II 

Calenda No. 467 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1582 

[Report No. 110–218] 

To reauthorize and amend the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 7, 2007 

Mr. INOUYE (for himself, Mr. STEVENS, Ms. CANTWELL, and Ms. SNOWE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

NOVEMBER 2, 2007 

Reported by Mr. INOUYE, with amendments 

[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and amend the Hydrographic Services 

Improvement Act, and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hydrographic Services 

5 Improvement Act Amendments of 2007’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

2 The Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 

3 (33 U.S.C. 892 et seq.) is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating sections 302 through 306 

5 as sections 303 through 307, respectively; and 

6 (2) by inserting after section 301 the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 302. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

8 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 

9 ‘‘(1) In 2007, the Nation celebrates the 200th 

10 anniversary of its oldest scientific agency, the Survey 

11 of the Coast, which was authorized by Congress and 

12 created by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807 to 

13 conduct surveys of the coast and provide nautical 

14 charts for safe passage through the Nation’s ports 

15 and along its extensive coastline. 

16 ‘‘(2) These mission requirements and capabili17 ties, which today are located in the National Oceanic 

18 and Atmospheric Administration, evolved over time 

19 to include— 

20 ‘‘(A) research, development, operations, 

21 products, and services associated with hydro22 graphic, geodetic, shoreline, and baseline sur23 veying; 

24 ‘‘(B) cartography, mapping, and charting; 

25 ‘‘(C) tides, currents, and water level obser26 vations; 


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1 ‘‘(D) maintenance of a national spatial ref2 erence system; and 

3 ‘‘(E) associated products and services. 

4 ‘‘(3) There is a need to maintain Federal exper5 tise and capability in hydrographic data and services 

6 to support a safe and efficient marine transportation 

7 system for the enhancement and promotion of inter8 national trade and interstate commerce vital to the 

9 Nation’s economic prosperity and for myriad other 

10 commercial and recreational activities. 

11 ‘‘(4) The Nation’s marine transportation sys12 tem is becoming increasingly congested, the volume 

13 of international maritime commerce is expected to 

14 double within the next 20 years, and nearly half of 

15 the cargo transiting United States waters is oil, re16 fined petroleum products, or other hazardous sub17 stances. 

18 ‘‘(5) In addition to commerce, hydrographic 

19 data and services support other national needs for 

20 the Great Lakes and coastal waters, the territorial 

21 sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone, and the conti22 nental shelf of the United States, including— 

23 ‘‘(A) emergency response; 

24 ‘‘(B) homeland security; 

25 ‘‘(C) marine resource conservation; 


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1 ‘‘(D) coastal resiliency to sea-level rise, 

2 coastal inundation, and other hazards; 

3 ‘‘(E) ocean and coastal science advance4 ment; and 

5 ‘‘(F) improved and integrated ocean and 

6 coastal mapping and observations for an inte7 grated ocean observing system. 

8 ‘‘(6) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

9 Administration, in cooperation with other agencies 

10 and the States, serves as the Nation’s leading civil 

11 authority for establishing and maintaining national 

12 standards and datums for hydrographic data and 

13 services. 

14 ‘‘(7) The Director of the National Oceanic and 

15 Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Coast Survey 

16 serves as the National Hydrographer and the pri17 mary United States representative to the inter18 national hydrographic community, including the 

19 International Hydrographic Organization. 

20 ‘‘(8) The hydrographic expertise, data, and 

21 services of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

22 Administration provide the underlying and authori23 tative basis for baseline and boundary demarcation, 

24 including the establishment of marine and coastal 


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1 territorial limits and jurisdiction, such as the Exclu2 sive Economic Zone. 

3 ‘‘(9) Research, development and application of 

4 new technologies will further increase efficiency, pro5 mote the Nation’s competitiveness, provide social 

6 and economic benefits, enhance safety and environ7 mental protection, and reduce risks. 

