II 

Calendar No. 396 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2166 

[Report No. 116–185] 

To designate Regional Ocean Partnerships of the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 18, 2019 

Mr. WICKER (for himself, Mr. JONES, Mr. CASSIDY, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. MURPHY, and Mr. MERKLEY) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

DECEMBER 19, 2019 

Reported by Mr. WICKER, with an amendment 

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

A BILL 

To designate Regional Ocean Partnerships of the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Regional Ocean Part3 nership Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS; PURPOSES. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find6 ings: 

7 (1) The ocean and coastal waters of the United 

8 States are foundational to the economy, security, 

9 global competitiveness, and well-being of the United 

10 States and continuously serve the people of the 

11 United States and other countries as an important 

12 source of food, energy, economic productivity, recre13 ation, beauty, and enjoyment. 

14 (2) Over many years, the resource productivity 

15 and water quality of the ocean and coastal areas of 

16 the United States have been diminished by pollution, 

17 increasing population demands, economic develop18 ment, and natural and man-made hazard events, 

19 both acute and chronic. 

20 (3) Ocean and coastal areas of the United 

21 States are managed by State and Federal resource 

22 agencies and regulated by various overlapping au23 thorities, thereby creating a significant need for co24 ordination to enhance the ecological and economic 

25 health of those areas. 


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1 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con2 gress that the United States should seek to attain coordi3 nation of the efforts relating to the management, con4 servation, resilience, and restoration of ocean and coastal 

5 areas to reduce duplication of efforts and maximize effi6 ciencies through collaborative regional efforts by Regional 

7 Ocean Partnerships, in consultation with Federal agencies 

8 and State and local authorities. 

9 (c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol10 lows: 

11 (1) To expand and strengthen cooperative vol12 untary efforts intended to manage and restore ocean 

13 and coastal areas spanning across multiple State 

14 boundaries. 

15 (2) To expand Federal support for monitoring, 

16 data management, and restoration activities in ocean 

17 and coastal areas. 

18 (3) To commit the United States to a com19 prehensive cooperative program to achieve improved 

20 water quality in, and improvements in the produc21 tivity of living resources of, all coastal ecosystems. 

22 (4) To authorize Regional Ocean Partnerships 

23 as coordinators of Federal and State authorities re24 lating to voluntary efforts for the collaborative man25 agement of the large marine ecosystems, thereby reVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Dec 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2166.RS S2166

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1 ducing duplication of efforts and maximizing oppor2 tunities to leverage support in the ocean and coastal 

3 regions. 

4 (5) To enable Regional Ocean Partnerships to 

5 receive Federal funding to conduct the scientific re6 search, conservation and restoration management, 

7 and priority coordination necessary to achieve the 

8 purposes described in paragraphs (1) through (4). 

9 SEC. 3. REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis12 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National 

13 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

14 (2) COASTAL STATE.—The term ‘‘coastal state’’ 

15 has the meaning given that term in section 304 of 

16 the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 

17 U.S.C. 1453). 

18 (3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

19 means an Indian tribe, as defined in section 4 of the 

20 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

21 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

22 (b) REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—A coastal state may partici24 pate in a Regional Ocean Partnership with one or 


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1 more other coastal states that share a common 

2 ocean or coastal area with the coastal state. 

3 (2) APPLICATION.—The Governor of a coastal 

4 state or the Governors of a group of coastal states 

5 may apply to the Secretary of Commerce, on behalf 

6 of a partnership, for the partnership to receive des7 ignation as a Regional Ocean Partnership if the 

8 partnership— 

9 (A) meets the requirements under para10 graph (3); and 

11 (B) submits an application for such des12 ignation in such manner, in such form, and 

13 containing such information as the Secretary 

14 may require. 

