116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2429 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 

and to establish the United States Coral Reef Task 

Force, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

3 ‘‘Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2020’’. 

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

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—REAUTHORIZATION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 

ACT OF 2000 

Sec. 101. Reauthorization of Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. 

Sec. 102. Modification to section 204 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403). 

TITLE II—UNITED STATES CORAL REEF TASK FORCE 

Sec. 201. Establishment. 

Sec. 202. Duties. 

Sec. 203. Membership. 

Sec. 204. Responsibilities of Federal agency members. 

Sec. 205. Working groups. 

Sec. 206. Definitions. 

TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CORAL REEF 

AUTHORITIES 

Sec. 301. Coral reef conservation and restoration assistance. 

TITLE IV—SUSAN L. WILLIAMS NATIONAL CORAL REEF 

MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP 

Sec. 401. Short title. 

Sec. 402. Definitions. 

Sec. 403. Establishment of fellowship program. 

Sec. 404. Fellowship awards. 

Sec. 405. Matching requirement. 

6 TITLE I—REAUTHORIZATION OF 

7 CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 

8 ACT OF 2000 

9 SEC. 101. REAUTHORIZATION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVA10 TION ACT OF 2000. 

11 (a) PURPOSES; FEDERAL CORAL REEF MANAGE12 MENT AND RESTORATION ACTIVITIES.—The Coral Reef 
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1 Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is 

2 amended by striking sections 202 and 203 and inserting 

3 the following: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 202. PURPOSES. 

5 ‘‘The purposes of this title are— 

6 ‘‘(1) to preserve, sustain, and restore the condi7 tion of United States coral reef ecosystems chal8 lenged by natural and human-accelerated changes, 

9 including increasing ocean temperatures, ocean 

10 acidification, coral bleaching, coral diseases, water 

11 quality degradation, invasive species, and illegal, un12 reported, and unregulated fishing; 

13 ‘‘(2) to promote the science-based management 

14 and sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems to ben15 efit local communities and the Nation, including 

16 through improved integration and cooperation 

17 among Federal, State, and locally managed jurisdic18 tions with coral reef equities; 

19 ‘‘(3) to develop sound scientific information on 

20 the condition of coral reef ecosystems, continuing 

21 and emerging threats to such ecosystems, and the 

22 efficacy of innovative tools, technologies, and strate23 gies to mitigate stressors and restore such eco24 systems, including evaluation criteria to determine 
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1 the effectiveness of management interventions, and 

2 accurate mapping for coral reef restoration; 

3 ‘‘(4) to assist in the preservation of coral reefs 

4 by supporting science-based, consensus-driven State, 

5 Tribal, and community-based coral reef manage6 ment, including conservation and restoration 

7 projects that empower local communities, small busi8 nesses, and nongovernmental organizations; 

9 ‘‘(5) to provide financial resources, technical as10 sistance, and scientific expertise to supplement and 

11 strengthen State and community-based management 

12 programs and conservation and restoration projects; 

13 ‘‘(6) to establish a formal mechanism for col14 lecting and allocating monetary donations from the 

15 private sector to be used for coral reef conservation 

16 and restoration projects; 

17 ‘‘(7) to support the rapid and effective, science18 based assessment and response to emergencies that 

19 imminently threaten coral reefs, such as coral dis20 ease outbreaks, invasive species, hurricanes, marine 

21 heat waves, coral bleaching, and other natural disas22 ters, vessel groundings or chemical spills, and other 

23 exigent circumstances; and 

24 ‘‘(8) to serve as a model for advancing similar 

25 international efforts to preserve, sustain, and restore 
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1 coral reef ecosystems in the jurisdictions of United 

2 States allies and trading partners. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 203. FEDERAL CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT AND RES4 TORATION ACTIVITIES. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator or the Sec6 retary of the Interior may conduct activities described in 

7 subsection (b) to conserve and restore coral reefs and coral 

8 reef ecosystems that are consistent with— 

9 ‘‘(1) all applicable laws governing resource 

10 management in Federal and State waters, including 

11 this Act; 

12 ‘‘(2) the national coral reef resilience strategy 

13 in effect under section 204A; 

14 ‘‘(3) coral reef action plans in effect under sec15 tion 205, as applicable; and 

16 ‘‘(4) coral reef emergency plans in effect under 

17 section 209, as applicable. 

18 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—Activities described 

19 in this subsection are activities to conserve, research, mon20 itor, assess, and restore coral reefs and coral reef eco21 systems in waters managed under the jurisdiction of a 

22 Federal agency specified in subsection (c) or in coordina23 tion with a State in waters managed under the jurisdiction 

24 of such State, including— 
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1 ‘‘(1) developing, including through the collection 

2 of requisite data, high-quality and digitized maps re3 flecting— 

4 ‘‘(A) current and historical live coral cover 

5 data; 

6 ‘‘(B) coral reef habitat quality data; 

7 ‘‘(C) priority areas for coral reef conserva8 tion to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem 

9 structure and function that benefit coastal com10 munities and living marine resources; 

11 ‘‘(D) priority areas for coral reef restora12 tion to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem 

13 structure and function to benefit coastal com14 munities and living marine resources; and 

15 ‘‘(E) areas of concern that may require en16 hanced monitoring of coral health and cover. 

17 ‘‘(2) enhancing compliance with Federal laws 

18 that prohibit or regulate— 

19 ‘‘(A) the taking of coral products or spe20 cies associated with coral reefs; or 

21 ‘‘(B) the use and management of coral reef 

22 ecosystems; 

23 ‘‘(3) long-term ecological monitoring of coral 

24 reef ecosystems; 
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1 ‘‘(4) implementing species-specific recovery 

2 plans for listed coral species consistent with the En3 dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

4 seq.); 

5 ‘‘(5) restoring degraded coral reef ecosystems; 

6 ‘‘(6) promoting ecologically sound navigation 

7 and anchorages, including mooring buoy systems to 

8 promote enhanced recreational access, near coral 

9 reefs; 

10 ‘‘(7) monitoring and responding to severe 

11 bleaching or mortality events, disease outbreaks, 

12 invasive species outbreaks, and significant maritime 

13 accidents, including chemical spill cleanup and the 

14 removal of grounded vessels; 

15 ‘‘(8) conducting scientific research that contrib16 utes to the understanding, sustainable use, and long17 term conservation of coral reefs; 

18 ‘‘(9) enhancing public awareness, under19 standing, and appreciation of coral reefs and coral 

20 reef ecosystems; 

21 ‘‘(10) preventing or minimizing the likelihood of 

22 vessel impacts or other physical damage to coral 

23 reefs through navigational aids and expansion of 

24 reef-safe anchorages; and 
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1 ‘‘(11) centrally archiving, managing, and dis2 tributing data sets and coral reef ecosystem assess3 ments and publishing such information on publicly 

4 available internet websites of— 

5 ‘‘(A) the Coral Reef Conservation Program 

6 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad7 ministration; and 

8 ‘‘(B) the Task Force. 

9 ‘‘(c) FEDERAL AGENCIES SPECIFIED.—A Federal 

10 agency specified in this subsection is one of the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

12 Administration. 

13 ‘‘(2) The National Park Service. 

14 ‘‘(3) The United States Fish and Wildlife Serv15 ice. 

16 ‘‘(4) The Office of Insular Affairs. 

17 ‘‘(d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability 

19 of appropriations and at the discretion of the Sec20 retary of Commerce, the Administrator may enter 

21 into cooperative agreements with States to fund 

22 coral reef conservation and restoration activities in 

23 waters managed under the jurisdiction of such 

24 States that are consistent with the national coral 

25 reef resilience strategy in effect under section 204A. 
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1 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The Administrator may not 

2 provide more than $500,000 in total funding under 

3 paragraph (1) to any one State in any fiscal year.’’. 

4 (b) ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS.—The Coral Reef Con5 servation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended 

6 by striking sections 205 through 210 and inserting the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 204A. NATIONAL CORAL REEF RESILIENCE STRAT9 EGY. 

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

11 ‘‘(1) develop a national coral reef resilience 

12 strategy; and 

13 ‘‘(2) periodically, but not less frequently than 

14 every 15 years, review and revise the strategy. 

15 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by sub16 section (a) shall include the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) A discussion addressing— 

18 ‘‘(A) continuing and emerging threats to 

19 the resilience of United States coral reef eco20 systems; 

21 ‘‘(B) remaining gaps in coral reef eco22 system research, monitoring, and assessment; 

23 ‘‘(C) the status of management coopera24 tion and integration among Federal, State, 
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1 Tribal, and locally managed jurisdictions with 

2 coral reef equities; 

3 ‘‘(D) the status of efforts to manage and 

4 disseminate critical information, and enhance 

5 interjurisdictional data sharing, related to re6 search, reports, datasets, and maps; 

7 ‘‘(E) areas of special focus, which may in8 clude— 

9 ‘‘(i) improving natural coral recruit10 ment; 

11 ‘‘(ii) preventing avoidable losses of 

12 corals and their habitat; 

13 ‘‘(iii) enhancing the resilience of coral 

14 populations; 

15 ‘‘(iv) supporting a resilience-based 

16 management approach; 

17 ‘‘(v) developing, coordinating, and im18 plementing watershed management plans; 

19 ‘‘(vi) building and sustaining water20 shed management capacity at the local 

21 level; 

22 ‘‘(vii) providing data essential for 

23 coral reef fisheries management; 

24 ‘‘(viii) building capacity for coral reef 

25 fisheries management; 
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1 ‘‘(ix) increasing understanding of 

2 coral reef ecosystem services; 

3 ‘‘(x) educating the public on the im4 portance of coral reefs, threats and solu5 tions; and 

6 ‘‘(xi) evaluating intervention efficacy; 

7 ‘‘(F) the status of conservation efforts, in8 cluding the use of marine protected areas to 

9 serve as replenishment zones developed con10 sistent with local practices and traditions and 

11 in cooperation with, and with respect for the 

12 scientific, technical, and management expertise 

13 and responsibilities of, State fish and wildlife 

14 management agencies; and 

15 ‘‘(G) science-based adaptive management 

16 and restoration efforts. 

