II 

Calendar No. 504 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2511 

[Report No. 115–291] 

To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 

to carry out a program on coordinating the assessment and acquisition 

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of unmanned 

maritime systems, to make available to the public data collected by 

the Administration using such systems, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2018 

Mr. WICKER (for himself and Mr. SCHATZ) introduced the following bill; which 

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

Transportation 

JULY 9, 2018 

Reported by Mr. THUNE, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 

and Atmosphere to carry out a program on coordinating 

the assessment and acquisition by the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration of unmanned maritime 

systems, to make available to the public data collected 

by the Administration using such systems, and for other 

purposes. 


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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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘Commercial Engagement Through Ocean Technology 

6 Act of 2018’’ or the ‘‘CENOTE Act of 2018’’. 

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

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—ASSESSMENT AND ACQUISITION OF UNMANNED 

MARITIME SYSTEMS 

Sec. 101. Establishment of program on assessment and acquisition by National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of unmanned maritime systems. 

Sec. 102. Regular assessment of unmanned maritime systems to support National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration missions. 

Sec. 103. Acquisition of unmanned maritime systems. 

Sec. 104. Annual report on unmanned maritime systems and effects on mission 

of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Sec. 105. Authorization of appropriations and additional authorities. 

TITLE II—AVAILABILITY OF DATA FROM UNMANNED MARITIME 

SYSTEMS 

Sec. 201. Public availability of data collected by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration using unmanned maritime systems. 

Sec. 202. Public engagement on matters relating to data collected by National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration using unmanned 

maritime systems. 

Sec. 203. Facilitating joint projects between National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration and private industry on unmanned maritime 

systems. 

9 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra12 tion’’ means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

13 Administration. 


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1 (2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis2 trator’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

3 Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the 

4 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

5 (3) COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE ADMINIS6 TRATION.—The term ‘‘cooperative activities of the 

7 Administration’’ means cooperative activities be8 tween the Administration and an external entity, 

9 such as the Cooperative Institutes, Sea Grant Col10 leges, National Estuarine Research Reserves, the 

11 National Oceanographic Partnership Program estab12 lished under chapter 665 of title 10, United States 

13 Code, and regional associations of the Integrated 

14 Ocean Observing System. 

15 (4) CURATE THE DATA AND DATA CURATION.— 

16 The terms ‘‘curate the data’’ and ‘‘data curation’’ 

17 shall encompass the processes of conducting quality 

18 assurance and quality control measures for data, 

19 capturing associated appropriate meta data, elec20 tronic storage and back up of the data, and ensuring 

21 accessibility of the data. 

22 (5) DATA SPECIFICATIONS.—The term ‘‘data 

23 specifications’’ shall refer to the type, resolution, pe24 riodicity, and quality of data required by a program 

25 of the Administration. 


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1 (6) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 

2 the program established under section 101(a). 

3 (7) TEST OR TRAINING RANGE.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘test or 

5 training range’’ means an area designated for 

6 operating unmanned maritime systems and 

7 other types of systems for the purpose of— 

8 (i) evaluating the performance of such 

9 systems; or 

10 (ii) training personnel on operating 

11 procedures for such systems. 

12 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘test or 

13 training range’’ may include specialized fixed or 

14 portable instrumentation for the operation of 

15 unmanned maritime systems and other types of 

16 systems. 

17 (8) UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘unmanned 

19 maritime systems’’ means remotely operated or 

20 autonomous vehicles produced by the commer21 cial sector— 

22 (i) designed to travel in the air, on or 

23 under the ocean surface, on land, or any 

24 combination, and that function without an 

25 on-board human presence; and 


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1 (ii) that may include associated com2 ponents such as control and communica3 tions, data transmission, and processing 

4 systems. 

5 (B) EXAMPLES.—The term ‘‘unmanned 

6 maritime systems’’ includes the following: 

7 (i) Unmanned undersea vehicles. 

8 (ii) Unmanned surface vehicles. 

9 (iii) Unmanned aerial vehicles. 

10 (iv) Autonomous underwater vehicles. 

11 (v) Autonomous surface vehicles. 

12 (vi) Autonomous aerial vehicles. 