15 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—A partnership is eligible 

16 for designation as a Regional Ocean Partnership by 

17 the Secretary under paragraph (2) if the partner18 ship— 

19 (A) is established to coordinate the man20 agement of coastal resources; 

21 (B) focuses on the environmental issues af22 fecting the ocean and coastal areas of the coast23 al states participating in the partnership; 

24 (C) does not have a regulatory function; 

25 and 


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1 (D) is not duplicative of an existing Re2 gional Ocean Partnership designated under 

3 paragraph (4), as determined by the Secretary. 

4 (4) DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN ENTITIES AS RE5 GIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.—Notwithstanding 

6 paragraph (2) or (3), the following entities are des7 ignated as Regional Ocean Partnerships: 

8 (A) The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, rep9 resenting the ocean and coastal area shared by 

10 the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mis11 sissippi, and Texas. 

12 (B) The Northeast Regional Ocean Coun13 cil, representing the ocean and coastal area 

14 shared by the States of Maine, Vermont, New 

15 Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and 

16 Rhode Island. 

17 (C) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on 

18 the Ocean, representing the ocean and coastal 

19 area shared by the States of New York, New 

20 Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. 

21 (D) The West Coast Ocean Alliance, in22 cluding the States of California, Oregon, and 

23 Washington and the Indian Tribes in those 

24 States. 


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1 (c) GOVERNING BODIES OF REGIONAL OCEAN PART2 NERSHIPS.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—A Regional Ocean Partner4 ship designated under subsection (b) shall be gov5 erned by a governing body. 

6 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—A governing body described 

7 in paragraph (1)— 

8 (A) shall be comprised, at a minimum, of 

9 voting members from each coastal state partici10 pating in the Regional Ocean Partnership, des11 ignated by the Governor of the coastal state; 

12 and 

13 (B) may include such other members as 

14 the partnership considers appropriate. 

15 (d) FUNCTIONS.—A Regional Ocean Partnership des16 ignated under subsection (b) may perform the following 

17 functions: 

18 (1) Promote coordination of the actions of the 

19 agencies of coastal states participating in the part20 nership with the actions of the appropriate officials 

21 of Federal agencies and other authorities in devel22 oping strategies— 

23 (A) to conserve living resources, increase 

24 valuable habitats, enhance coastal resilience, 

25 and address such other issues related to the 


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1 shared ocean or coastal area as are determined 

2 to be a priority by those states; 

3 (B) to manage regional data portals and 

4 develop associated data products for purposes 

5 that support the priorities of those states; and 

6 (C) to obtain the support of appropriate 

7 officials for such strategies. 

8 (2) In cooperation with appropriate Federal 

9 agencies and State and local authorities, develop and 

10 implement specific action plans to carry out coordi11 nation goals. 

12 (3) Coordinate and implement priority plans 

13 and projects, and facilitate science, research, mod14 eling, monitoring, data collection, and other activi15 ties that support the goals of the partnership 

16 through the provision of grants and contracts under 

17 subsection (e). 

18 (4) Engage and collaborate with stakeholders to 

19 address ocean and coastal related matters that re20 quire interagency or intergovernmental solutions. 

21 (5) Implement outreach programs for public in22 formation, education, and participation to foster 

23 stewardship of the resources of the ocean and coast24 al areas. 


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1 (6) Develop and make available, through publi2 cations, technical assistance, and other appropriate 

3 means, information pertaining to cross-jurisdictional 

4 issues being addressed through the coordinated ac5 tivities of the partnership. 

6 (7) Serve as the liaison with, and provide infor7 mation to, international counterparts, as appro8 priate. 

9 (e) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—A Regional Ocean Partner11 ship designated under subsection (b) may, from 

12 amounts made available to the partnership by the 

13 Administrator or the head of another Federal agen14 cy— 

15 (A) provide grants to eligible persons de16 scribed in paragraph (2) for the purposes de17 scribed in paragraph (3); and 

18 (B) enter into contracts with such persons 

19 for such purposes. 

20 (2) ELIGIBLE PERSONS.—The eligible persons 

21 described in this paragraph are the following: 

22 (A) Indian Tribes. 

23 (B) State and local governments. 

24 (C) Nongovernmental organizations. 

25 (D) Institutions of higher education. 