17 ‘‘(2) A statement of national goals and objec18 tives designed to guide— 

19 ‘‘(A) future Federal coral reef management 

20 and restoration activities authorized under sec21 tion 203; 

22 ‘‘(B) conservation and restoration prior23 ities for grants awarded under section 213; and 

24 ‘‘(C) research priorities for the cooperative 

25 institutes established under section 215(c). 
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1 ‘‘(3) General templates for use by covered reef 

2 managers to guide the development of— 

3 ‘‘(A) coral reef action plans under section 

4 205; and 

5 ‘‘(B) coral reef emergency plans under sec6 tion 209. 

7 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing all elements of 

8 the strategy required by subsection (a), the Administrator 

9 shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) consult with the Secretary of the Interior, 

11 the Task Force, covered States, and Tribal organiza12 tions; 

13 ‘‘(2) engage stakeholders, including coral reef 

14 stewardship partnerships, coral reef institutes and 

15 research centers described in section 215(c), and 

16 coral reef conservation grant awardees; and 

17 ‘‘(3) solicit public review and comment regard18 ing scoping and the draft strategy. 

19 ‘‘(d) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS; PUBLICATION.— 

20 The Administrator shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) submit the strategy required by subsection 

22 (a) and any revisions to the strategy to the appro23 priate congressional committees; and 

24 ‘‘(2) publish the strategy and any such revisions 

25 on publicly available internet websites of— 
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1 ‘‘(A) the Coral Reef Conservation Program 

2 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad3 ministration; and 

4 ‘‘(B) the Task Force. 

5 ‘‘(e) TRANSITION RULE.—On and after the date of 

6 the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 

7 2020, the 2018 Coral Reef Conservation Program Stra8 tegic Plan of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad9 ministration shall be considered to be the national coral 

10 reef resilience strategy in effect under this section until 

11 the earlier of— 

12 ‘‘(1) September 30, 2033; or 

13 ‘‘(2) the date on which the Administrator devel14 ops a national coral reef resilience strategy under 

15 this section. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 205. CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS. 

17 ‘‘(a) CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS.—Except as pro18 vided in subsection (h), not later than 3 years after the 

19 date of the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act 

20 of 2020, and not later than 2 years after the publication 

21 of a revised national coral reef resilience strategy under 

22 section 204A, each covered reef manager shall prepare and 

23 submit to the Task Force a coral reef action plan to guide 

24 management and restoration activities to be undertaken 

25 within the responsibilities and jurisdiction of the manager. 
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1 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A covered reef manager pre2 paring a coral reef action plan under subsection (a) 

3 shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) ensure that the plan is consistent with all 

5 elements of the national coral reef resilience strategy 

6 in effect; and 

7 ‘‘(2) revise the plan not less frequently than 

8 once every 5 years. 

9 ‘‘(c) PLAN ELEMENTS.—A coral reef action plan 

10 under subsection (a) shall include a discussion of the fol11 lowing elements: 

12 ‘‘(1) Short- and mid-term coral reef conserva13 tion and restoration objectives within the applicable 

14 jurisdiction. 

15 ‘‘(2) An updated adaptive management frame16 work to inform research, monitoring, and assessment 

17 needs. 

18 ‘‘(3) The status of any coral reef emergency 

19 plans in effect under section 209 covering coral reef 

20 ecosystems within the applicable jurisdiction. 

21 ‘‘(4) Tools, strategies, and partnerships nec22 essary to identify, monitor, and redress pollution 

23 and water quality impacts to coral reef ecosystems 

24 within the applicable jurisdiction. 
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1 ‘‘(5) The status of efforts to improve coral reef 

2 ecosystem management cooperation and integration 

3 among neighboring Federal, State, Tribal, or locally 

4 managed jurisdictions, including the identification of 

5 existing research and monitoring activities that can 

6 be leveraged for coral reef status and trends assess7 ments within the applicable jurisdiction. 

8 ‘‘(6) An accounting of annual expenditures on 

9 coral reef management and restoration activities 

10 within the applicable jurisdiction while the preceding 

11 action plan, if any, was in effect. 

12 ‘‘(7) Estimated budgetary and resource consid13 erations necessary to carry out the proposed action 

14 plan. 

15 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator 

16 and the Task Force shall make all reasonable efforts to 

17 provide technical assistance upon request by a covered reef 

18 manager developing a coral reef action plan under sub19 section (a). 

20 ‘‘(e) ADOPTION OF CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS.— 

21 A covered reef manager may adopt a coral reef action plan 

22 developed by another covered reef manager, in full or in 

23 part, as relevant to the adopting manager’s applicable ju24 risdiction. 
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1 ‘‘(f) PUBLIC REVIEW.—The development of a coral 

2 reef action plan by a covered reef manager under sub3 section (a), and the adoption of a plan under subsection 

4 (e), shall be subject to public review and comment. 

5 ‘‘(g) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator shall publish 

6 each coral reef action plan prepared and submitted to the 

7 Task Force under this section on publicly available inter8 net websites of— 

9 ‘‘(1) the Coral Reef Conservation Program of 

10 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra11 tion; and 

12 ‘‘(2) the Task Force. 

13 ‘‘(h) APPLICABILITY TO COVERED STATES AND

14 CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS.—A covered 

15 State or non-Federal coral reef stewardship partnership 

16 is not required to develop a coral reef action plan under 

17 subsection (a), but may do so in its own discretion. In 

18 developing a coral reef action plan, a covered State or non19 Federal coral reef stewardship partnership is encouraged, 

20 but not mandated, to comply with the requirements of this 

21 section. 

22 ‘‘(i) PLAN IN EFFECT.—A coral reef action plan shall 

23 be deemed to be in effect if the plan was submitted to 

24 the Task Force under this section during the preceding 

25 6 years. 
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1 ‘‘SEC. 206. CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS. 

2 ‘‘(a) CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS.— 

3 The Administrator shall establish standards for the forma4 tion of partnerships among government and community 

5 members for the stewardship of coral reefs (in this title 

6 referred to as ‘coral reef stewardship partnerships’) in ac7 cordance with this section, including guidance for prepara8 tion and submission of coral reef action plans under sec9 tion 205. 

10 ‘‘(b) IDENTIFICATION OF REEFS.—Each coral reef 

11 stewardship partnership shall identify with particularity 

12 the coral reef or ecologically significant component of a 

13 coral reef that will be the subject of its stewardship activi14 ties. 

15 ‘‘(c) MEMBERSHIP FOR FEDERAL REEFS.—A coral 

16 reef stewardship partnership that has identified, as the 

17 subject of its stewardship activities, a coral reef or eco18 logically significant component of a coral reef that is fully 

19 or partially under the management jurisdiction of any 

20 Federal agency specified in section 203(c) shall, at a min21 imum, include the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) That Federal agency, a representative of 

23 which shall serve as chair of the coral reef steward24 ship partnership. 

25 ‘‘(2) A State, county, or Tribal organization’s 

26 resource management agency. 
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1 ‘‘(3) A coral reef research center described in 

2 section 215(c)(4) or another institution of higher 

3 education. 

4 ‘‘(4) A nongovernmental organization. 

5 ‘‘(5) Such other members as the partnership 

6 considers appropriate, such as interested stakeholder 

7 groups. 

8 ‘‘(d) MEMBERSHIP FOR NON-FEDERAL REEFS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A coral reef stewardship 

10 partnership that has identified, as the subject of its 

11 stewardship activities, a coral reef or ecologically sig12 nificant component of a coral reef that is not under 

13 the management jurisdiction of any Federal agency 

14 specified in section 203(c) shall, at a minimum, in15 clude the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) A State, county, or Tribal organiza17 tion’s resource management agency, a rep18 resentative of which shall serve as the chair of 

19 the coral reef stewardship partnership. 

20 ‘‘(B) A coral reef research center described 

21 in section 215(c)(4) or another institution of 

22 higher education. 

23 ‘‘(C) A nongovernmental organization. 
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1 ‘‘(D) Such other members as the partner2 ship considers appropriate, such as interested 

3 stakeholder groups. 

4 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara6 graph (B), a coral reef stewardship partnership 

7 described in paragraph (1) may also include 

8 representatives of one or more Federal agencies 

9 that have management responsibility in the reef 

10 that is the subject of the partnership’s steward11 ship activities. 

12 ‘‘(B) REQUESTS; APPROVAL.—A represent13 ative of a Federal agency described in subpara14 graph (A) may become a member of a coral reef 

15 stewardship partnership described in paragraph 

16 (1) if— 

17 ‘‘(i) the representative submits a re18 quest to become a member to the chair of 

19 the partnership referred to in paragraph 

20 (1)(A); and 

21 ‘‘(ii) the chair consents to the request. 