13 TITLE I—ASSESSMENT AND AC14 QUISITION OF UNMANNED 

15 MARITIME SYSTEMS 

16 SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM ON ASSESSMENT 

17 AND ACQUISITION BY NATIONAL OCEANIC 

18 AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION OF UN19 MANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS. 

20 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall es21 tablish within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Re22 search (OAR) and the Office of Marine and Aviation Oper23 ations (OMAO) a joint program office to coordinate the 

24 Administration’s research, assessment, and acquisition of 

25 unmanned maritime systems. The program established 


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1 under this section shall also consider the use of unmanned 

2 maritime systems in cooperative activities of the Adminis3 tration. 

4 (b) COORDINATION WITHIN THE ADMINISTRA5 TION.— 

6 (1) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH COORDINATING

7 COMMITTEE.—The Administrator shall establish a 

8 coordinating committee to ensure that the Program 

9 addresses requirements throughout the Administra10 tion. 

11 (2) INCLUDED.—In establishing a coordinating 

12 committee under paragraph (1), the Administrator 

13 shall ensure that representation in the committee is 

14 included from the following: 

15 (A) The Office of Ocean Exploration 

16 (OER). 

17 (B) The program office of the Integrated 

18 Ocean Observing System. 

19 (C) Such other offices of the Administra20 tion as the Administrator determines are ac21 tively engaged with unmanned maritime sys22 tems. 

23 (3) DESIGNATION.—A coordinating committee 

24 established under paragraph (1) shall be known as 


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1 the ‘‘Unmanned Maritime Systems Ocean Tech2 nology Coordinating Committee’’. 

3 (c) COORDINATION WITH THE NAVY.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the Pro5 gram, the Administrator shall— 

6 (A) make efforts to coordinate with the 

7 Secretary of the Navy to leverage expertise in 

8 the development and operational transition of 

9 unmanned maritime systems; 

10 (B) align with, utilize, and inform the 

11 Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Op12 erations and the Oceanographer of the Navy’s 

13 strategic and operational priorities, particularly 

14 for missions and geography within the Adminis15 tration’s purview; 

16 (C) seek to utilize Naval unmanned sys17 tems test or training ranges, such as the Gulf 

18 of Mexico Unmanned Systems Test and Train19 ing Range of the Naval Meteorology and Ocean20 ography Command, and maximize interagency 

21 cooperation and sharing of best practices; and 

22 (D) to formalize coordination, execute a 

23 memorandum of understanding with the Sec24 retary of the Navy that includes— 


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1 (i) incorporating consideration of pri2 orities and requirements of the Adminis3 tration into research and development ac4 tivities conducted by the Secretary of the 

5 Navy; 

6 (ii) consultation intended to encourage 

7 and facilitate efforts by the Administration 

8 to partner with the Navy to procure un9 manned maritime systems and to establish, 

10 instrument, and operate test or training 

11 ranges and related facilities; 

12 (iii) adopting procedures defined by 

13 the Secretary of the Navy for the Adminis14 tration to access and utilize test or train15 ing ranges or related Naval facilities for 

16 purposes identified in paragraph (2)(B); 

17 and 

18 (iv) such other topics as the Adminis19 trator considers necessary or advisable, in20 cluding mapping, bathymetry, observations, 

21 and ocean exploration. 

22 (2) LOCATION.—The Administrator shall, if 

23 practicable, carry out the Program at a facility 

24 where the Navy and the Administration are co-lo25 cated, for the following purposes: 


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1 (A) Gaining efficiencies through collabora2 tion. 

3 (B) Advancing development of unmanned 

4 maritime systems, including— 

5 (i) systems research and development; 

6 (ii) systems testing; 

7 (iii) systems modifications; and 

8 (iv) systems integration. 

9 (C) Accelerating transition from concept to 

10 manufacturing and acquisition. 

11 (d) COORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGEN12 CIES.—In carrying out the Program, the Administrator 

13 and the Secretary of the Navy may utilize the National 

14 Oceanographic Partnership Program, established under 

15 chapter 665 of title 10, United States Code, as a mecha16 nism for providing interagency coordination for the ad17 vancement of unmanned maritime systems. 