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1 (E) Individuals. 

2 (F) Private entities. 

3 (3) PURPOSES.—The purposes described in this 

4 paragraph are the following: 

5 (A) Monitoring the water quality and living 

6 resources of multi-State ocean and coastal eco7 systems. 

8 (B) Researching and addressing the effects 

9 of natural and human-induced environmental 

10 changes to ocean and coastal ecosystems. 

11 (C) Developing and executing cooperative 

12 strategies that— 

13 (i) address regional data issues identi14 fied by the partnership; and 

15 (ii) will result in more effective man16 agement of common ocean and coastal 

17 areas. 

18 (f) REPORTS AND ASSESSMENTS.— 

19 (1) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an21 nually thereafter, each Regional Ocean Partnership 

22 designated under subsection (b) shall submit to the 

23 Administrator, and make available to the public, a 

24 report that describes the following: 


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1 (A) Each project and activity for which the 

2 partnership received funding under this section 

3 during the previous fiscal year. 

4 (B) The goals and objectives of those 

5 projects and activities. 

6 (C) The net benefits of the projects and 

7 activities funded under this section during pre8 vious fiscal years. 

9 (D) The collaborative efforts of the part10 nership. 

11 (2) ASSESSMENTS AND REPORTS.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years 

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

14 every 5 years thereafter, the Administrator, in 

15 coordination with the Regional Ocean Partner16 ships designated under subsection (b), shall— 

17 (i) assess the effectiveness of the part18 nerships in coordinating regional priorities 

19 relating to the management of common 

20 ocean and coastal areas; and 

21 (ii) submit to Congress a report on 

22 that assessment. 

23 (B) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—The report 

24 required under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall in25 clude the following: 


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1 (i) An assessment of the overall status 

2 of coordinated efforts in regional eco3 systems covered by the Regional Ocean 

4 Partnerships designated under subsection 

5 (b). 

6 (ii) An assessment of the effectiveness 

7 of the management strategies that such 

8 partnerships are implementing and the ex9 tent to which the priority needs of the re10 gions covered by such partnerships are 

11 being met through such strategies. 

12 (iii) Such recommendations as the Ad13 ministrator may have for the improved co14 ordination among the regulatory and non15 regulatory programs operating in the re16 gions covered by such partnerships, includ17 ing recommendations for strengthening the 

18 strategies being implemented or adopting 

19 improved strategies. 

20 (g) AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL FUNDS.—In addition 

21 to amounts made available to Regional Ocean Partner22 ships designated under subsection (b) by the Adminis23 trator under this section, the head of any other Federal 

24 agency may provide grants to, enter into contracts with, 

25 or otherwise provide funding to such partnerships. 


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1 (h) AUTHORITIES.—Nothing in this section estab2 lishes any new legal or regulatory authority of the Na3 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or of the 

4 Regional Ocean Partnerships designated under subsection 

5 (b), other than— 

6 (1) the authority of the Administrator to pro7 vide amounts to the partnerships; and 

8 (2) the authority of the partnerships to provide 

9 grants and enter into contracts under subsection (e). 

10 (i) FUNDING.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of amounts authorized to be 

12 appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmos13 pheric Administration, the Administrator may make 

14 the following amounts available to Regional Ocean 

15 Partnerships designated under subsection (b) to 

16 carry out activities of the partnerships under this 

17 Act: 

18 (A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2020. 

19 (B) $10,100,000 for fiscal year 2021. 

20 (C) $10,202,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

21 (D) $10,306,040 for fiscal year 2023. 

22 (E) $10,412,160 for fiscal year 2024. 

23 (F) $10,520,404 for fiscal year 2025. 

24 (2) DISTRIBUTION OF AMOUNTS.—Amounts 

25 made available under paragraph (1) shall be divided 


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1 evenly among the Regional Ocean Partnerships des2 ignated under subsection (b). 

3 (3) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—Amounts 

4 made available under paragraph (1) shall remain 

5 available until expended. 

6 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

7 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Regional Ocean Partner8 ship Act’’. 

