II 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2648 

To strengthen programs relating to ocean science and training by providing 

improved advice and coordination of efforts, greater interagency cooperation, and the strengthening and expansion of related programs administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 13, 2004 

Mr. HOLLINGS (for himself, Mr. STEVENS, and Mr. INOUYE) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To strengthen programs relating to ocean science and training by providing improved advice and coordination of 

efforts, greater interagency cooperation, and the 

strengthening and expansion of related programs administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘Ocean Research Coordination and Advancement Act’’. 
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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—OCEAN SCIENCE COORDINATION AND ADVICE 

Sec. 101. National Ocean Science Committee. 

Sec. 102. Subcommittee on Ocean Education.

Sec. 103. Ocean Research and Education Advisory Panel. 

TITLE II—INTERAGENCY PROGRAMS TO ADVANCE OCEAN AND 

COASTAL KNOWLEDGE 

Sec. 201. National strategy for ocean science, education, and technology. 

Sec. 202. National ocean partners program. 

Sec. 203. Ocean and coastal education program. 

Sec. 204. Ocean science and technology scholarship program. 

TITLE III—NOAA PROGRAMS 

Sec. 301. Research plan. 

Sec. 302. Marine ecosystem research. 

Sec. 303. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration education program. 

Sec. 304. Amendment to the National Sea Grant College Program Act. 

TITLE IV—AUTHORIZATIONS 

Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations. 

3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

4 The Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The coastal regions and marine waters of 

6 the United States are vital to the Nation’s public 

7 safety, homeland security, transportation, trade, en8 ergy production, recreation and tourism, food pro9 duction, scientific research and education, environ10 mental health, and historical and cultural heritage. 

11 (2) Coastal development, resource extraction, 

12 and other human activities, coupled with an expand13 ing coastal population, are contributing to processes 
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1 of environmental change that may significantly 

2 threaten the long-term health and sustainability of 

3 marine and coastal ecosystems. 

4 (3) The ocean remains one of the least explored 

5 and understood environments on the planet pro6 viding a frontier for new discoveries and requiring 

7 regional, ecosystem-based management approaches. 

8 (4) Development and implementation of edu9 cation and training programs are essential to build 

10 a national scientific and technological workforce that 

11 meets the needs of growing ocean and coastal econo12 mies and better prepares the Nation for competition 

13 in the global economy. 

14 (5) A coordinated program of education and 

15 basic and applied research would assist the Nation 

16 and the world to further knowledge of the oceans 

17 and the global climate system, ensure homeland and 

18 national security, develop innovative marine prod19 ucts, improve weather and climate forecasts, 

20 strengthen management of marine and coastal re21 sources, increase the safety and efficiency of mari22 time operations, and protect the environment and 

23 mitigate man-made and natural hazards. 

24 (6) Increased Federal cooperation and invest25 ment are essential to build on ocean and coastal re-
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1 search and education activities that are taking place 

2 within numerous federal, state, and local agencies, 

3 academic institutions and industries and to establish 

4 new partnerships for sharing ocean science re5 sources, intellectual talent, and facilities. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) ADVISORY PANEL.—The term ‘‘Advisory 

9 Panel’’ means the Ocean Research and Education 

10 Advisory Panel established under section 108. 

11 (2) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’ 

12 means the National Ocean Science Committee estab13 lished under section 101. 

14 (3) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

15 National Science and Technology Council. 

16 (4) OCEAN SCIENCE.—The term ‘‘ocean 

17 science’’ includes the exploration of ocean, coastal, 

18 and Great Lakes environments, the development of 

19 methods and instruments to study and monitor such 

20 environments, and the conduct of basic and applied 

21 research and education activities to advance under22 standing of— 

23 (A) the physics, chemistry, biology, and ge24 ology of the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes; 
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1 (B) marine and coastal processes and 

2 interactions with other components of the total 

3 Earth system; and 

4 (C) the impacts of the oceans, coastal re5 gions, and Great Lakes on society and manner 

6 in which such environments are influenced by 

7 human activity. 

8 (5) STRATEGY.—The term ‘‘strategy’’ means 

9 the National Strategy for Ocean Science, Education, 

10 and Technology developed under section 201. 

11 (6) SUBCOMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Sub12 committee’’ means the Subcommittee on Ocean Edu13 cation established under section 102. 