8 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

9 ‘‘(1) to augment the ability of the National 

10 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to fulfill its 

11 responsibilities under this and other authorities; 

12 ‘‘(2) to provide more accurate and up-to-date 

13 hydrographic data and services in support of safe 

14 and efficient international trade and interstate com15 merce, including— 

16 ‘‘(A) hydrographic surveys; 

17 ‘‘(B) electronic navigational charts; 

18 ‘‘(C) real-time tide, water level, and cur19 rent information and forecasting; 

20 ‘‘(D) shoreline surveys; and 

21 ‘‘(E) geodesy and 3-dimensional posi22 tioning data; 

23 ‘‘(3) to support homeland security, emergency 

24 response, ecosystem approaches to marine manage25 ment, and coastal resiliency by providing hydroVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:31 Nov 02, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1582.RS S1582

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1 graphic data and services with many other useful 

2 operational, scientific, engineering, and management 

3 applications, including— 

4 ‘‘(A) storm surge, tsunami, coastal flood5 ing, erosion, and pollution trajectory moni6 toring, predictions, and warnings; 

7 ‘‘(B) marine and coastal geographic infor8 mation systems; 

9 ‘‘(C) habitat restoration; 

10 ‘‘(D) long-term sea-level trends; and 

11 ‘‘(E) more accurate environmental assess12 ments and monitoring; 

13 ‘‘(4) to promote improved integrated ocean and 

14 coastal mapping and observations through increased 

15 coordination and cooperation; 

16 ‘‘(5) to provide for and support research and 

17 development in hydrographic data, services and re18 lated technologies to enhance the efficiency, accuracy 

19 and availability of hydrographic data and services 

20 and thereby promote the Nation’s scientific and 

21 technological competitiveness; and 

22 ‘‘(6) to provide training in acquisition and ap23 plication of hydrographic data; and 


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1 ‘‘(6) (7) to provide national and international 

2 leadership for hydrographic and related services, 

3 sciences, and technologies.’’. 

4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

5 Section 303 of the Hydrographic Services Improve6 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892), as redesignated by 

7 section 2, is amended— 

8 (1) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol9 lows: striking paragraph (3) and inserting the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(3) HYDROGRAPHIC DATA.—The term ‘‘hydro12 graphic data’’ means information acquired through 

13 hydrographic, bathymetric, or shoreline surveying; 

14 geodetic, geospatial, or geomagnetic measurements; 

15 tide, water level, and current observations, or other 

16 methods, that is used in providing hydrographic 

17 services.’’; 

18 (2) by striking paragraph (4)(A) and inserting 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘(A) the management, maintenance, inter21 pretation, certification, and dissemination of 

22 bathymetric, hydrographic, shoreline, geodetic, 

23 geospatial, geomagnetic, and tide, water level, 

24 and current information, including the produc25 tion of nautical charts, nautical information 


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1 databases, and other products derived from hy2 drographic data;’’; and 

3 (3) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(5) COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY ACT.— 

6 The term ‘Coast and Geodetic Survey Act’ means 

7 the Act entitled ‘An Act to define the functions and 

8 duties of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and for 

9 other purposes’, approved August 6, 1947 (33 

10 U.S.C. 883a et seq.).’’. 

11 SEC. 4. FUNCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATOR. 

12 Section 304 of the Hydrographic Services Improve13 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892a), as redesignated by 

14 section 2, is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘the Act of 1947,’’ in subsection 

16 (a) and inserting ‘‘the Coast and Geodetic Survey 

17 Act, promote safe, efficient, and environmentally 

18 sound marine transportation, and otherwise fulfill 

19 the purposes of this Act,’’; 

20 (2) by striking ‘‘data;’’ in subsection (a)1) 

21 (a)(1) and inserting ‘‘data and provide hydrographic 

22 services;’’; and 

23 (3) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITIES.—To fulfill the data gathering 

2 and dissemination duties of the Administration under the 

3 Coast and Geodetic Survey Act, promote safe, efficient, 

4 and environmentally sound marine transportation, and 

5 otherwise fulfill the purposes of this Act, subject to the 

6 availability of appropriations— 

7 ‘‘(1) the Administrator may procure, lease, 

8 evaluate, test, develop, and operate vessels, equip9 ment, and technologies necessary to ensure safe 

10 navigation and maintain operational expertise in hy11 drographic data acquisition and hydrographic serv12 ices; 

