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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7713 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7713

To reauthorize the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 21, 2020

 Mr. Panetta introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on 
Armed Services, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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 reauthorize the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 Oceanographic Partnership 
Program Revitalization Act'' or the ``NOPP Revitalization Act''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

    Chapter 893 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:

``SEC. 8931. NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Navy shall establish a 
program to be known as the `National Oceanographic Partnership 
Program'.
    ``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are as follows:
            ``(1) To promote the national goals of assuring national 
        security, advancing economic development, protecting quality of 
        life, ensuring environmental stewardship, and strengthening 
        science education and communication through improved knowledge 
        of the ocean.
            ``(2) To coordinate and strengthen oceanographic efforts in 
        support of those goals by--
                    ``(A) creating and carrying out partnerships among 
                Federal agencies, academia, industry, and other members 
                of the oceanographic community in the areas of science, 
                data, resources, education, and communication; and
                    ``(B) accepting, planning, and executing 
                oceanographic research projects funded by grants, 
                contracts, cooperative agreements, or other vehicles as 
                appropriate, that contribute to assuring national 
                security, advancing economic development, protecting 
                quality of life, ensuring environmental stewardship, 
                and strengthening science education and communication 
                through improved knowledge of the ocean.

``SEC. 8932. OCEAN POLICY COMMITTEE.

    ``(a) Committee.--There is established an Ocean Policy Committee 
(hereinafter referred to as the `Committee'). The Committee shall 
retain the membership, co-chairs, and subcommittees outlined in 
Executive Order 13840.
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--The Committee shall continue the 
activities of that Committee as it was in existence on the day before 
the date of enactment of this Act. In discharging its responsibilities 
and to assist in the execution of the activities delineated in this 
subparagraph, the Committee may delegate to a subcommittee, as 
appropriate. The Committee shall:
            ``(1) Prescribe policies and procedures to implement the 
        National Oceanographic Partnership Program.
            ``(2) Engage and collaborate, pursuant to existing laws and 
        regulations, with stakeholders, including regional ocean 
        partnerships, to address ocean-related matters that may require 
        interagency or intergovernmental solutions.
            ``(3) Facilitate coordination and integration of Federal 
        activities in ocean and coastal waters to inform ocean policy 
        and identify priority ocean research, technology, and data 
        needs.
            ``(4) Review, select, and identify partnership projects for 
        implementation under the program, based on the following 
        criteria:
                    ``(A) Whether the project addresses important 
                research objectives or operational goals.
                    ``(B) Whether the project has, or is designed to 
                have, appropriate participation within the 
                oceanographic community of public, academic, 
                commercial, private participation or support.
                    ``(C) Whether the partners have a long-term 
                commitment to the objectives of the project.
                    ``(D) Whether the resources supporting the project 
                are shared among the partners.
                    ``(E) Whether the project has been subjected to 
                adequate review according to each of the supporting 
                agencies.
    ``(c) Annual Report and Brief.--Not later than March 1 of each 
year, the Committee shall post a report on a publicly available website 
and brief the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate; the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; the Committee on 
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives; and the 
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on the 
National Oceanographic Partnership Program. The report and brief shall 
discuss the following:
            ``(1) A description of activities of the program carried 
        out during the prior fiscal year.
            ``(2) A general outline of the activities planned for the 
        program during the current fiscal year.
            ``(3) A summary of projects, partnerships, and 
        collaborations, including the Federal and non-Federal sources 
        of funding, continued from the prior fiscal year and projects 
        expected to begin during the current and subsequent fiscal 
        years, as required in the program office report outlined in 
        section 8932(f)(2)(C).
            ``(4) The amounts requested in the budget submitted to 
        Congress pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31 for the 
        subsequent fiscal year, for the programs, projects, activities 
        and the estimated expenditures under such programs, projects, 
        and activities, to execute the National Oceanographic 
        Partnership Program.
            ``(5) A summary of national ocean research priorities 
        informed by the Ocean Research Advisory Panel required in 
        section 8933(b)(4).
            ``(6) A list of the members of the Ocean Research Advisory 
        Panel described in section 8933(a) and any working groups 
        described in section 8932(f)(2)(A) in existence during the 
        fiscal years covered.
The report and all briefing materials shall be posted to a publicly 
available website not later than 30 days after the briefing.
    ``(d) National Oceanographic Partnership Fund.--There is 
established in the Treasury a separate account to be known as the 
National Oceanographic Partnership Program Fund to be jointly managed 
by the Secretary of the Navy, the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, and any other Federal agency that 
contributes amounts to the Fund.
            ``(1) Appropriation and authorized uses.--Amounts in the 
        Fund shall be available to the NOPP without further 
        appropriation to remain available for up to 5 years from the 
        date contributed or until expended for the purpose of carrying 
        out this section.
            ``(2) Crediting of amounts to fund.--There is authorized to 
        be credited to the Fund the following:
                    ``(A) Such amounts as determined appropriate to be 
                transferred to the Fund by the head of a Federal agency 
                or entity participating in the National Oceanographic 
                Partnership Program.
                    ``(B) Funds provided by a State, local government, 
                tribal government, territory, or possession, or any 
                subdivisions thereof.
                    ``(C) Funds contributed by a non-profit 
                organization, individual, or Congressionally 
                established foundation; by private grants, contracts, 
                and donations.
            ``(3) Contract and grant authority.--For the purpose of 
        carrying out this section, as directed by the Committee, 
        departments or agencies represented on the Committee may enter 
        into contracts, make grants, including transactions authorized 
        by paragraph (4), and may transfer funds available to the 
        National Oceanographic Partnership Program under paragraph (2) 
        to participating departments and agencies for such purposes.
            ``(4) Cooperation with other agencies, states, territories, 
        and political subdivisions.--The Committee or any participating 
        Federal agency or entity may enter into an agreement to use, 
        with or without reimbursement, the land, services, equipment, 
        personnel, and facilities of any department, agency, or 
        instrumentality of the United States, or of any State, local 
        government, Indian tribal government, Territory, District of 
        Columbia, or possession, or of any political subdivision 
        thereof, or of any foreign government or international 
        organization or individual, for the purpose of carrying out 
        this section.
    ``(e) Establishment and Forms of Partnership Projects.--A 
partnership project under the National Oceanographic Partnership 
Program--
            ``(1) may be established by any instrument that the 
        Committee considers appropriate; and
            ``(2) may include demonstration projects.
    ``(f) Partnership Program Office.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Navy and 
        Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration shall jointly establish a partnership program 
        office for the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. 
        Competitive procedures will be used to select an external 
        operator for the partnership program office.
            ``(2) Duties.--The Committee will monitor the performance 
        of the duties of the partnership program office, which shall 
        consist of the following:
                    ``(A) To support working groups established by the 
                Committee or subcommittee and report working group 
                activities to the Committee, including working group 
                proposals for partnership projects.
                    ``(B) To support the process for proposing 
                partnership projects to the Committee, including, where 
                appropriate, managing review of such projects.
                    ``(C) To submit to the Committee and make publicly 
                available an annual report on the status of all 
                partnership projects, including the Federal and non-
                Federal sources of funding for each project, and 
                activities of the office.
                    ``(D) To perform any additional duties for the 
                administration of the National Oceanographic 
                Partnership Program that the Committee considers 
                appropriate.