22 ‘‘(e) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY

23 COMMITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act 

24 (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to coral reef stewardship 

25 partnerships. 
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1 ‘‘SEC. 207. STATE BLOCK GRANTS. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall provide 

3 block grants of financial assistance to covered States to 

4 support management and restoration activities and fur5 ther the implementation of coral reef action plans in effect 

6 under section 205 by covered States and non-Federal coral 

7 reef stewardship partnerships. 

8 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY FOR ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS.—A 

9 covered State shall qualify for and receive additional grant 

10 amounts beyond the base award specified in subsection 

11 (c)(1) if there is at least one coral reef action plan in effect 

12 within the jurisdiction of the covered State developed by 

13 that covered State or a non-Federal coral reef stewardship 

14 partnership. 

15 ‘‘(c) FUNDING FORMULA.—Subject to the availability 

16 of appropriations, the amount of each block grant awarded 

17 to a covered State under this section shall be the sum of— 

18 ‘‘(1) a base award of $100,000; and 

19 ‘‘(2) if the State is eligible under subsection 

20 (b)— 

21 ‘‘(A) an amount that is equal to non-Fed22 eral expenditures of up to $3,000,000 on coral 

23 reef management and restoration activities 

24 within the jurisdiction of the State, as reported 

25 within the previous fiscal year; and 
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1 ‘‘(B) an additional amount, from any 

2 funds appropriated for block grants under this 

3 section that remain after distribution under 

4 subparagraph (A) and paragraph (1), based on 

5 the proportion of the State’s share of total non6 Federal expenditures on coral reef management 

7 and restoration activities, as reported within the 

8 previous fiscal year, in excess of $3,000,000, 

9 relative to other covered States. 

10 ‘‘(d) EXCLUSIONS.—For the purposes of calculating 

11 block grant amounts under subsection (c), Federal funds 

12 provided to a covered State or non-Federal coral reef stew13 ardship partnership shall not be considered as qualifying 

14 non-Federal expenditures, but non-Federal matching 

15 funds used to leverage Federal awards may be considered 

16 as qualifying non-Federal expenditures. 

17 ‘‘(e) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.— 

18 The Administrator is responsible for— 

19 ‘‘(1) providing guidance on qualifying non-Fed20 eral expenditures and the proper documentation of 

21 such expenditures; 

22 ‘‘(2) issuing annual solicitations to covered 

23 States for additional awards under this section; and 
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1 ‘‘(3) determining the appropriate allocation of 

2 additional amounts among covered States in accord3 ance with this section. 

4 ‘‘(f) RESPONSIBILITIES OF COVERED STATES.—Each 

5 covered State is responsible for documenting non-Federal 

6 expenditures within the jurisdiction of the State and for7 mally reporting those expenditures for review in response 

8 to annual solicitations by the Administrator under sub9 section (e). 

10 ‘‘(g) UNEXPENDED AMOUNTS.—Any amounts avail11 able for block grants under this section that are not ex12 pended shall be transferred to the Coral Reef Stewardship 

13 Fund under section 208(b). 

14 ‘‘(h) WAIVERS OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.—The 

15 Administrator may waive the eligibility requirements 

16 under subsection (b) through fiscal year 2023. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 208. CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP FUND. 

18 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS.— 

19 The Administrator may enter into an agreement with the 

20 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (in this section re21 ferred to as the ‘Foundation’), authorizing the Foundation 

22 to receive, hold, and administer funds received under this 

23 section. 

24 ‘‘(b) FUND.—The Foundation shall invest, reinvest, 

25 and otherwise administer the funds received under this 
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1 section and maintain such funds and any interest or reve2 nues earned in a separate interest-bearing account, to be 

3 known as the ‘Coral Reef Stewardship Fund’ (in this sec4 tion referred to as the ‘Fund’, and known before the date 

5 of the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 

6 2020 as the Coral Reef Conservation Fund administered 

7 through a public-private partnership with the Founda8 tion), established by the Foundation solely to support 

9 coral reef stewardship partnership activities that— 

10 ‘‘(1) further the purposes of this title; and 

11 ‘‘(2) are consistent with— 

12 ‘‘(A) the national coral reef resilience 

13 strategy in effect under section 204A; and 

14 ‘‘(B) coral reef action plans in effect, if 

15 any, under section 205 covering a coral reef or 

16 ecologically significant component of a coral 

17 reef to be impacted by such activities, if appli18 cable. 

19 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION TO SOLICIT DONATIONS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to an agreement 

21 entered into under subsection (a), the Foundation 

22 may accept, receive, solicit, hold, administer, and use 

23 any gift (including, notwithstanding section 1342 of 

24 title 31, United States Code, donations of services) 

25 to further the purposes of this title. 
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1 ‘‘(2) DEPOSITS IN FUND.—Notwithstanding 

2 section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, any 

3 funds received as a gift shall be deposited and main4 tained in the Fund. 

5 ‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—Not later than 

6 30 days after funds are deposited in the Fund under 

7 paragraph (2), the Foundation shall notify the Com8 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate and the 

9 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep10 resentatives of the source and amount of such funds. 

11 ‘‘(d) REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE.—The Adminis12 trator shall conduct a continuing review of all deposits 

13 into, and disbursements from, the Fund. Each review shall 

14 include a written assessment concerning the extent to 

15 which the Foundation has implemented the goals and re16 quirements of— 

17 ‘‘(1) this section; and 

18 ‘‘(2) the national coral reef resilience strategy 

19 in effect under section 204A. 

20 ‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATION.—Under an agreement en21 tered into pursuant to subsection (a), and subject to the 

22 availability of appropriations, the Administrator may 

23 transfer funds appropriated to carry out this title to the 

24 Foundation. Amounts received by the Foundation under 

25 this subsection may be used for matching, in whole or in 
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1 part, contributions (whether in money, services, or prop2 erty) made to the Foundation by private persons, State 

3 or local government agencies, or Tribal organizations. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 209. CORAL REEF EMERGENCY PLANS. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A covered reef manager may de6 velop and periodically update a plan (in this title referred 

7 to as a ‘coral reef emergency plan’) consistent with the 

8 template described in section 204A(b)(3) to guide the 

9 rapid and effective response to circumstances that pose 

10 an urgent and immediate threat to the coral reef eco11 systems within the manager’s responsibilities and jurisdic12 tions, and consistent with any applicable coral reef action 

13 plan. 

14 ‘‘(b) CORAL REEF EMERGENCIES.—The Adminis15 trator shall develop a list of, and criteria for, cir16 cumstances that pose an urgent and immediate threat to 

17 coral reefs (in this title referred to as ‘coral reef emer18 gencies’), including— 

19 ‘‘(1) new and ongoing outbreaks of disease; 

20 ‘‘(2) new and ongoing outbreaks of invasive or 

21 nuisance species; 

22 ‘‘(3) new and ongoing coral bleaching events; 

23 ‘‘(4) natural disasters; 
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1 ‘‘(5) man-made disasters, including vessel 

2 groundings, hazardous spills, or coastal construction 

3 accidents; and 

4 ‘‘(6) other exigent circumstances. 

5 ‘‘(c) BEST RESPONSE PRACTICES.—The Adminis6 trator shall develop guidance on best practices to respond 

7 to coral reef emergencies that can be adopted within coral 

8 reef emergency plans. Such best practices shall be— 

9 ‘‘(1) based on the best available science and in10 tegrated with evolving innovative technologies; and 

11 ‘‘(2) revised not less frequently than once every 

12 5 years. 

13 ‘‘(d) PLAN ELEMENTS.—A coral reef emergency plan 

14 shall include the following elements: 

15 ‘‘(1) A description of particular threats, and the 

16 proposed responses, consistent with the best prac17 tices developed under subsection (d). 

18 ‘‘(2) A delineation of roles and responsibilities 

19 for executing the plan. 

20 ‘‘(3) Evidence of engagement with interested 

21 stakeholder groups, as applicable, in the develop22 ment of the plan. 

23 ‘‘(4) Any other information the Administrator 

24 considers to be necessary for the plan. 
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1 ‘‘(e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator 

2 and the Task Force shall make all reasonable efforts to 

3 provide technical assistance upon request by a covered reef 

4 manager developing a coral reef emergency plan under 

5 subsection (a). 

6 ‘‘(f) ADOPTION OF CORAL REEF EMERGENCY

7 PLANS.—A covered reef manager may adopt a coral reef 

8 emergency plan developed by another covered reef man9 ager, in full or in part, as relevant to the adopting man10 ager’s applicable jurisdiction. 

11 ‘‘(g) PUBLIC REVIEW.—The development of a coral 

12 reef action plan by a covered reef manager under sub13 section (a), and the adoption of a plan under subsection 

14 (f), shall be subject to public review and comment. 

15 ‘‘(h) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator shall publish 

16 each coral reef emergency plan prepared and submitted 

17 to the Task Force under this section on publicly available 

18 internet websites of— 

19 ‘‘(1) the Coral Reef Conservation Program of 

20 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra21 tion; and 

22 ‘‘(2) the Task Force. 

23 ‘‘(i) PLAN IN EFFECT.—A coral reef emergency plan 

24 shall be deemed to be in effect if the plan was submitted 
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1 to the Task Force under this section during the preceding 

2 6 years. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 210. CORAL REEF EMERGENCY FUND. 

4 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—There is estab5 lished in the Treasury an interest-bearing fund to be 

6 known as the ‘Coral Reef Emergency Fund’, which shall 

7 consist of amounts deposited into the Fund under sub8 section (c). 