18 (e) COORDINATION WITH ACADEMIC SECTOR.—In 

19 carrying out the Program, to the extent approved by the 

20 Secretary of the Navy, the Administrator or the Secretary 

21 of the Navy may coordinate and co-locate with an aca22 demic research institution, or consortium of academic re23 search institutions, for the following purposes: 

24 (1) Maximizing opportunities for research and 

25 development of unmanned maritime systems. 


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1 (2) Providing training in unmanned maritime 

2 systems as part of an accredited certificate or degree 

3 program of education. 

4 (3) Facilitating the commercialization of un5 manned maritime systems through public-private 

6 partnerships that includes academic research institu7 tions, private industry, and public safety agencies. 

8 (4) Arranging access to and use of additional 

9 facilities that support testing and assessment of or 

10 training with respect to unmanned maritime systems 

11 under environmental conditions of interest, increas12 ing operational tolerance under such conditions, cer13 tifying operational capacity under such conditions, 

14 whether real or simulated, and training operators of 

15 unmanned maritime systems in real or simulated en16 vironments. 

17 (5) Facilitating engagement with other aca18 demic institutions with interest or relevant expertise 

19 in unmanned maritime systems. 

20 (6) Promoting information sharing between the 

21 academic, environmental, and military institutions to 

22 lead to more robust, mission-oriented unmanned 

23 maritime systems. 

24 (f) ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.— 

25 Other than as described in subsection (e) and to the extent 


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1 approved by the Secretary of the Navy, the Administrator 

2 or the Secretary of the Navy may, in carrying out the Pro3 gram, to the extent practicable, coordinate and consult 

4 with the private sector— 

5 (1) to support the commercialization of un6 manned maritime systems; and 

7 (2) to assist with their assessment of commer8 cially available unmanned maritime systems to sup9 port the missions and goals of the Navy, the Admin10 istration, and cooperative activities of the Adminis11 tration. 

12 SEC. 102. REGULAR ASSESSMENT OF UNMANNED MARITIME 

13 SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT NATIONAL OCEANIC 

14 AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION MIS15 SIONS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, acting 

17 through the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and At18 mospheric Research and the Director of the Office of Ma19 rine and Aviation Operations and the National Oceanic 

20 and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer 

21 Corps, shall regularly assess publicly and commercially 

22 available unmanned maritime systems for potential use to 

23 support missions of the Administration. 

24 (b) SCIENCE-BASED ASSESSMENTS.—The Adminis25 trator shall carry out subsection (a) through the Assistant 


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1 Administrator for all matters relating to assessment of the 

2 suitability of unmanned maritime systems to meet data 

3 specifications required by programs of the Administration. 

4 (c) ASSESSMENT OF OPERATIONAL UTILITY.—The 

5 Administrator shall carry out subsection (a) through the 

6 Director for all matters relating to assessment of whether 

7 unmanned maritime systems are operationally reliable 

8 enough to make in situ observations required by programs 

9 of the Administration. 

10 (d) ENGAGEMENT.—The Assistant Administrator 

11 and the Director shall jointly consult with the heads of 

12 other offices of the Administration, with the academic sec13 tor, and with developers and manufacturers of unmanned 

14 maritime systems to conduct the assessments under sub15 section (a). 

16 SEC. 103. ACQUISITION OF UNMANNED MARITIME SYS17 TEMS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall coordi19 nate and centralize the acquisition by the Administration 

20 of unmanned maritime systems to meet the prioritized list 

21 of data requirements identified under section 104(b)(2). 

22 (b) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.—In order to 

23 realize greater savings and efficiency, the Administrator 

24 may develop and execute a memorandum of agreement 

25 with the Secretary of the Navy to— 


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1 (1) participate in procurements conducted by 

2 that Office; 

3 (2) accept decommissioned unmanned maritime 

4 systems from that Office; 

5 (3) develop policies and procedures to share un6 manned maritime systems; or 

7 (4) provide for other means of creating effi8 ciency and savings in Federal acquisition of un9 manned maritime systems. 

10 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act 

11 shall be construed to modify Federal procurement law. 