9 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS; PURPOSES. 

10 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

11 (1) The ocean and coastal waters of the United 

12 States are foundational to the economy, security, glob13 al competitiveness, and well-being of the United 

14 States and continuously serve the people of the United 

15 States and other countries as an important source of 

16 food, energy, economic productivity, recreation, beau17 ty, and enjoyment. 

18 (2) Over many years, the resource productivity 

19 and water quality of the ocean and coastal areas of 

20 the United States have been diminished by pollution, 

21 increasing population demands, economic develop22 ment, and natural and man-made hazard events, both 

23 acute and chronic. 

24 (3) Ocean and coastal areas of the United States 

25 are managed by State and Federal resource agencies 


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1 and regulated on an interstate and regional scale by 

2 various overlapping Federal authorities, thereby cre3 ating a significant need for interstate coordination to 

4 enhance regional priorities, including the ecological 

5 and economic health of those areas. 

6 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

7 that— 

8 (1) the United States should seek to support 

9 interstate coordination of shared regional priorities 

10 relating to the management, conservation, resilience, 

11 and restoration of ocean and coastal areas to maxi12 mize efficiencies through collaborative regional efforts 

13 by Regional Ocean Partnerships, in consultation with 

14 Federal and State agencies, Tribal governments, and 

15 local authorities; and 

16 (2) such efforts would enhance existing and effec17 tive State coastal management efforts based on shared 

18 regional priorities. 

19 (c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol20 lows: 

21 (1) To complement and expand cooperative vol22 untary efforts intended to manage and restore ocean 

23 and coastal areas spanning across multiple State 

24 boundaries. 


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1 (2) To expand Federal support for monitoring, 

2 data management, and restoration activities in ocean 

3 and coastal areas. 

4 (3) To commit the United States to a com5 prehensive cooperative program to achieve improved 

6 water quality in, and improvements in the produc7 tivity of living resources of, all coastal ecosystems. 

8 (4) To authorize Regional Ocean Partnerships as 

9 intergovernmental coordinators for shared interstate 

10 and regional priorities relating to the collaborative 

11 management of the large marine ecosystems, thereby 

12 reducing duplication of efforts and maximizing op13 portunities to leverage support in the ocean and 

14 coastal regions. 

15 (5) To enable Regional Ocean Partnerships, or 

16 designated fiscal management entities of such part17 nerships, to receive Federal funding to conduct the 

18 scientific research, conservation and restoration ac19 tivities, and priority coordination on shared regional 

20 priorities necessary to achieve the purposes described 

21 in paragraphs (1) through (4). 

22 SEC. 3. REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis2 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National Oce3 anic and Atmospheric Administration. 

4 (2) COASTAL STATE.—The term ‘‘coastal state’’ 

5 has the meaning given that term in section 304 of the 

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

7 1453). 

8 (3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

9 means an Indian tribe, as defined in section 4 of the 

10 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

11 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

12 (b) REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—A coastal state may partici14 pate in a Regional Ocean Partnership with one or 

15 more other coastal states that share a common ocean 

16 or coastal area with the coastal state, without regard 

17 to whether the coastal states are contiguous. 

18 (2) APPLICATION.—The Governor of a coastal 

19 state or the Governors of a group of coastal states 

20 may apply to the Secretary of Commerce, on behalf 

21 of a partnership, for the partnership to receive des22 ignation as a Regional Ocean Partnership if the 

23 partnership— 

24 (A) meets the requirements under para25 graph (3); and 


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1 (B) submits an application for such des2 ignation in such manner, in such form, and con3 taining such information as the Secretary may 

4 require. 

5 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—A partnership is eligible 

6 for designation as a Regional Ocean Partnership by 

7 the Secretary under paragraph (2) if the partner8 ship— 

9 (A) is established to coordinate the inter10 state management of ocean and coastal resources; 

11 (B) focuses on the environmental issues af12 fecting the ocean and coastal areas of the mem13 bers participating in the partnership; 

14 (C) complements existing State coastal and 

15 ocean management efforts on an interstate scale, 

16 focusing on shared regional priorities; 

17 (D) does not have a regulatory function; 

18 and 

19 (E) is not duplicative of an existing Re20 gional Ocean Partnership designated under 

21 paragraph (4), as determined by the Secretary. 