13 ‘‘(2) the Administrator shall design, install, 

14 maintain, and operate real-time hydrographic moni15 toring systems to enhance navigation safety and effi16 ciency; 

17 ‘‘(3) where appropriate and to the extent that 

18 it does not detract from the promotion of safe and 

19 efficient navigation, the Administrator may acquire 

20 hydrographic data and provide hydrographic services 

21 to support the conservation and management of 

22 coastal and ocean resources; 

23 ‘‘(4) where appropriate, the Administrator may 

24 acquire hydrographic data and provide hydrographic 

25 services to save and protect life and property and 


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1 support the resumption of commerce in response to 

2 emergencies, natural and man-made disasters, and 

3 homeland security and maritime domain awareness 

4 needs, including obtaining Mission Assignments as 

5 defined in section 641 of the Post-Katrina Emer6 gency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 

7 741); 

8 ‘‘(5) the Administrator may create, support, 

9 and maintain such joint centers, and enter into and 

10 perform such contracts, leases, grants, or coopera11 tive agreements as may be necessary to carry out 

12 the purposes of this Act; and 

13 ‘‘(6) notwithstanding paragraph (5), the Ad14 ministrator shall award contracts for the acquisition 

15 of hydrographic data in accordance with title IX of 

16 the Federal Property and Administrative Services 

17 Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).’’. 

18 SEC. 5. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM. 

19 Subsection (b) of section 305 of the Hydrographic 

20 Services Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892b), as 

21 redesignated by section 2, is amended by striking 

22 ‘‘303(a)(3)’’ each place it appears and inserting 

23 ‘‘304(a)(3)’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES REVIEW PANEL. 

2 Section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Improve3 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892c), as redesignated by 

4 section 2, is amended— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘303’’ in subsection (b)(1) and 

6 inserting ‘‘304’’; 

7 (2) by striking subsection (c)(1)(A) and insert8 ing ‘‘(A) The panel shall consist of 15 voting mem9 bers who shall be appointed by the Administrator. 

10 The Co-directors of the Joint Hydrographic Institute 

11 Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydro12 graphic Center and no more than 2 employees of the 

13 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

14 appointed by the Administrator shall serve as non15 voting members of the panel. The voting members of 

16 the panel shall be individuals who, by reason of 

17 knowledge, experience, or training, are especially 

18 qualified in 1 or more of the disciplines and fields 

19 relating to hydrographic data and hydrographic serv20 ices, services, marine transportation, port adminis21 tration, vessel pilotage, coastal and fishery manage22 ment, and other disciplines as determined appro23 priate by the Administrator.’’; 

24 (3) by striking ‘‘Secretary’’ in subsections 

25 (c)(1)(C), (c)(3), and (e) and inserting ‘‘Adminis26 trator’’; and 


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1 (4) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(d) COMPENSATION.—Voting members of the panel 

4 shall be reimbursed for actual and reasonable expenses, 

5 such as travel and per diem, incurred in the performance 

6 of such duties.’’. 

7 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZED COMMISSION OFFICERS. 

8 Section 215 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

9 Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 

10 (33 U.S.C. 3005) is amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 215. NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED COMMISSIONED OFFI12 CERS. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The total number of authorized 

14 commissioned officers in the NOAA Corps shall not exceed 

15 428. 

16 ‘‘(b) FISCAL YEAR STRENGTH.—The Secretary shall 

17 establish the strength for the NOAA Corps each fiscal year. 

18 The actual number of authorized officers will be based on 

19 organizational needs and available appropriated funding. 

20 ‘‘(c) CERTAIN OFFICERS.—Officers serving under sec21 tion 228 and officers recalled from retired status shall not 

22 be counted in determining authorized strength under sub23 section (a) and shall not count against that strength.’’. 


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1 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

3 Section 307 of the Hydrographic Services Improve4 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d), as redesignated by 

5 section 2, is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 307. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ad8 ministrator sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 

9 years 2008 through 2012 for the purposes of carrying out 

10 this Act.’’. 


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Calendar No. 467 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1582 

[Report No. 110

–218] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and amend the Hydrographic 

Services Improvement Act, and for other purposes. 

NOVEMBER 2, 2007 

Reported with amendments 


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