12 SEC. 104. ANNUAL REPORT ON UNMANNED MARITIME SYS13 TEMS AND EFFECTS ON MISSION OF THE NA14 TIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN15 ISTRATION. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the Program, the 

17 Administrator shall, not later than one year after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, and every four years there19 after, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

20 a report on the effects of unmanned maritime systems on 

21 the mission of the Administration. 

22 (b) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under sub23 section (a) shall include, for the period covered by the re24 port, the following: 


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1 (1) An inventory of current unmanned maritime 

2 systems used by programs of the Administration, a 

3 summary of the data they have returned, and the 

4 benefits realized from having such data. 

5 (2) A prioritized list of data requirements of 

6 the Administration that could be met with un7 manned maritime systems, and the estimated cost of 

8 acquiring such systems and data. 

9 (c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE10 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit11 tees of Congress’’ means— 

12 (1) the Committee on Appropriations, the Com13 mittee on Armed Services, and the Committee on 

14 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen15 ate; and 

16 (2) the Committee on Appropriations, the Com17 mittee on Armed Services, the Committee on Nat18 ural Resources, and the Committee on Science, 

19 Space, and Technology of the House of Representa20 tives. 

21 SEC. 105. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS AND ADDI22 TIONAL AUTHORITIES. 

23 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec25 essary to carry out this title. 


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1 (b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out this 

2 title, the Administrator may— 

3 (1) enter into contracts, cooperative agree4 ments, and other transactions; 

5 (2) notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, 

6 United States Code, accept donations and voluntary 

7 and uncompensated services; 

8 (3) accept funds from other Federal depart9 ments and agencies; 

10 (4) utilize the National Oceanographic Partner11 ship Program established under chapter 665 of title 

12 10, United States Code, to accept funds from other 

13 Federal departments and agencies, to accept dona14 tions, and to enter into contracts and award grants; 

15 and 

16 (5) promulgate such rules and regulations as 

17 may be necessary and appropriate. 

18 TITLE II—AVAILABILITY OF 

19 DATA FROM UNMANNED MAR20 ITIME SYSTEMS 

21 SEC. 201. PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF DATA COLLECTED BY 

22 NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC AD23 MINISTRATION USING UNMANNED MARITIME 

24 SYSTEMS. 

25 (a) AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para2 graph (2), the Administrator shall make available, 

3 free of charge, to the public all data collected by the 

4 Administrator with the use of unmanned maritime 

5 systems. 

6 (2) EXCEPTION.—The Administrator shall not 

7 make data described in paragraph (1) available as 

8 described in such paragraph if— 

9 (A) the Secretary of the Navy determines 

10 that the data is subject to a restriction on avail11 ability, in whole or in part and on a term or 

12 permanent basis, relating to national security; 

13 or 

14 (B) the Administrator, in consultation with 

15 the Secretary of the Navy, determines the data 

16 is subject to a restriction on availability due to 

17 the need for protection of intellectual property 

18 or for pre-publication academic use. 

19 (b) PROGRAM OF CURATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF

20 DATA.— 

21 (1) AVAILABILITY.—The Administrator, acting 

22 through the Assistant Administrator for Satellite 

23 and Information Services and the Assistant Admin24 istrator of the National Ocean Service jointly, shall 


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1 use existing secure infrastructure such as the Inte2 grated Ocean Observing System— 

3 (A) to curate, distribute, store, and backup 

4 data described in subsection (a)(1); and 

5 (B) to facilitate joint projects under sec6 tion 203. 

7 (2) DISTRIBUTION.—In carrying out the pro8 gram required by paragraph (1), the Administrator 

9 shall use efforts that were in effect on the day before 

10 the date of the enactment of this Act, such as the 

11 data management framework of the Integrated 

12 Ocean Observing System for Federal and non-Fed13 eral partnerships, to make data made available 

14 under subsection (a)(1) easily accessible to a wide 

15 range of users and stakeholders. 

16 (3) STORAGE AND BACKUP.—In carrying out 

17 the program required by paragraph (1), the Admin18 istrator shall use the data centers of the National 

19 Environmental and Satellite Data Information Serv20 ice and the data assembly centers of the National 

21 Ocean Service that were in effect on the day before 

22 the date of the enactment of this Act to store and 

23 backup the data described in subsection (a)(1). 


