22 NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.—Section 9(g) of the National 

23 Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization 

24 Act of 2018 (33 U.S.C. 4010(g)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(D) CONTRACT, GRANT, AND COOPERA4 TIVE AGREEMENT AUTHORITY.—The Under 

5 Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmos6 phere may enter into agreements and grants 

7 with States, Indian Tribes, local governments, 

8 or other entities to pay for or reimburse costs 

9 incurred by such entities for the purposes of 

10 supporting the determination of, and assessing 

11 the environmental, economic, social, subsistence 

12 use, and public health effects of, a harmful 

13 algal bloom or hypoxia event of national signifi14 cance.’’; 

15 (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ‘‘, a lead16 ership official of an affected Indian Tribe, the execu17 tive official of the District of Columbia, or the exec18 utive official of an affected territory or possession of 

19 the United States,’’ after ‘‘State’’; and 

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

21 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

22 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

23 this subsection $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

24 2024 through 2028, to remain available until ex25 pended.’’. 


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1 (b) PROTECT FAMILIES FROM TOXIC ALGAL

2 BLOOMS.—Section 128 of the Water Resources Develop3 ment Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 610 note; division AA of 

4 Public Law 116–260) is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub6 section (f); and 

7 (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(e) HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM TECHNOLOGIES.—In 

10 carrying out the demonstration program under subsection 

11 (a), the Secretary may enter into agreements with water 

12 and irrigation districts located in the focus areas described 

13 in subsections (c) and (d) for the use or sale of any new 

14 technologies developed under the demonstration program 

15 to expedite the removal of harmful algal blooms in those 

16 areas.’’. 

Æ 


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