9 ‘‘(b) USES.—Amounts in the Fund— 

10 ‘‘(1) shall be available only for use by the Sec11 retary to compensate covered coral reef mangers to 

12 implement a coral reef emergency plan in effect 

13 under sections 210 and 212; and 

14 ‘‘(2) shall remain available until expended. 

15 ‘‘(c) DEPOSITS INTO THE FUND.—Subject to the 

16 availability of appropriations, there shall be deposited into 

17 the Fund— 

18 ‘‘(1) amounts appropriated for the Fund; and 

19 ‘‘(2) other amounts appropriated to the Sec20 retary for use with respect to coral reef emergencies. 

21 ‘‘(d) ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of carrying 

23 out this title, the Secretary may accept, receive, so24 licit, hold, administer, and use any gift (including, 
29 

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1 notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United 

2 States Code, donations of services). 

3 ‘‘(2) DEPOSITS IN FUND.—Notwithstanding 

4 section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, any 

5 funds received as a gift shall be deposited and main6 tained in the Fund. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 211. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. 

8 ‘‘(a) CORAL REEF EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) SUA SPONTE DECLARATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

11 determine and declare a coral reef emergency, 

12 including at the recommendation of the Sec13 retary of the Interior. 

14 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In declaring a 

15 coral reef emergency under subparagraph (A), 

16 the Secretary shall— 

17 ‘‘(i) certify that an emergency has oc18 curred that is ecologically significant and 

19 harmful to coral reefs; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) submit to the appropriate con21 gressional committees findings and anal22 ysis to justify the declaration. 

23 ‘‘(2) PETITIONS.—If a covered State or non24 Federal coral reef stewardship partnership believes 

25 that a coral reef emergency has occurred, and is im-
30 

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1 pacting coral reefs or ecologically significant compo2 nents of coral reefs subject to the responsibilities or 

3 jurisdiction of the State or partnership, the State or 

4 partnership may petition the Secretary for a declara5 tion of a coral reef emergency. 

6 ‘‘(3) EVALUATION AND ACTION.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 

8 days after receiving a petition under paragraph 

9 (2) (except as provided in subparagraph (B)), 

10 the Secretary shall— 

11 ‘‘(i) evaluate the petition to determine 

12 whether a coral reef emergency has oc13 curred; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) declare a coral reef emergency or 

15 deny the petition. 

16 ‘‘(B) EXTENSION.—The Secretary may ex17 tend the deadline provided for under subpara18 graph (A) by not more than 15 days. 

19 ‘‘(4) APPEAL.—If the Secretary denies a peti20 tion for an emergency declaration submitted under 

21 paragraph (2), the State or partnership that sub22 mitted the petition may, not later than 15 days after 

23 receiving notice of the denial, appeal the denial to 

24 the Secretary. Not later than 15 days after receiving 
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1 an appeal under this paragraph, the Secretary shall 

2 grant or deny the appeal. 

3 ‘‘(5) REVOCATION.—The Secretary may revoke 

4 any declaration of a coral reef emergency in whole 

5 or in part after determining that circumstances no 

6 longer require an emergency response. 

7 ‘‘(6) RECOVERY OF EMERGENCY FUNDING.— 

8 The Administrator may seek compensation from 

9 negligent parties to recover emergency funds ex10 pended in excess of $500,000 under this section as 

11 a result of an emergency declaration arising from di12 rect impacts to coral reefs from man-made disasters 

13 or accidents. 

14 ‘‘(b) GRANT AUTHORITY.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability 

16 of appropriations, upon the declaration of a coral 

17 reef emergency under subsection (a), the Secretary 

18 shall provide grants to carry out proposals that meet 

19 the requirements of paragraph (2) to implement 

20 coral reef emergency plans in effect under section 

21 209. 

22 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A proposal for a grant 

23 under this subsection to implement a coral reef 

24 emergency plan in effect under section 209 shall in25 clude— 
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1 ‘‘(A) the name of the entity submitting the 

2 proposal; 

3 ‘‘(B) a copy of the coral reef emergency 

4 plan; 

5 ‘‘(C) a description of the qualifications of 

6 the individuals and entities who will implement 

7 the plan; 

8 ‘‘(D) an estimate of the funds and time re9 quired to complete the implementation of the 

10 plan; and 

11 ‘‘(E) any other information the Secretary 

12 considers to be necessary for evaluating the eli13 gibility of the proposal for a grant under this 

14 subsection. 

15 ‘‘(3) REVIEW.—Not later than 30 days after re16 ceiving a proposal for a grant under this subsection, 

17 the Secretary shall review the proposal and deter18 mine if the proposal meets the requirements of para19 graph (2). 

20 ‘‘(4) CONCURRENT REVIEW.—An entity seeking 

21 a grant under this subsection may submit a proposal 

22 under paragraph (2) to the Secretary at any time 

23 following the submission of a petition for an emer24 gency declaration under subsection (a)(2) that is ap25 plicable to coral reefs or ecologically significant com-
33 

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1 ponents of coral reefs subject to the responsibilities 

2 or jurisdiction of the entity. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 212. VESSEL GROUNDING INVENTORY. 

4 ‘‘The Administrator, in coordination with the heads 

5 of other Federal agencies, shall establish and maintain an 

6 inventory of all vessel grounding incidents involving 

7 United States coral reefs, including a description of— 

8 ‘‘(1) the impacts of each such incident to coral 

9 reefs and related natural resources; 

10 ‘‘(2) vessel and ownership information relating 

11 to each such incident, if available; 

12 ‘‘(3) the estimated cost of removal of the vessel, 

13 mitigation, or restoration relating to each such inci14 dent; 

15 ‘‘(4) the response actions taken by the owner of 

16 the vessel, the Administrator, the Commandant of 

17 the Coast Guard, or representatives of other Federal 

18 or State agencies; 

19 ‘‘(5) the status of the response actions, includ20 ing the dates of— 

21 ‘‘(A) vessel removal; 

22 ‘‘(B) mitigation or restoration activities, 

23 including whether a coral reef emergency plan 

24 was implemented; and 
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1 ‘‘(C) any actions taken to prevent future 

2 grounding incidents; and 

3 ‘‘(6) recommendations for additional naviga4 tional aids or other mechanisms for preventing fu5 ture grounding incidents. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 213. RUTH D. GATES CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 

7 GRANT PROGRAM. 

8 ‘‘(a) GRANTS.—Subject to the availability of appro9 priations, the Administrator shall establish a program (to 

10 be known as the ‘Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation 

11 Grant Program’) to provide grants for projects for the 

12 conservation and restoration of coral reef ecosystems (in 

13 this section referred to as ‘coral reef projects’) pursuant 

14 to proposals approved by the Administrator in accordance 

15 with this section. 

16 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity described in 

18 paragraph (2) may submit to the Administrator a 

19 proposal for a coral reef project. 

20 ‘‘(2) ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—An entity de21 scribed in this paragraph is— 

22 ‘‘(A) a natural resource management au23 thority of a State or local government or Tribal 

24 organization— 
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1 ‘‘(i) with responsibility for coral reef 

2 management; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) the activities of which directly or 

4 indirectly affect coral reefs or coral reef 

5 ecosystems; 

6 ‘‘(B) a regional fishery management coun7 cil established under the Magnuson-Stevens 

8 Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 

9 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); 

10 ‘‘(C) a coral reef stewardship partnership 

11 seeking to implement a coral reef action plan in 

12 effect under section 205; 

13 ‘‘(D) a coral reef research center des14 ignated under section 215(c)(4); or 

15 ‘‘(E) another nongovernmental organiza16 tion or research institution with demonstrated 

17 expertise in the conservation or restoration of 

18 coral reefs in practice or through significant 

19 contributions to the body of existing scientific 

20 research on coral reefs. 

21 ‘‘(c) PROJECT PROPOSALS.—Each proposal for a 

22 grant under this section for a coral reef project shall in23 clude the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) The name of the individual or entity re25 sponsible for conducting the project. 
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1 ‘‘(2) A description of the qualifications of the 

2 individual or entity. 

3 ‘‘(3) A succinct statement of the purposes of 

4 the project. 

5 ‘‘(4) An estimate of the funds and time re6 quired to complete the project. 

7 ‘‘(5) Evidence of support for the project by ap8 propriate representatives of States or other govern9 ment jurisdictions in which the project will be con10 ducted. 

11 ‘‘(6) Information regarding the source and 

12 amount of matching funding available to the appli13 cant. 

14 ‘‘(7) A description of how the project meets one 

15 or more of the criteria under subsection (e)(2). 

16 ‘‘(8) In the case of a proposal submitted by a 

17 coral reef stewardship partnership, a description of 

18 how the project aligns with the applicable coral reef 

19 action plan in effect under section 205. 

20 ‘‘(9) Any other information the Administrator 

21 considers to be necessary for evaluating the eligi22 bility of the project for a grant under this sub23 section. 

24 ‘‘(d) PROJECT REVIEW AND APPROVAL.— 
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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall re2 view each coral reef project proposal submitted 

3 under this section to determine if the project meets 

4 the criteria set forth in subsection (e). 

5 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIZATION OF CONSERVATION

6 PROJECTS.—The Administrator shall prioritize the 

7 awarding of grants for projects that meet the cri8 teria for approval under subparagraphs (A) through 

9 (G) of subsection (e)(2) that are proposed to be con10 ducted within priority areas identified for coral reef 

11 conservation by the Administrator and consistent 

12 with the national coral reef resilience strategy in ef13 fect under section 204A. 