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1 SEC. 202. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ON MATTERS RELATING 

2 TO DATA COLLECTED BY NATIONAL OCEANIC 

3 AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION USING 

4 UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), the As6 sistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Serv7 ices and the Assistant Administrator of the National 

8 Ocean Service shall jointly engage in cooperative activities 

9 of the Administration and with other interested users or 

10 potential users, including users from the academic, com11 mercial, government, and not-for-profit sectors, as well as 

12 the general public to ensure that— 

13 (1) data are made available under section 201 

14 in formats that are— 

15 (A) useful; and 

16 (B) to the extent practicable, consistent 

17 and interoperable with data collected by the In18 tegrated Ocean Observing System; 

19 (2) users and potential users of data made 

20 available under section 201 are aware of the range 

21 of data available under such section; and 

22 (3) the Administration— 

23 (A) develops a better understanding of 

24 data needs from users and potential users; and 

25 (B) anticipates future data infrastructure 

26 needs to meet growing demands for access to 


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1 data sets of the Administration from commer2 cial applications. 

3 (b) APPROVAL OF SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.—Coop4 erative activities may be carried out under subsection (a) 

5 only to the extent that the Secretary of the Navy approves 

6 data made available under section 201 for release to the 

7 public after the Secretary determines there are no national 

8 security implications relating to that data. 

9 (c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Assistant Admin10 istrator for Satellite and Information Services and the As11 sistant Administrator of the National Ocean Service shall 

12 jointly provide technical assistance to users or potential 

13 users on accessing the data provided under section 201. 

14 SEC. 203. FACILITATING JOINT PROJECTS BETWEEN NA15 TIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN16 ISTRATION AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY ON UN17 MANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program re19 quired by section 201(b)(1), the Administrator shall de20 velop and implement a process to facilitate joint projects 

21 among private industry, research institutions, and other 

22 non-Federal entities with unmanned maritime systems ex23 pertise for the following purposes: 


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1 (1) Improving ocean observing capabilities to 

2 monitor the physical, chemical, and biological condi3 tions of the ocean. 

4 (2) Increasing cost effectiveness of developing 

5 technologies relating to unmanned maritime systems. 

6 (3) Seeking efficiencies in data collection and 

7 management through in the development and deploy8 ment of unmanned maritime systems. 

9 (4) Expanding global capabilities of ocean tech10 nology. 

11 (5) Capitalizing on emerging technological ad12 vances. 

13 (b) USE OF EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS.—The Admin14 istrator may consider using partnerships in existence on 

15 the day before the date of the enactment of this Act, such 

16 as such partnerships established through the National 

17 Oceanographic Partnership Program, for carrying out this 

18 section. 

19 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

21 ‘‘Commercial Engagement Through Ocean Technology Act 

22 of 2018’’ or the ‘‘CENOTE Act of 2018’’. 

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

24 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 


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Sec. 3. Coordination regarding assessment and acquisition by National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration of unmanned maritime systems. 

Sec. 4. Regular assessment of unmanned maritime systems to support National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration missions. 

Sec. 5. Acquisition of unmanned maritime systems. 

Sec. 6. Reports on unmanned maritime systems and usage for mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Sec. 7. Funding and additional authorities. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra4 tion’’ means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

5 Administration. 

6 (2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis7 trator’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

8 Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the Na9 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

10 (3) COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE ADMINIS11 TRATION.—The terms ‘‘cooperative activities of the 

12 Administration’’ means cooperative activities between 

13 the Administration and an external entity, such as 

14 the Cooperative Institutes, Sea Grant Colleges, Na15 tional Estuarine Research Reserves, the National 

16 Oceanographic Partnership Program established 

17 under chapter 665 of title 10, United States Code, 

18 and regional associations of the Integrated Ocean Ob19 serving System. 

20 (4) DATA SPECIFICATIONS.—The term ‘‘data 

21 specifications’’ shall refer to the type, resolution, periVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:36 Jul 09, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S2511.RS S2511

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1 odicity, and quality of data required by an program 

2 of the Administration. 