22 (4) DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN ENTITIES AS RE23 GIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.—Notwithstanding 

24 paragraph (2) or (3), the following entities are des25 ignated as Regional Ocean Partnerships: 


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1 (A) The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, comprised 

2 of the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, 

3 Mississippi, and Texas. 

4 (B) The Northeast Regional Ocean Council, 

5 comprised of the States of Maine, Vermont, New 

6 Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and 

7 Rhode Island. 

8 (C) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on 

9 the Ocean, comprised of the States of New York, 

10 New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. 

11 (D) The West Coast Ocean Alliance, com12 prised of the States of California, Oregon, and 

13 Washington and the coastal Indian Tribes there14 in. 

15 (c) GOVERNING BODIES OF REGIONAL OCEAN PART16 NERSHIPS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—A Regional Ocean Partner18 ship designated under subsection (b) shall be governed 

19 by a governing body. 

20 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—A governing body described 

21 in paragraph (1)— 

22 (A) shall be comprised, at a minimum, of 

23 voting members from each coastal state partici24 pating in the Regional Ocean Partnership, des25 ignated by the Governor of the coastal state; and 


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1 (B) may include such other members as the 

2 partnership considers appropriate. 

3 (d) FUNCTIONS.—A Regional Ocean Partnership des4 ignated under subsection (b) may perform the following 

5 functions: 

6 (1) Promote coordination of the actions of the 

7 agencies of coastal states participating in the partner8 ship with the actions of the appropriate officials of 

9 Federal agencies and State and Tribal governments 

10 in developing strategies— 

11 (A) to conserve living resources, increase 

12 valuable habitats, enhance coastal resilience and 

13 ocean management, and address such other issues 

14 related to the shared ocean or coastal area as are 

15 determined to be a shared, regional priority by 

16 those states; and 

17 (B) to manage regional data portals and 

18 develop associated data products for purposes 

19 that support the priorities of the partnership. 

20 (2) In cooperation with appropriate Federal and 

21 State agencies, Tribal governments, and local authori22 ties, develop and implement specific action plans to 

23 carry out coordination goals. 

24 (3) Coordinate and implement priority plans 

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1 eling, monitoring, data collection, and other activities 

2 that support the goals of the partnership through the 

3 provision of grants and contracts under subsection 

4 (e). 

5 (4) Engage, coordinate, and collaborate with rel6 evant governmental entities and stakeholders to ad7 dress ocean and coastal related matters that require 

8 interagency or intergovernmental solutions. 

9 (5) Implement outreach programs for public in10 formation, education, and participation to foster 

11 stewardship of the resources of the ocean and coastal 

12 areas, as relevant. 

13 (6) Develop and make available, through publi14 cations, technical assistance, and other appropriate 

15 means, information pertaining to cross-jurisdictional 

16 issues being addressed through the coordinated activi17 ties of the partnership. 

18 (7) Serve as a liaison with, and provide infor19 mation to, international counterparts, as appropriate 

20 on priority issues for the partnership. 

21 (e) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—A Regional Ocean Partner23 ship designated under subsection (b) may, in coordi24 nation with existing Federal and State management 

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1 nership by the Administrator or the head of another 

2 Federal agency— 

3 (A) provide grants to eligible persons de4 scribed in paragraph (2) for the purposes de5 scribed in paragraph (3); and 

6 (B) enter into contracts with such persons 

7 for such purposes. 

8 (2) ELIGIBLE PERSONS.—The eligible persons de9 scribed in this paragraph are the following: 

10 (A) Indian Tribes. 

11 (B) State and local governments. 

12 (C) Nongovernmental organizations. 

13 (D) Institutions of higher education. 