14 ‘‘(3) PRIORITIZATION OF RESTORATION

15 PROJECTS.—The Administrator shall prioritize the 

16 awarding of grants for projects that meet the cri17 teria for approval under subparagraphs (E) through 

18 (L) of subsection (e)(2) that are proposed to be con19 ducted within priority areas identified for coral reef 

20 restoration by the Administrator and consistent with 

21 the national coral reef resilience strategy in effect 

22 under section 204A. 

23 ‘‘(4) REVIEW; APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL.— 

24 Not later than 180 days after receiving a proposal 
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1 for a coral reef project under this section, the Ad2 ministrator shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) request and consider written com4 ments on the proposal from each Federal agen5 cy, State government, Tribal organization, or 

6 other government jurisdiction, including the rel7 evant regional fishery management councils es8 tablished under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

9 Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 

10 1801 et seq.), or any National Marine Sanc11 tuary or Marine National Monument, with ju12 risdiction or management authority over coral 

13 reef ecosystems in the area where the project is 

14 to be conducted, including the extent to which 

15 the project is consistent with locally established 

16 priorities, unless such entities were directly in17 volved in the development of the project pro18 posal; 

19 ‘‘(B) provide for the merit-based peer re20 view of the proposal and require standardized 

21 documentation of that peer review; 

22 ‘‘(C) after considering any written com23 ments and recommendations based on the re24 views under subparagraphs (A) and (B), ap25 prove or disapprove the proposal; and 
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1 ‘‘(D) provide written notification of that 

2 approval or disapproval, with summaries of all 

3 written comments, recommendations, and peer4 reviews, to the entity that submitted the pro5 posal, and each of those States, Tribal organi6 zations, and other government jurisdictions that 

7 provided comments under subparagraph (A). 

8 ‘‘(e) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—The Administrator 

9 may not approve a proposal for a coral reef project under 

10 this section unless the project— 

11 ‘‘(1) is consistent with— 

12 ‘‘(A) the national coral reef resilience 

13 strategy in effect under section 204A; and 

14 ‘‘(B) any Federal or non-Federal coral reef 

15 action plans in effect under section 205 cov16 ering a coral reef or ecologically significant 

17 component of a coral reef to be affected by the 

18 project; and 

19 ‘‘(2) will enhance the conservation and restora20 tion of coral reefs by— 

21 ‘‘(A) addressing conflicts arising from the 

22 use of environments near coral reefs or from 

23 the use of corals, species associated with coral 

24 reefs, and coral products, including supporting 

25 consensus-driven, community-based planning 
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1 and management initiatives for the protection 

2 of coral reef ecosystems; 

3 ‘‘(B) improving compliance with laws that 

4 prohibit or regulate the taking of coral products 

5 or species associated with coral reefs or regulate 

6 the use and management of coral reef eco7 systems; 

8 ‘‘(C) designing and implementing networks 

9 of real-time water quality monitoring along 

10 coral reefs, including data collection related to 

11 turbidity, nutrient availability, harmful algal 

12 blooms, and plankton assemblages, with an em13 phasis on coral reefs impacted by agriculture 

14 and urban development; 

15 ‘‘(D) promoting ecologically sound naviga16 tion and anchorages, including mooring buoy 

17 systems to promote enhanced recreational ac18 cess, near coral reefs; 

19 ‘‘(E) furthering the goals and objectives of 

20 coral reef action plans in effect under section 

21 205 and coral reef emergency plans in effect 

22 under section 209; 

23 ‘‘(F) mapping the location and distribution 

24 of coral reefs and potential coral reef habitat; 
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1 ‘‘(G) stimulating innovation to advance the 

2 ability of the United States to understand, re3 search, or monitor coral reef ecosystems, or to 

4 develop management or adaptation options to 

5 preserve, sustain, and restore coral reef eco6 systems; 

7 ‘‘(H) implementing research to ensure the 

8 population viability of listed coral species in 

9 United States waters as detailed in the popu10 lation-based recovery criteria included in spe11 cies-specific recovery plans consistent with the 

12 Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

13 1531 et seq.); 

14 ‘‘(I) developing and implementing cost-ef15 fective methods to restore degraded coral reef 

16 ecosystems or to create geographically appro17 priate coral reef ecosystems in suitable waters, 

18 including by improving habitat or promoting 

19 success of keystone species, with an emphasis 

20 on novel restoration strategies and techniques 

21 to advance coral reef recovery and growth near 

22 population centers threatened by rising sea lev23 els and storm surge; 

24 ‘‘(J) translating and applying coral genet25 ics research to coral reef ecosystem restoration, 
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1 including research related to traits that pro2 mote resilience to increasing ocean tempera3 tures, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, coral 

4 diseases, and invasive species; 

5 ‘‘(K) developing and maintaining in situ 

6 native coral propagation sites; or 

7 ‘‘(L) developing and maintaining ex situ 

8 coral propagation nurseries and land-based 

9 coral gene banks to— 

10 ‘‘(i) conserve or augment genetic di11 versity of native coral populations; 

12 ‘‘(ii) support captive breeding of rare 

13 coral species; or 

14 ‘‘(iii) enhance resilience of native coral 

15 populations to increasing ocean tempera16 tures, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, 

17 and coral diseases through selective breed18 ing, conditioning, or other approaches that 

19 target genes, gene expression, phenotypic 

20 traits, or phenotypic plasticity. 

21 ‘‘(f) FUNDING REQUIREMENTS.—To the extent prac22 ticable based upon proposals for coral reef projects sub23 mitted to the Administrator, the Administrator shall en24 sure that funding for grants awarded under this section 

25 during a fiscal year is distributed as follows: 
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1 ‘‘(1) Not less than 40 percent of funds available 

2 shall be awarded for projects in the Pacific Ocean 

3 within the maritime areas and zones subject to the 

4 jurisdiction or control of the United States. 

5 ‘‘(2) Not less than 40 percent of the funds 

6 available shall be awarded for projects in the Atlan7 tic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Caribbean Sea 

8 within the maritime areas and zones subject to the 

9 jurisdiction or control of the United States. 

10 ‘‘(3) Not more than 67 percent of funds distrib11 uted in each region in accordance with paragraphs 

12 (1) and (2) shall be made exclusively available to 

13 projects that are— 

14 ‘‘(A) submitted by a coral reef stewardship 

15 partnership; and 

16 ‘‘(B) consistent with the coral reef action 

17 plan in effect under section 205 by such a part18 nership. 

19 ‘‘(4) Of the funds distributed to support 

20 projects in accordance with paragraph (3), not less 

21 than 20 percent and not more than 33 percent shall 

22 be awarded for projects submitted by a Federal coral 

23 reef stewardship partnership. 

24 ‘‘(g) PROJECT REPORTING.—Each entity receiving a 

25 grant under this section shall submit to the Administrator 
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1 such reports at such times and containing such informa2 tion for evaluating project performance as the Adminis3 trator may require. 

4 ‘‘(h) TASK FORCE.—The Administrator may consult 

5 with the Secretary of the Interior and the Task Force to 

6 obtain guidance in establishing priorities and evaluating 

7 proposals for coral reef projects under this section. 

8 ‘‘(i) UNEXPENDED AMOUNTS.—Any amounts avail9 able for grants under this section that are not expended 

10 shall be transferred to the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund 

11 under section 208(b). 

12 ‘‘SEC. 214. REPORTS ON ADMINISTRATION. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

14 date of the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act 

15 of 2020, and every 2 years thereafter, the Administrator 

16 shall submit to the committees specified in subsection (b) 

17 a report on the administration of this title during the 2- 

18 year period preceding submission of the report, includ19 ing— 

20 ‘‘(1) a description of all activities undertaken to 

21 implement the most recent national coral reef resil22 ience strategy under section 204A; 

23 ‘‘(2) a statement of all funds obligated under 

24 the authorities of this title; and 
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1 ‘‘(3) a summary, disaggregated by State, of 

2 Federal and non-Federal contributions toward the 

3 costs of each project or activity funded, in full or in 

4 part, under the authorities of this title. 

5 ‘‘(b) COMMITTEES SPECIFIED.—The committees 

6 specified in this subsection are— 

7 ‘‘(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

8 Transportation and the Committee on Appropria9 tions of the Senate; and 

10 ‘‘(2) the Committee on Natural Resources and 

11 the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

12 Representatives. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 215. AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS. 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may enter 

15 into and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or cooper16 ative agreements as may be necessary to carry out the 

17 purposes of this title. 

18 ‘‘(b) FUNDING.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Under an agreement en20 tered into under subsection (a), the Administrator 

21 may reimburse or provide funds authorized to be ap22 propriated by section 216 to, and may receive funds 

23 or reimbursements from, individuals and entities de24 scribed in paragraph (2) to carry out activities au25 thorized by this title. 
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1 ‘‘(2) INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES DE2 SCRIBED.—Individuals and entities described in this 

3 paragraph are the following: 

4 ‘‘(A) Federal agencies, instrumentalities, 

5 and laboratories. 

6 ‘‘(B) State and local governments. 

7 ‘‘(C) Indian Tribes and Tribal organiza8 tions. 

9 ‘‘(D) International organizations. 

10 ‘‘(E) Foreign governments not subject to 

11 economic sanctions imposed by the United 

12 States. 

13 ‘‘(F) Institutions of higher education, re14 search centers, and other educational institu15 tions. 