3 (5) TEST OR TRAINING RANGE.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘test or train5 ing range’’ means an area designated for oper6 ating unmanned maritime systems and other 

7 types of systems for the purpose of— 

8 (i) evaluating the performance of such 

9 systems; or 

10 (ii) training personnel on operating 

11 procedures for such systems. 

12 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘test or train13 ing range’’ may include specialized fixed or port14 able instrumentation for the operation of un15 manned maritime systems and other types of 

16 systems. 

17 (6) UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘unmanned 

19 maritime systems’’ means remotely operated or 

20 autonomous vehicles produced by the commercial 

21 sector— 

22 (i) designed to travel in the air, on or 

23 under the ocean surface, on land, or any 

24 combination, and that function without an 

25 on-board human presence; and 


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1 (ii) that may include associated com2 ponents such as control and communica3 tions, instrumentation, data transmission, 

4 and processing systems. 

5 (B) EXAMPLES.—The term ‘‘unmanned 

6 maritime systems’’ includes the following: 

7 (i) Unmanned undersea vehicles. 

8 (ii) Unmanned surface vehicles. 

9 (iii) Autonomous underwater vehicles. 

10 (iv) Autonomous surface vehicles. 

11 (C) TREATMENT OF AERIAL VEHICLES.— 

12 The term ‘‘unmanned maritime systems’’ in13 cludes unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous 

14 aerial vehicles that are used to address maritime 

15 issues to the extent the Administrator determines 

16 it is necessary and appropriate to achieve the 

17 purposes of this Act. 

18 SEC. 3. COORDINATION REGARDING ASSESSMENT AND AC19 QUISITION BY NATIONAL OCEANIC AND AT20 MOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION OF UN21 MANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS. 

22 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall direct 

23 the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (in this Act 

24 referred to as ‘‘OAR’’) and the Office of Marine and Avia25 tion Operations (in this Act referred to as ‘‘OMAO’’)— 


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1 (1) to coordinate the Administration’s research, 

2 assessment, and acquisition of unmanned maritime 

3 systems; and 

4 (2) to consider the use of unmanned maritime 

5 systems in cooperative activities of the Administra6 tion. 

7 (b) COORDINATION WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION.— 

8 (1) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH COORDINATING

9 COMMITTEE.—The Administrator shall establish a co10 ordinating committee to ensure that OAR and OMAO 

11 address requirements throughout the Administration. 

12 (2) INCLUDED.—In establishing a coordinating 

13 committee under paragraph (1), the Administrator 

14 shall ensure that representation in the committee is 

15 included from the following: 

16 (A) The Office of Ocean Exploration 

17 (OER). 

18 (B) The program office of the Integrated 

19 Ocean Observing System. 

20 (C) Such other offices of the Administration 

21 as the Administrator determines are actively en22 gaged with unmanned maritime systems. 

23 (3) DESIGNATION.—A coordinating committee 

24 established under paragraph (1) shall be known as the 


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1 ‘‘Unmanned Maritime Systems Ocean Technology Co2 ordinating Committee’’. 

3 (c) COORDINATION WITH THE NAVY.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this Act, the 

5 Administrator shall— 

6 (A) make efforts to coordinate with the Sec7 retary of the Navy to leverage expertise in the de8 velopment and operational transition of un9 manned maritime systems; 

10 (B) align with, utilize, and inform the Dep11 uty Under Secretary of Commerce for Operations 

12 and the Oceanographer of the Navy’s strategic 

13 and operational priorities, particularly for mis14 sions and geography within the Administration’s 

15 purview; 

16 (C) seek to utilize Naval unmanned systems 

17 test or training ranges, such as the Gulf of Mex18 ico Unmanned Systems Test and Training 

19 Range of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanog20 raphy Command, and maximize interagency co21 operation and sharing of best practices; and 

22 (D) to formalize coordination, execute a 

23 memorandum of understanding with the Sec24 retary of the Navy that includes— 


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1 (i) incorporating consideration of pri2 orities and requirements of the Administra3 tion into research and development activi4 ties conducted by the Secretary of the Navy; 

5 (ii) consultation intended to encourage 

6 and facilitate efforts by the Administration 

7 to partner with the Navy to procure un8 manned maritime systems and to establish, 

9 instrument, and operate test or training 

10 ranges and related facilities; 

11 (iii) adopting procedures defined by 

12 the Secretary of the Navy for the Adminis13 tration to access and utilize test or training 

14 ranges or related Naval facilities for pur15 poses identified in paragraph (2)(B); and 

16 (iv) such other topics as the Adminis17 trator considers necessary or advisable, in18 cluding mapping, bathymetry, observations, 

19 and ocean exploration. 