14 (E) Individuals. 

15 (F) Private entities. 

16 (3) PURPOSES.—The purposes described in this 

17 paragraph include any of the following: 

18 (A) Monitoring the water quality and living 

19 resources of multi-State ocean and coastal eco20 systems and coastal communities. 

21 (B) Researching and addressing the effects 

22 of natural and human-induced environmental 

23 changes on— 

24 (i) ocean and coastal ecosystems; and 

25 (ii) coastal communities. 


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1 (C) Developing and executing cooperative 

2 strategies that— 

3 (i) address regional data issues identi4 fied by the partnership; and 

5 (ii) will result in more effective man6 agement of common ocean and coastal 

7 areas. 

8 (f) REPORTS AND ASSESSMENTS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after 

10 the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 5 

11 years thereafter until 2040, the Administrator, in co12 ordination with the Regional Ocean Partnerships des13 ignated under subsection (b), shall— 

14 (A) assess the effectiveness of the partner15 ships in supporting regional priorities relating 

16 to the management of common ocean and coastal 

17 areas; and 

18 (B) submit to Congress a report on that as19 sessment. 

20 (2) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—The report re21 quired under paragraph (1)(B) shall include the fol22 lowing: 

23 (A) An assessment of the overall status of 

24 the work of the Regional Ocean Partnerships des25 ignated under subsection (b). 


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1 (B) An assessment of the effectiveness of the 

2 strategies that the Regional Ocean Partnerships 

3 are supporting or implementing and the extent 

4 to which the priority needs of the regions covered 

5 by such partnerships are being met through such 

6 strategies. 

7 (C) Such recommendations as the Adminis8 trator may have for the improvement of efforts of 

9 the Regional Ocean Partnerships to support the 

10 purposes of this Act. 

11 (D) An assessment of how the efforts of the 

12 Regional Ocean Partnerships support or enhance 

13 Federal and State efforts in line with the pur14 poses of this Act. 

15 (E) Recommendations for improvements to 

16 the collective strategies that support the purposes 

17 of this Act in coordination and consultation with 

18 all relevant Federal, State, and Tribal entities. 

19 (g) AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL FUNDS.—In addition 

20 to amounts made available to Regional Ocean Partnerships 

21 designated under subsection (b) by the Administrator under 

22 this section, the head of any other Federal agency may pro23 vide grants to, enter into contracts with, or otherwise pro24 vide funding to such partnerships. 


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1 (h) AUTHORITIES.—Nothing in this section establishes 

2 any new legal or regulatory authority of the National Oce3 anic and Atmospheric Administration or of the Regional 

4 Ocean Partnerships designated under subsection (b), other 

5 than— 

6 (1) the authority of the Administrator to provide 

7 amounts to the partnerships; and 

8 (2) the authority of the partnerships to provide 

9 grants and enter into contracts under subsection (e). 

10 (i) FUNDING.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of amounts authorized to be 

12 appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmos13 pheric Administration, the Administrator may make 

14 the following amounts available to Regional Ocean 

15 Partnerships designated under subsection (b) or des16 ignated fiscal management entities of such partner17 ships to carry out activities of the partnerships under 

18 this Act: 

19 (A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2020. 

20 (B) $10,100,000 for fiscal year 2021. 

21 (C) $10,202,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

22 (D) $10,306,040 for fiscal year 2023. 

23 (E) $10,412,160 for fiscal year 2024. 

24 (F) $10,520,404 for fiscal year 2025. 


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1 (2) DISTRIBUTION OF AMOUNTS.—Amounts 

2 made available under paragraph (1) shall be divided 

3 evenly among the Regional Ocean Partnerships des4 ignated under subsection (b). 

5 (3) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—Amounts made 

6 available under paragraph (1) shall remain available 

7 until expended. 


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Calendar No. 396 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2166 

[Report No. 116–185] 

A BILL 

To designate Regional Ocean Partnerships of the 

tion, and for other purposes. National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministraDECEMBER 19, 2019 

Reported with an amendment 


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