110TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 1582

AN ACT

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 2008’’.
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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

2 Section 303 of the Hydrographic Services Improve3 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892) is amended by striking

4 paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) and inserting the following:

5 ‘‘(3) HYDROGRAPHIC DATA.—The term ‘hydro6 graphic data’ means information that—

7 ‘‘(A) is acquired through—

8 ‘‘(i) hydrographic, bathymetric, photo9 grammetric, lidar, radar, remote sensing,

10 or shoreline and other ocean- and coastal11 related surveying;

12 ‘‘(ii) geodetic, geospatial, or geo13 magnetic measurements;

14 ‘‘(iii) tide, water level, and current ob15 servations; or

16 ‘‘(iv) other methods; and

17 ‘‘(B) is used in providing hydrographic

18 services.

19 ‘‘(4) HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES.—The term ‘hy20 drographic services’ means—

21 ‘‘(A) the management, maintenance, inter22 pretation, certification, and dissemination of

23 bathymetric, hydrographic, shoreline, geodetic,

24 geospatial, geomagnetic, and tide, water level,

25 and current information, including the produc26 tion of nautical charts, nautical information
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1 databases, and other products derived from hy2 drographic data;

3 ‘‘(B) the development of nautical informa4 tion systems; and

5 ‘‘(C) related activities.

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

7 term ‘Coast and Geodetic Survey Act’ means the Act

8 entitled ‘An Act to define the functions and duties

9 of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and for other pur10 poses’, approved August 6, 1947 (33 U.S.C. 883a et

11 seq.).’’.

12 SEC. 3. FUNCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.

13 Section 303 of the Hydrographic Services Improve14 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892a) 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) and

21 inserting ‘‘data and provide hydrographic services;’’

22 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, the Administrator—

7 ‘‘(1) may procure, lease, evaluate, test, develop,

8 and operate vessels, equipment, and technologies

9 necessary to ensure safe navigation and maintain

10 operational expertise in hydrographic data acquisi11 tion and hydrographic services;

12 ‘‘(2) shall, subject to the availability of appro13 priations, design, install, maintain, and operate real14 time hydrographic monitoring systems to enhance

15 navigation safety and efficiency; and

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

17 it does not detract from the promotion of safe and

18 efficient navigation, may acquire hydrographic data

19 and provide hydrographic services to support the

20 conservation and management of coastal and ocean

21 resources;

22 ‘‘(4) where appropriate, may acquire hydro23 graphic data and provide hydrographic services to

24 save and protect life and property and support the

25 resumption of commerce in response to emergencies,
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1 natural and man-made disasters, and homeland se2 curity and maritime domain awareness needs, in3 cluding obtaining mission assignments (as defined in

4 section 641 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Manage5 ment Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 741));

6 ‘‘(5) may create, support, and maintain such

7 joint centers with other Federal agencies and other

8 entities as the Administrator deems appropriate or

9 necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act; and

10 ‘‘(6) notwithstanding the existence of such joint

11 centers, shall award contracts for the acquisition of

12 hydrographic data in accordance with subchapter VI

13 of chapter 10 of title 40, United States Code.’’.

14 SEC. 4. HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES REVIEW PANEL.

15 Section 305(c)(1)(A) of the Hydrographic Services

16 Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892c(c)(1)(A)) is

17 amended to read as follows: ‘‘(A) The panel shall consist

18 of 15 voting members who shall be appointed by the Ad19 ministrator. The Co-directors of the Center for Coastal

20 and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center and no

21 more than 2 employees of the National Oceanic and At22 mospheric Administration appointed by the Administrator

23 shall serve as nonvoting members of the panel. The voting

24 members of the panel shall be individuals who, by reason

25 of knowledge, experience, or training, are especially quali-
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1 fied in 1 or more of the disciplines and fields relating to

2 hydrographic data and hydrographic services, marine

3 transportation, port administration, vessel pilotage, coast4 al and fishery management, and other disciplines as deter5 mined appropriate by the Administrator.’’.

6 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

7 Section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Improve8 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d) is amended to read

9 as follows:

10 ‘‘SEC. 306. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

11 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ad12 ministrator the following:

13 ‘‘(1) To carry out nautical mapping and chart14 ing functions under sections 304 and 305, except for

15 conducting hydrographic surveys—

16 ‘‘(A) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;

17 ‘‘(B) $56,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;

18 ‘‘(C) $57,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and

19 ‘‘(D) $58,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.

20 ‘‘(2) To contract for hydrographic surveys

21 under section 304(b)(1), including the leasing or

22 time chartering of vessels—

23 ‘‘(A) $32,130,000 for fiscal year 2009;

24 ‘‘(B) $32,760,000 for fiscal year 2010;

25 ‘‘(C) $33,390,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
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1 ‘‘(D) $34,020,000 for fiscal year 2012.

2 ‘‘(3) To operate hydrographic survey vessels

3 owned by the United States and operated by the

4 Administration—

5 ‘‘(A) $25,900,000 for fiscal year 2009;

6 ‘‘(B) $26,400,000 for fiscal year 2010;

7 ‘‘(C) $26,900,000 for fiscal year 2011; and

8 ‘‘(D) $27,400,000 for fiscal year 2012.

9 ‘‘(4) To carry out geodetic functions under this

10 title—

11 ‘‘(A) $32,640,000 for fiscal year 2009;

12 ‘‘(B) $33,280,000 for fiscal year 2010;

13 ‘‘(C) $33,920,000 for fiscal year 2011; and

14 ‘‘(D) $34,560,000 for fiscal year 2012.

15 ‘‘(5) To carry out tide and current measure16 ment functions under this title—

17 ‘‘(A) $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;

18 ‘‘(B) $27,500,000 for fiscal year 2010;

19 ‘‘(C) $28,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and

20 ‘‘(D) $28,500,000 for fiscal year 2012.

21 ‘‘(6) To acquire a replacement hydrographic

22 survey vessel capable of staying at sea continuously

23 for at least 30 days $75,000,000.’’.
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1 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZED NOAA CORPS STRENGTH.

2 Section 215 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

3 Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002

4 (33 U.S.C. 3005) is amended to read as follows:

5 ‘‘SEC. 215. NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED COMMISSIONED OFFI6 CERS.

7 ‘‘Effective October 1, 2009, the total number of au8 thorized commissioned officers on the lineal list of the

9 commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmos10 pheric Administration shall be increased from 321 to 379

11 if—

12 ‘‘(1) the Secretary has submitted to the

13 Congress—

14 ‘‘(A) the Administration’s ship recapital15 ization plan for fiscal years 2010 through 2024;

16 ‘‘(B) the Administration’s aircraft remod17 ernization plan; and

18 ‘‘(C) supporting workforce management

19 plans;

20 ‘‘(2) appropriated funding is available; and
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1 ‘‘(3) the Secretary has justified organizational

2 needs for the commissioned corps for each such fis3 cal year.’’

Passed the Senate September 26, 2008 (legislative

day, September 17), 2008.

Attest:

Secretary.
110TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 1582

AN ACT

To reauthorize and amend the Hydrographic

Services Improvement Act, and for other purposes.