20 (2) LOCATION.—The Administrator shall, if 

21 practicable, carry out the activities authorized by this 

22 Act at a facility where the Navy and the Administra23 tion are co-located, for the following purposes: 

24 (A) Gaining efficiencies through collabora25 tion. 


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1 (B) Advancing development of unmanned 

2 maritime systems, including— 

3 (i) systems research and development; 

4 (ii) systems testing; 

5 (iii) systems modifications; and 

6 (iv) systems integration. 

7 (C) Accelerating transition from concept to 

8 manufacturing and acquisition. 

9 (d) COORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGEN10 CIES.—In carrying out this Act, the Administrator and the 

11 Secretary of the Navy may utilize the National Oceano12 graphic Partnership Program, established under chapter 

13 665 of title 10, United States Code, as a mechanism for 

14 providing interagency coordination for the advancement of 

15 unmanned maritime systems. 

16 (e) COORDINATION WITH ACADEMIC SECTOR.—In car17 rying out this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with 

18 the Secretary of the Navy, may coordinate and co-locate 

19 with an academic research institution, or consortium of 

20 academic research institutions, for the following purposes: 

21 (1) Maximizing opportunities for research and 

22 development of unmanned maritime systems. 

23 (2) Providing training in unmanned maritime 

24 systems as part of an accredited certificate or degree 

25 program of education. 


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1 (3) Facilitating the commercialization of un2 manned maritime systems through public-private 

3 partnerships that includes academic research institu4 tions, private industry, and public safety agencies. 

5 (4) Arranging access to and use of additional fa6 cilities that support testing and assessment of or 

7 training with respect to unmanned maritime systems 

8 under environmental conditions of interest, increasing 

9 operational tolerance under such conditions, certi10 fying operational capacity under such conditions, 

11 whether real or simulated, and training operators of 

12 unmanned maritime systems in real or simulated en13 vironments. 

14 (5) Facilitating engagement with other academic 

15 institutions with interest or relevant expertise in un16 manned maritime systems. 

17 (6) Promoting information sharing between the 

18 academic, environmental, and military institutions to 

19 lead to more robust, mission-oriented unmanned mar20 itime systems. 

21 (f) ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.— 

22 Other than as described in subsection (e), the Adminis23 trator, in consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, may, 

24 in carrying out this Act, to the extent practicable, coordi25 nate and consult with the private sector— 


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1 (1) to support the commercialization of un2 manned maritime systems; and 

3 (2) to assist with their assessment of commer4 cially available unmanned maritime systems to sup5 port the missions and goals of the Navy, the Adminis6 tration, and cooperative activities of the Administra7 tion. 

8 SEC. 4. REGULAR ASSESSMENT OF UNMANNED MARITIME 

9 SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT NATIONAL OCEANIC 

10 AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION MIS11 SIONS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, acting through 

13 the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric 

14 Research and the Director of the Office of Marine and Avia15 tion Operations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

16 Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, shall regu17 larly assess publicly and commercially available unmanned 

18 maritime systems for potential use to support missions of 

19 the Administration. 

20 (b) SCIENCE-BASED ASSESSMENTS.—The Adminis21 trator shall carry out subsection (a) through the Assistant 

22 Administrator for all matters relating to assessment of the 

23 suitability, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of unmanned 

24 maritime systems to meet data specifications required by 

25 programs of the Administration. 


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1 (c) ASSESSMENT OF OPERATIONAL UTILITY.—The Ad2 ministrator shall carry out subsection (a) through the Di3 rector for all matters relating to assessment of whether un4 manned maritime systems are operationally reliable, fea5 sible, and cost effective enough to make observations re6 quired by programs of the Administration. 