14 TITLE I—OCEAN SCIENCE 

15 COORDINATION AND ADVICE 

16 SEC. 101. NATIONAL OCEAN SCIENCE COMMITTEE. 

17 (a) COMMITTEE.—The Chair of the National Science 

18 and Technology Council, in consultation with the Chair 

19 of the Council on Ocean Stewardship, shall establish a Na20 tional Ocean Science Committee. 

21 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be com22 posed of the following members: 

23 (1) The Administrator of the National Oceanic 

24 and Atmospheric Administration. 

25 (2) The Secretary of the Navy. 
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1 (3) The Director of the National Science Foun2 dation. 

3 (4) The Administrator of the National Aero4 nautics and Space Administration. 

5 (5) The Under Secretary of Energy for Energy, 

6 Science, and Environment. 

7 (6) The Administrator of the Environmental 

8 Protection Agency. 

9 (7) The Under Secretary of Homeland Security 

10 for Research and Development. 

11 (8) The Commandant of the Coast Guard. 

12 (9) The Director of the United States Geologi13 cal Survey. 

14 (10) The Director of the Minerals Management 

15 Service. 

16 (11) The Commanding General of the Army 

17 Corps of Engineers. 

18 (12) The Director of the National Institutes of 

19 Health. 

20 (13) Under Secretary of Agriculture for Re21 search, Education, and Economics. 

22 (14) The Assistant Secretary of State for 

23 Oceans and International Environmental and Sci24 entific Affairs. 
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1 (15) The Director of the Defense Advanced Re2 search Projects Agency. 

3 (16) The Director of the Office of Science and 

4 Technology Policy. 

5 (17) The Director of the Office of Management 

6 and Budget. 

7 (18) The leadership of such other Federal agen8 cies and departments as the chair and vice chairs of 

9 the Committee deem appropriate 

10 (c) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIRS.—The chair and vice 

11 chairs of the Committee shall be appointed every 2 years 

12 by a selection subcommittee of the Committee composed 

13 of, at a minimum, the Administrator of the National Oce14 anic and Atmospheric Administration, the Director of the 

15 National Science Foundation, and the Secretary of the 

16 Navy. The term of office of the chair and vice chairs shall 

17 be 2 years. A person who has previously served as chair 

18 or vice chair may be reappointed. 

19 (d) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Committee shall— 

20 (1) serve as the primary source of advice and 

21 support on ocean science for the Council and the 

22 Council on Ocean Stewardship and assist in carrying 

23 out the functions of the Council as they relate to 

24 such matters, including budgetary analyses; 
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1 (2) serve as the committee on ocean science for 

2 the Council and carry out its functions under section 

3 401 of the National Science and Technology Policy, 

4 Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 

5 6651) that relate to ocean sciences; 

6 (3) improve cooperation among Federal depart7 ments and agencies with respect to ocean science 

8 budgets, programs, operations, facilities and per9 sonnel; 

10 (4) provide a forum for development of the 

11 strategy and oversee its implementation; 

12 (5) suggest policies and procedures and provide 

13 support for interagency ocean science programs, in14 cluding the National Ocean Partners Program; 

15 (6) oversee the implementation of an integrated 

16 and sustained ocean and coastal observing system; 

17 (7) establish interagency subcommittees and 

18 working groups as appropriate to develop com19 prehensive and balanced Federal programs and ap20 proaches to ocean science needs; 

21 (8) coordinate United States government activi22 ties with those of other nations and with inter23 national ocean observing efforts, research and tech24 nology and education; and 
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1 (9) carry out such other activities as the Coun2 cil may require. 