16 ‘‘(G) Nonprofit organizations. 

17 ‘‘(H) Commercial organizations. 

18 ‘‘(I) Other public or private individuals or 

19 entities. 

20 ‘‘(c) COOPERATIVE INSTITUTES.— 

21 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es22 tablish 2 cooperative institutes for the purpose of 

23 advancing and sustaining essential capabilities in 

24 coral reef research, to be known as the ‘Atlantic 
47 

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1 Coral Reef Institute’ and the ‘Pacific Coral Reef In2 stitute’. 

3 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—Each institute established 

4 under paragraph (1) shall be housed within a single 

5 coral reef research center designated by the Admin6 istrator under paragraph (4) in the Atlantic and Pa7 cific basins, respectively, and may contract with 

8 other coral reef research centers within the same 

9 basin to support each institute’s capacity and reach. 

10 ‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—The institutes established 

11 under paragraph (1) shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) conduct federally directed research to 

13 fill national and regional coral reef ecosystem 

14 research gaps and improve understanding of, 

15 and responses to, continuing and emerging 

16 threats to the resilience of United States coral 

17 reef ecosystems consistent with the national 

18 coral reef resilience strategy in effect under sec19 tion 204A; 

20 ‘‘(B) support ecological research and moni21 toring to study the effects of conservation and 

22 restoration activities funded by this title on pro23 moting more effective coral reef management 

24 and restoration; and 

25 ‘‘(C) through agreements— 
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1 ‘‘(i) collaborate directly with govern2 mental resource management agencies, 

3 coral reef stewardship partnerships, non4 profit organizations, and other coral reef 

5 research centers designated under para6 graph (4); 

7 ‘‘(ii) assist in the development and im8 plementation of— 

9 ‘‘(I) the national coral reef resil10 ience strategy under section 204A; 

11 ‘‘(II) coral reef action plans 

12 under section 205; and 

13 ‘‘(III) coral reef emergency plans 

14 under section 209; 

15 ‘‘(iii) build capacity within govern16 mental resource management agencies to 

17 establish research priorities and translate 

18 and apply research findings to manage19 ment and restoration practices; and 

20 ‘‘(iv) conduct public education and 

21 awareness programs for policymakers, re22 source managers, and the general public 

23 on— 

24 ‘‘(I) coral reefs and coral reef 

25 ecosystems; 
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1 ‘‘(II) best practices for coral reef 

2 ecosystem management and restora3 tion; 

4 ‘‘(III) the value of coral reefs; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(IV) the threats to the sustain7 ability of coral reef ecosystems. 

8 ‘‘(4) CORAL REEF RESEARCH CENTERS.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

10 shall periodically solicit applications and des11 ignate all qualifying institutions in a covered 

12 State as coral reef research centers. 

13 ‘‘(B) CRITERIA.—An institution qualifies 

14 for designation as a coral reef research center 

15 under subparagraph (A) if the Administrator 

16 determines that the institution— 

17 ‘‘(i) is operated by an institution of 

18 higher education or nonprofit marine re19 search organization; 

20 ‘‘(ii) has established management21 driven national or regional coral reef re22 search or restoration programs; 

23 ‘‘(iii) has demonstrated abilities to co24 ordinate closely with appropriate Federal 
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1 and State agencies, as well as other aca2 demic and nonprofit organizations; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) maintains significant local com4 munity engagement and outreach pro5 grams related to coral reef ecosystems. 

6 ‘‘(d) MULTIYEAR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The 

7 Administrator may enter into multiyear cooperative agree8 ments with the heads of other Federal agencies, States, 

9 Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations, local governments, 

10 the coral reef cooperative institutes established under sub11 section (c), and other institutions of higher education, 

12 nonprofit research organizations, and nongovernmental 

13 organizations to carry out activities authorized under this 

14 title. 

15 ‘‘(e) USE OF RESOURCES OF OTHER AGENCIES.— 

16 The Administrator may use, with consent and with or 

17 without reimbursement, the land, services, equipment, per18 sonnel, and facilities of any agency or instrumentality of— 

19 ‘‘(1) the United States; 

20 ‘‘(2) any State or local government; 

21 ‘‘(3) any Indian Tribe; or 

22 ‘‘(4) any foreign government not subject to eco23 nomic sanctions imposed by the United States. 
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1 ‘‘SEC. 216. CORAL REEF PRIZE COMPETITIONS. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The head of any Federal agency 

3 with a representative serving on the U.S. Coral Reef Task 

4 Force established by Executive Order 13089 (16 U.S.C. 

5 6401 note; relating to coral reef protection), may, individ6 ually or in cooperation with one or more agencies, carry 

7 out a program to award prizes competitively under section 

8 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 

9 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719). 

10 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—Any program carried out under 

11 this section shall be for the purpose of stimulating innova12 tion to advance the ability of the United States to under13 stand, research, or monitor coral reef ecosystems, or to 

14 develop management or adaptation options to preserve, 

15 sustain, and restore coral reef ecosystems. 

16 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY PROGRAMS.—Priority shall be given to 

17 establishing programs under this section that address 

18 communities, environments, or industries that are in dis19 tress as a result of the decline or degradation of coral reef 

20 ecosystems, including— 

21 ‘‘(1) scientific research and monitoring that 

22 furthers the understanding of causes behind coral 

23 reef decline and degradation and the generally slow 

24 recovery following disturbances, including ocean 

25 acidification and its impacts on coral reproduction; 
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1 ‘‘(2) the development of monitoring or manage2 ment options for communities or industries that are 

3 experiencing significant financial hardship; 

4 ‘‘(3) the development of adaptation options to 

5 alleviate economic harm and job loss caused by dam6 age to coral reef ecosystems; 

7 ‘‘(4) the development of measures to help vul8 nerable communities or industries, with an emphasis 

9 on rural communities and businesses; and 

10 ‘‘(5) the development of adaptation and man11 agement options for impacted tourism industries. 

12 ‘‘SEC. 217. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap14 propriated to the Secretary to carry out this title the fol15 lowing amounts, which shall remain available until ex16 pended: 

17 ‘‘(1) $31,000,000 for fiscal year 2021. 

18 ‘‘(2) $32,500,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

19 ‘‘(3) $34,000,000 for fiscal year 2023. 

20 ‘‘(4) $35,500,000 for fiscal year 2024. 

21 ‘‘(5) $37,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

22 ‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATION.—Of the amounts appro23 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations 

24 under subsection (a), not more than the lesser of 

25 $1,500,000 or 10 percent may be used for program ad-
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1 ministration or for overhead costs incurred by the Na2 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the De3 partment of Commerce and assessed as an administrative 

4 charge. 

5 ‘‘(c) CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION

6 ACTIVITIES.—From the amounts authorized to be appro7 priated under subsection (a), there shall be made available 

8 to the Secretary not less than the following amounts for 

9 authorized activities under sections 203 and 207: 

10 ‘‘(1) $23,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, of which 

11 not less than $8,000,000 shall be made available to 

12 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

13 under section 207. 

14 ‘‘(2) $24,500,000 for fiscal year 2022, of which 

15 not less than $8,500,000 shall be made available to 

16 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

17 under section 207. 

18 ‘‘(3) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2023, of which 

19 not less than $9,000,000 shall be made available to 

20 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

21 under section 207. 

22 ‘‘(4) $27,500,000 for fiscal year 2024, of which 

23 not less than $10,000,000 shall be made available to 

24 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

25 under section 207. 
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1 ‘‘(5) $29,000,000 for fiscal year 2025, of which 

2 not less than $11,000,000 shall be made available to 

3 the Secretary for the provision State block grants 

4 under section 207. 

5 ‘‘(d) FEDERALLY DIRECTED RESEARCH AND CORAL

6 REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM GRANTS.—From the 

7 amounts authorized to be appropriated under subsection 

8 (a), there shall be made available to the Secretary not less 

9 than $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 

10 2025 to support purposes consistent with this title, of 

11 which— 

12 ‘‘(1) not less than $3,500,000 shall be made 

13 available for each such fiscal year for authorized ac14 tivities under section 213; and 

15 ‘‘(2) not less than $4,500,000 shall be made 

16 available for each such fiscal year through coopera17 tive agreements with the cooperative institutes estab18 lished under section 215(c). 

19 ‘‘SEC. 218. DEFINITIONS. 

20 ‘‘In this title: 

21 ‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Adminis22 trator’ means the Administrator of the National 

23 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

24 ‘‘(2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT25 TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com-
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1 mittees’ means the Committee on Commerce, 

2 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

3 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

4 Representatives. 

5 ‘‘(3) CONSERVATION.—The term ‘conservation’ 

6 means the use of methods and procedures necessary 

7 to preserve or sustain native corals and associated 

8 species as diverse, viable, and self-perpetuating coral 

9 reef ecosystems with minimal impacts from invasive 

10 species, including— 

11 ‘‘(A) all activities associated with resource 

12 management, such as monitoring, assessment, 

13 protection, restoration, sustainable use, man14 agement of habitat, and maintenance or aug15 mentation of genetic diversity; 

16 ‘‘(B) mapping; 

17 ‘‘(C) scientific expertise and technical as18 sistance in the development and implementation 

19 of management strategies for marine protected 

20 areas and marine resources consistent with the 

21 National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 

22 1431 et seq.) and the Magnuson-Stevens Fish23 ery Conservation and Management Act (16 

24 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); 

25 ‘‘(D) law enforcement; 
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1 ‘‘(E) conflict resolution initiatives; 

2 ‘‘(F) community outreach and education; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(G) promotion of safe and ecologically 

5 sound navigation and anchoring. 