7 (d) ENGAGEMENT.—The Assistant Administrator and 

8 the Director shall jointly— 

9 (1) convene and consult the Unmanned Maritime 

10 Systems Ocean Technology Coordinating Committee 

11 established under section 3(b); and 

12 (2) consult with the heads of other offices of the 

13 Administration, the academic sector, and developers 

14 and manufacturers of unmanned maritime systems to 

15 conduct the assessments under subsection (a). 

16 SEC. 5. ACQUISITION OF UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall coordinate 

18 and centralize the acquisition by the Administration of un19 manned maritime systems to meet the prioritized list of 

20 data requirements identified by OAR and OMAO in car21 rying out this Act in their regular assessments and ap22 proved by the Unmanned Maritime Systems Ocean Tech23 nology Coordinating Committee established under section 

24 3(b). 


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1 (b) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.—In order to re2 alize greater savings and efficiency, the Administrator may 

3 develop and execute a memorandum of agreement with the 

4 Secretary of the Navy to— 

5 (1) participate in procurements conducted by the 

6 signatories to the memorandum of understanding; 

7 (2) accept decommissioned unmanned maritime 

8 systems from the Navy; 

9 (3) develop policies and procedures to share un10 manned maritime systems; or 

11 (4) provide for other means of creating efficiency 

12 and savings in Federal acquisition of unmanned 

13 maritime systems. 

14 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act 

15 shall be construed to modify Federal procurement law. 

16 SEC. 6. REPORTS ON UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS AND 

17 USAGE FOR MISSION OF THE NATIONAL OCE18 ANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this Act, the Ad20 ministrator shall, not later than one year after the date of 

21 the enactment of this Act, and every 4 years thereafter, sub22 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on 

23 the usage of unmanned maritime systems for the mission 

24 of the Administration. 


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1 (b) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under sub2 section (a) shall include, for the period covered by the re3 port, the following: 

4 (1) An inventory of current unmanned maritime 

5 systems used by programs of the Administration, a 

6 summary of the data they have returned, and the ben7 efits realized from having such data. 

8 (2) A prioritized list of data requirements of the 

9 Administration that could be met with unmanned 

10 maritime systems, and the commercially available 

11 unmanned maritime systems with the operational ca12 pabilities to collect such data. 

13 (c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE14 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate committees 

15 of Congress’’ means— 

16 (1) the Committee on Appropriations, the Com17 mittee on Armed Services, and the Committee on 

18 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; 

19 and 

20 (2) the Committee on Appropriations, the Com21 mittee on Armed Services, the Committee on Natural 

22 Resources, and the Committee on Science, Space, and 

23 Technology of the House of Representatives. 


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1 SEC. 7. FUNDING AND ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES. 

2 (a) FUNDING.—The Administrator shall carry out this 

3 Act using existing amounts appropriated or otherwise made 

4 available to the Administration. 

5 (b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out this 

6 Act, the Administrator may— 

7 (1) enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, 

8 and other transactions with any domestic or foreign 

9 government; 

10 (2) notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, 

11 United States Code, accept donations and voluntary 

12 and uncompensated services; 

13 (3) accept funds from other Federal departments 

14 and agencies; 

15 (4) utilize the National Oceanographic Partner16 ship Program established under chapter 665 of title 

17 10, United States Code, to accept funds from other 

18 Federal departments and agencies, to accept dona19 tions, and to enter into contracts and award grants; 

20 (5) under an agreement entered into under para21 graph (1), transfer funds appropriated to carry our 

22 this Act to any organization; 

23 (6) use, with their consent, with or without reim24 bursement, and subject to the availability of appro25 priations, the land, services, equipment, personnel, 

26 and facilities of— 


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1 (A) any department, agency, or instrumen2 tality of the United States; 

3 (B) any State or local government or tribal 

4 government; or 

5 (C) any foreign government or inter6 national organization; and 

7 (7) promulgate such rules and regulations as 

8 may be necessary and appropriate. 


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Calendar No. 504 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2511 

[Report No. 115–291] 

A BILL 

To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

purposes. Administration using such systems, and for other make available to the public data collected by the ministration of unmanned maritime systems, to by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adon coordinating the assessment and acquisition Oceans and Atmosphere to carry out a program 

JULY 9, 2018 

Reported with an amendment 


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