``SEC. 8933. OCEAN RESEARCH ADVISORY PANEL.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Committee shall establish an Ocean 
Research Advisory Panel consisting of not less than 10 and not more 
than 18 members appointed by the Co-chairs, including the following:
            ``(1) Three members who will represent the National 
        Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
            ``(2) Members selected from among individuals who will 
        represent the views of ocean industries, State, tribal, 
        territorial or local governments, academia, and such other 
        views as the Co-chairs consider appropriate.
            ``(3) Members selected from among individuals eminent in 
        the fields of marine science, marine technology, and marine 
        policy, or related fields.
The Committee shall ensure that an appropriate balance of academic, 
scientific, industry, and geographical interests and gender and racial 
diversity are represented by the members of the Advisory Panel.
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--The Committee shall assign the following 
responsibilities to the Advisory Panel:
            ``(1) To advise the Committee on policies and procedures to 
        implement the National Oceanographic Partnership Program.
            ``(2) To advise the Committee on matters relating to 
        national oceanographic science, engineering, facilities, or 
        resource requirements.
            ``(3) To advise the Committee on improving diversity, 
        equity, and inclusion in the ocean sciences and related fields
            ``(4) To advise the Committee on national ocean research 
        priorities.
            ``(5) Any additional responsibilities that the Committee 
        considers appropriate.
            ``(6) To meet no fewer than two times a year.
    ``(c) Administrative and Technical Support.--The Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall provide such 
administrative and technical support as the Ocean Research Advisory 
Panel may require.
    ``(d) Federal Advisory Committee Act.--Section 14 of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Ocean 
Research Advisory Panel appointed under section 8933.''.
                                 <all>
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