6 ‘‘(4) CORAL.—The term ‘coral’ means species 

7 of the phylum Cnidaria, including— 

8 ‘‘(A) all species of the orders Antipatharia 

9 (black corals), Scleractinia (stony corals), 

10 Alcyonacea (soft corals, organ pipe corals, 

11 gorgonians), and Helioporacea (blue coral), of 

12 the class Anthozoa; and 

13 ‘‘(B) all species of the order Anthoathecata 

14 (fire corals and other hydrocorals) of the class 

15 Hydrozoa. 

16 ‘‘(5) CORAL REEF.—The term ‘coral reef’ 

17 means limestone structures in the form of a reef or 

18 shoal, composed in whole or in part by living coral, 

19 skeletal remains of coral, crustose coralline algae, 

20 and other associated sessile marine plants and ani21 mals. 

22 ‘‘(6) CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM.—The term 

23 ‘coral reef ecosystem’ means— 

24 ‘‘(A) corals and other geographically and 

25 ecologically associated marine communities of 
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1 other reef organisms (including reef plants and 

2 animals) associated with coral reef habitat; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the biotic and abiotic factors and 

4 processes that control coral calcification rates, 

5 tissue growth, reproduction, recruitment, abun6 dance, coral-algal symbiosis, and biodiversity in 

7 such habitat. 

8 ‘‘(7) CORAL PRODUCTS.—The term ‘coral prod9 ucts’ means any living or dead specimens, parts, or 

10 derivatives, or any product containing specimens, 

11 parts, or derivatives, of any species referred to in 

12 paragraph (4). 

13 ‘‘(8) COVERED REEF MANAGER.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘covered 

15 reef manager’ means a management unit of a 

16 Federal agency specified in subparagraph (B) 

17 with jurisdiction over a coral reef ecosystem, 

18 covered State, or coral reef stewardship part19 nership. 

20 ‘‘(B) FEDERAL AGENCIES SPECIFIED.—A 

21 Federal agency specified in this subparagraph 

22 is one of the following: 

23 ‘‘(i) The National Oceanic and Atmos24 pheric Administration. 

25 ‘‘(ii) The National Park Service. 
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1 ‘‘(iii) The United States Fish and 

2 Wildlife Service. 

3 ‘‘(iv) The Office of Insular Affairs. 

4 ‘‘(9) COVERED STATE.—The term ‘covered 

5 State’ means Florida, Hawaii, and the territories of 

6 American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the North7 ern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the 

8 United States Virgin Islands. 

9 ‘‘(10) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

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

11 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

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

13 ‘‘(11) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

14 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

15 meaning given that term in section 101 of the High16 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

17 ‘‘(12) INTERESTED STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.— 

18 The term ‘interested stakeholder groups’ includes 

19 community members such as businesses, commercial 

20 and recreational fishermen, other recreationalists, 

21 Federal, State, Tribal, and local government units 

22 with related jurisdiction, institutions of higher edu23 cation, and nongovernmental organizations. 

24 ‘‘(13) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

25 ‘nonprofit organization’ means an organization that 
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1 is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Rev2 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under sec3 tion 501(a) of such Code. 

4 ‘‘(14) RESTORATION.—The term ‘restoration’ 

5 means the use of methods and procedures necessary 

6 to enhance, rehabilitate, recreate, or create a func7 tioning coral reef or coral reef ecosystem, in whole 

8 or in part, within suitable waters of the historical 

9 geographic range of such ecosystems, to provide eco10 logical, economic, cultural, or coastal resiliency serv11 ices associated with healthy coral reefs and benefit 

12 native populations of coral reef organisms. 

13 ‘‘(15) RESILIENCE.—The term ‘resilience’ 

14 means the capacity for corals within their native 

15 range, coral reefs, or coral reef ecosystems to recover 

16 from natural and human disturbances as determined 

17 by clearly identifiable, measurable, and science-based 

18 standards. 

19 ‘‘(16) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

20 means the Secretary of Commerce. 

21 ‘‘(17) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means— 

22 ‘‘(A) any State of the United States that 

23 contains a coral reef ecosystem within its sea24 ward boundaries; 
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1 ‘‘(B) American Samoa, the Commonwealth 

2 of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto 

3 Rico, or the United States Virgin Islands; or 

4 ‘‘(C) any other territory or possession of 

5 the United States or separate sovereign in free 

6 association with the United States that contains 

7 a coral reef ecosystem within its seaward 

8 boundaries. 

9 ‘‘(18) STEWARDSHIP.—The term ‘stewardship’, 

10 with respect to a coral reef, includes conservation, 

11 restoration, and public outreach and education. 

12 ‘‘(19) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘Task Force’ 

13 means the United States Coral Reef Task Force es14 tablished under section 201 of the Restoring Resil15 ient Reefs Act of 2020. 

16 ‘‘(20) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Trib17 al organization’ has the meaning given the term 

18 ‘tribal organization’ in section 3765 of title 38, 

19 United States Code.’’. 

20 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO NATIONAL

21 OCEANS AND COASTAL SECURITY ACT.—Section 905(a) 

22 of the National Oceans and Coastal Security Act (16 

23 U.S.C. 7504(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘and coastal in24 frastructure’’ and inserting ‘‘, coastal infrastructure, and 
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1 ecosystem services provided by natural systems such as 

2 coral reefs’’. 

3 SEC. 102. MODIFICATION TO SECTION 204 OF THE CORAL 

4 REEF CONSERVATION ACT OF 2000 (16 U.S.C. 

5 6403). 

6 Section 204 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

7 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘this section’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘section 213’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE.—For purposes of para13 graph (1), block grant funds awarded to the terri14 tories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 

15 Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, or 

16 the United States Virgin Islands under section 207 

17 shall qualify as the non-Federal share of project 

18 costs.’’; and 

19 (3) by striking subsections (c) through (j). 

20 TITLE II—UNITED STATES 

21 CORAL REEF TASK FORCE 

22 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT. 

23 There is established a task force to lead, coordinate, 

24 and strengthen Federal Government actions to better pre25 serve, conserve, and restore coral reef ecosystems, to be 
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1 known as the ‘‘United States Coral Reef Task Force’’ (in 

2 this title referred to as the ‘‘Task Force’’). 

3 SEC. 202. DUTIES. 

4 The duties of the Task Force shall be— 

5 (1) to coordinate, in cooperation with State, 

6 Tribal, and local government partners, coral reef re7 search centers designated under section 215(c) of 

8 the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (as amend9 ed by section 101), and other nongovernmental and 

10 academic partners as appropriate, activities regard11 ing the mapping, monitoring, research, conservation, 

12 mitigation, and restoration of coral reefs and coral 

13 reef ecosystems; 

14 (2) to monitor and advise regarding implemen15 tation of the policy and Federal agency responsibil16 ities set forth in— 

17 (A) Executive Order 13089 (63 Fed. Reg. 

18 32701; relating to coral reef protection); and 

19 (B) the national coral reef resilience strat20 egy developed under section 204A of the Coral 

21 Reef Conservation Act of 2000, as amended by 

22 section 101; 

23 (3) to work with the Secretary of State and the 

24 Administrator of the United States Agency for 
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1 International Development, and in coordination with 

2 the other members of the Task Force— 

3 (A) to assess the United States role in 

4 international trade and protection of coral spe5 cies; 

6 (B) to encourage implementation of appro7 priate strategies and actions to promote con8 servation and sustainable use of coral reef re9 sources worldwide; and 

10 (C) to collaborate with international com11 munities successful in managing coral reefs; 

12 (4) to provide technical assistance for the devel13 opment and implementation, as appropriate, of— 

14 (A) the national coral reef resilience strat15 egy under section 204A of the Coral Reef Con16 servation Act of 2000, as amended by section 

17 101; 

18 (B) coral reef action plans under section 

19 205 of that Act; and 

20 (C) coral reef emergency plans under sec21 tion 209 of that Act; and 

22 (5) to produce a report each year, for submis23 sion to the appropriate congressional committees 

24 and publication on a publicly available internet 

25 website of the Task Force, highlighting the status of 
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1 the coral reef equities of a covered State on a rotat2 ing basis, including— 

3 (A) a summary of recent coral reef man4 agement and restoration activities undertaken 

5 in that State; and 

6 (B) updated estimates of the direct and in7 direct economic activity supported by, and other 

8 benefits associated with, those coral reef equi9 ties. 

10 SEC. 203. MEMBERSHIP. 

11 (a) VOTING MEMBERSHIP.—The Task Force shall 

12 have the following voting members: 

13 (1) The Secretary of Commerce, acting through 

14 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At15 mospheric Administration, and the Secretary of the 

16 Interior, who shall be co-chairs of the Task Force. 

17 (2) The Administrator of the United States 

18 Agency for International Development. 

19 (3) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

20 (4) The Secretary of Defense. 

21 (5) The Secretary of the Army, acting through 

22 the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. 

23 (6) The Secretary of Homeland Security, acting 

24 through the Administrator of the Federal Emer25 gency Management Agency. 
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1 (7) The Commandant of the Coast Guard. 

2 (8) The Attorney General. 

3 (9) The Secretary of State. 

4 (10) The Secretary of Transportation. 

5 (11) The Administrator of the Environmental 

6 Protection Agency. 

7 (12) The Administrator of the National Aero8 nautics and Space Administration. 

9 (13) The Director of the National Science 

10 Foundation. 

11 (14) The Governor, or a representative of the 

12 Governor, of each covered State. 

13 (b) NONVOTING MEMBERS.—The Task Force shall 

14 have the following nonvoting members: 

15 (1) A member of the South Atlantic Fishery 

16 Management Council who is designated by the Gov17 ernor of Florida under section 302(b)(1) of the Mag18 nuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Manage19 ment Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(b)(1)). 

20 (2) A member of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

21 Management Council who is designated by the Gov22 ernor of Florida under such section. 

23 (3) A member of the Western Pacific Fishery 

24 Management Council who is designated under such 

25 section and selected as follows: 
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1 (A) For the period beginning on the date 

2 of the enactment of this Act and ending on De3 cember 31 of the calendar year during which 

4 such date of enactment occurs, the member 

5 shall be selected jointly by the governors of Ha6 waii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Com7 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

8 (B) For each calendar year thereafter, the 

9 governors of Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, 

10 and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar11 iana Islands shall, on a rotating basis, take 

12 turns selecting the member. 

13 (4) A member of the Caribbean Fishery Man14 agement Council who is designated under such sec15 tion and selected as follows: 

16 (A) For the period beginning on the date 

17 of the enactment of this Act and ending on De18 cember 31 of the calendar year during which 

19 such date of enactment occurs, the member 

20 shall be selected jointly by the governors of 

21 Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Is22 lands. 

23 (B) For each calendar year thereafter, the 

24 governors of Puerto Rico and the United States 
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1 Virgin Islands shall, on an alternating basis, 

2 take turns selecting the member. 

3 (5) A member appointed by the President of 

4 the Federated States of Micronesia. 

5 (6) A member appointed by the President of 

6 the Republic of the Marshall Islands. 

7 (7) A member appointed by the President of 

8 the Republic of Palau. 

9 SEC. 204. RESPONSIBILITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCY MEM10 BERS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—A member of the Task Force 

12 specified in paragraphs (1) through (14) of section 203(a) 

13 shall— 

14 (1) identify the actions of the agency that mem15 ber represents that may affect coral reef ecosystems; 

16 (2) utilize the programs and authorities of that 

17 agency to protect and enhance the conditions of such 

18 ecosystems, including through the promotion of basic 

19 and applied scientific research; 

20 (3) collaborate with the Task Force to appro21 priately reflect budgetary needs for coral reef con22 servation and restoration activities in all agency 

23 budget planning and justification documents and 

24 processes; and 
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1 (4) engage in any other coordinated efforts ap2 proved by the Task Force. 

3 (b) CO-CHAIRS.—In addition to their responsibilities 

4 under subsection (a), the co-chairs of the Task Force shall 

5 administer performance of the functions of the Task Force 

6 and facilitate the coordination of the members of the Task 

7 Force specified in paragraphs (1) through (14) of section 

8 203(a). 

9 SEC. 205. WORKING GROUPS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The co-chairs of the Task Force 

11 may establish working groups as necessary to meet the 

12 goals and carry out the duties of the Task Force. 

13 (b) REQUESTS FROM MEMBERS.—The members of 

14 the Task Force may request that the co-chairs establish 

15 a working group under subsection (a). 

16 (c) PARTICIPATION BY NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANI17 ZATIONS.—The co-chairs may allow nongovernmental or18 ganizations as appropriate, including academic institu19 tions, conservation groups, and commercial and rec20 reational fishing associations, to participate in a working 

21 group established under subsection (a). 

22 (d) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY

23 COMMITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act 

24 (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to working groups estab25 lished under this section. 
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1 SEC. 206. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this title: 

3 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT4 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com5 mittees’’ means the Committee on Commerce, 

6 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

7 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

8 Representatives. 

9 (2) CONSERVATION, CORAL, CORAL REEF, 

10 ETC.—The terms ‘‘conservation’’, ‘‘coral’’, ‘‘coral 

11 reef’’, ‘‘coral reef ecosystem’’, ‘‘covered State’’, ‘‘res12 toration’’, ‘‘resilience’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the mean13 ing given those terms in section 218 of the Coral 

14 Reef Conservation Act of 2000, as amended by sec15 tion 101. 

16 TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF THE 

17 INTERIOR CORAL REEF AU18 THORITIES 

19 SEC. 301. CORAL REEF CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION 

20 ASSISTANCE. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior may 

22 provide scientific expertise and technical assistance, and 

23 subject to the availability of appropriations, financial as24 sistance for the conservation and restoration of coral reefs 

25 consistent with all applicable laws governing resource 
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1 management in Federal, State, and Tribal waters, includ2 ing— 

3 (1) the national coral reef resilience strategy in 

4 effect under section 204A of the Coral Reef Con5 servation Act of 2000, as amended by section 101; 

6 (2) coral reef action plans in effect under sec7 tion 205 of that Act, as applicable; and 

8 (3) coral reef emergency plans in effect under 

9 section 209 of that Act, as applicable. 

10 (b) OFFICE OF INSULAR AFFAIRS CORAL REEF INI11 TIATIVE.—The Secretary may establish within the Office 

12 of Insular Affairs a Coral Reef Initiative Program— 

13 (1) to provide grant funding to support local 

14 management, conservation, and protection of coral 

15 reef ecosystems in— 

16 (A) insular areas of covered States; and 

17 (B) Freely Associated States; 

18 (2) to complement the other conservation and 

19 assistance activities conducted under this Act; and 

20 (3) to provide other technical, scientific, and fi21 nancial assistance and conduct conservation activi22 ties that advance the purpose of this Act. 

23 (c) CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF

24 COMMERCE.—The Secretary of the Interior may consult 

25 with the Secretary of Commerce regarding the conduct of 
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1 any activities to conserve and restore coral reefs and coral 

2 reef ecosystems in waters managed under the jurisdiction 

3 of the Federal agencies specified in paragraphs (2) and 

4 (3) of section 203(c) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act 

5 of 2000, as amended by section 101. 

6 (d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—Subject to the 

7 availability of appropriations, the Secretary of the Interior 

8 may enter into cooperative agreements with covered reef 

9 managers to fund coral reef conservation and restoration 

10 activities in waters managed under the jurisdiction of such 

11 managers that— 

12 (1) are consistent with the national coral reef 

13 resilience strategy in effect under section 204A of 

14 the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, as amend15 ed by section 101; and 

16 (2) support and enhance the success of— 

17 (A) coral reef action plans in effect under 

18 section 205 of that Act; and 

19 (B) coral reef emergency plans in effect 

20 under section 209 of that Act. 

21 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘con22 servation’’, ‘‘coral reef’’, ‘‘covered reef manager’’, ‘‘covered 

23 State’’, ‘‘restoration’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the meaning 

24 given those terms in section 218 of the Coral Reef Con25 servation Act of 2000, as amended by section 101. 
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1 TITLE IV—SUSAN L. WILLIAMS 

2 NATIONAL CORAL REEF MAN3 AGEMENT FELLOWSHIP 

4 SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Susan L. Williams 

6 National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Act of 

7 2020’’. 

8 SEC. 402. DEFINITIONS. 

9 In this title: 

10 (1) FELLOW.—The term ‘‘fellow’’ means a Na11 tional Coral Reef Management Fellow. 

12 (2) FELLOWSHIP.—The term ‘‘fellowship’’ 

13 means the National Coral Reef Management Fellow14 ship established in section 403. 

15 (3) INDIAN TRIBE; TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.— 

16 The terms ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ and ‘‘Tribal organiza17 tion’’ have the meanings given those terms in section 

18 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

19 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

20 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

21 the Secretary of Commerce. 

22 SEC. 403. ESTABLISHMENT OF FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a National 

24 Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program. 
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1 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the fellowship 

2 are— 

3 (1) to encourage future leaders of the United 

4 States to develop additional coral reef management 

5 capacity in States and local communities with coral 

6 reefs; 

7 (2) to provide management agencies of States, 

8 Tribal organizations, and Freely Associated States 

9 with highly qualified candidates whose education and 

10 work experience meet the specific needs of each 

11 State, Indian Tribe, and Freely Associated State; 

12 and 

13 (3) to provide fellows with professional experi14 ence in management of coastal and coral reef re15 sources. 

16 SEC. 404. FELLOWSHIP AWARDS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award the fel18 lowship in accordance with this section. 

19 (b) TERM OF FELLOWSHIP.—A fellowship awarded 

20 under this section shall be for a term of not more than 

21 24 months. 

22 (c) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Secretary shall award the 

23 fellowship to individuals who have demonstrated— 

24 (1) an intent to pursue a career in marine serv25 ices and outstanding potential for such a career; 
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1 (2) leadership potential, actual leadership expe2 rience, or both; 

3 (3) a college or graduate degree in biological 

4 science, experience that correlates with aptitude and 

5 interest for marine management, or both; 

6 (4) proficient writing and speaking skills; and 

7 (5) such other attributes as the Secretary con8 siders appropriate. 

9 SEC. 405. MATCHING REQUIREMENT. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

11 (b), the non-Federal share of the costs of a fellowship 

12 under this section shall be 25 percent of such costs. 

13 (b) WAIVER OF REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary 

14 may waive the application of subsection (a) if the Sec15 retary finds that such waiver is necessary to support a 

16 project that the Secretary has identified as a high priority. 

Passed the Senate December 21, 2020. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2429 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

Reef Task Force, and for other purposes. 2000 and to establish the United States Coral