3 SEC. 102. SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEAN EDUCATION. 

4 (a) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall establish a 

5 Subcommittee on Ocean Education. Each member of the 

6 Committee and the Under Secretary of Education may 

7 designate a senior Federal agency representative with ex8 pertise in education to serve on the Subcommittee. The 

9 Committee shall select a Chair and one or more Vice 

10 Chairs from the membership of the Subcommittee. 

11 (b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Subcommittee shall— 

12 (1) support and advise the Committee and the 

13 Council on matters related to ocean and coastal edu14 cation and outreach and lead development of a com15 mon perspective; 

16 (2) provide recommendations on education goals 

17 and priorities for the strategy and guidance for edu18 cational investments; 

19 (3) foster the development of education and 

20 outreach programs that are integrated with and 

21 based upon Federal ocean science programs; 

22 (4) coordinate Federal ocean and coastal edu23 cation activities for students at all levels, including 

24 funding for educational opportunities at the under25 graduate, graduate; and post-doctoral levels; 
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1 (5) identify and work to establish linkages 

2 among Federal programs and those of States, aca3 demic institutions, museums and aquaria, industry, 

4 foundations and other non-governmental organiza5 tions; 

6 (6) facilitate Federal agency efforts to work 

7 with minority-serving institutions, historically black 

8 colleges and universities, and traditionally majority9 serving institutions to ensure that students of under10 represented groups have access to and support for 

11 pursuing ocean-related careers; and 

12 (7) carry out such other activities as the Com13 mittee and the Council request. 

14 SEC. 103. OCEAN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ADVISORY 

15 PANEL. 

16 (a) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall maintain 

17 an Ocean Research and Education Advisory Panel con18 sisting of not less than 10 and not more than 18 members 

19 appointed by the chair, including the following: 

20 (1) Members representing the National Acad21 emy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineer22 ing and the Institute of Medicine. 

23 (2) Members selected from among individuals 

24 representing ocean industries, State governments, 
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1 academia, and such other participants in ocean and 

2 coastal activities as the chair considers appropriate. 

3 (3) Members selected from among individuals 

4 eminent in the fields of marine science, marine pol5 icy, ocean engineering or related fields. 

6 (4) Members selected from among individuals 

7 eminent in the field of education. 

8 (b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The advisory panel will ad9 vise the Committee on the following: 

10 (1) Development and implementation of the 

11 strategy. 

12 (2) Policies and procedures to implement the 

13 National Ocean Partners Program and on establish14 ment of topics and selection and allocation of funds 

15 for partnership projects. 

16 (3) Matters relating to national oceanographic 

17 data requirements, ocean and coastal observing sys18 tems, ocean science education and training, oceano19 graphic facilities, and modernization of the nation’s 

20 marine laboratories. 

21 (4) Any additional matters that the Committee 

22 considers appropriate. 

23 (c) PROCEDURAL MATTERS.— 

24 (1) All meetings of the Advisory Panel shall be 

25 open to the public, except that a meeting or any por-
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1 tion of it may be closed to the public if it concerns 

2 matters or information that pertains to national se3 curity, employment matters, litigation, or other rea4 sons provided under section 552b of title 5, United 

5 States Code. Interested persons shall be permitted to 

6 appear at open meetings and present oral or written 

7 statements on the subject matter of the meeting. 

8 The Advisory Panel may administer oaths or affir9 mations to any person appearing before it. 

10 (2) All open meetings of the Advisory Panel 

11 shall be preceded by timely public notice in the Fed12 eral Register of the time, place, and subject of the 

13 meeting. 

14 (3) Minutes of each meeting shall be kept and 

15 shall include a record of the people present, a de16 scription of the discussion that occurred, and copies 

17 of all statements filed. Subject to section 552 of title 

18 5, United States Code, the minutes and records of 

19 all meetings and other documents that were made 

20 available to or prepared for the Advisory Panel shall 

21 be available for public inspection and copying at a 

22 single location in the partners program office. 

23 (4) The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

24 U.S.C. App.) does not apply to the Advisory Panel. 
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1 (d) FUNDING.—The Chair and Vice Chairs of the 

2 Committee annually shall make funds available to support 

3 the activities of the Advisory Panel. 

4 TITLE II—INTERAGENCY PRO5 GRAMS TO ADVANCE OCEAN 

6 AND COASTAL KNOWLEDGE 

7 SEC. 201. NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR OCEAN SCIENCE, EDU8 CATION, AND TECHNOLOGY. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL—The Chair of the Council, through 

10 the Committee, shall develop a National Strategy for 

11 Ocean Science, Education and Technology. The Chair 

12 shall submit the strategy to the Congress within one year 

13 after the date of enactment of this title, and a revised 

14 strategy shall be submitted at least once every three years 

15 thereafter. The initial strategy shall be based on the rec16 ommendations of the United States Commission on Ocean 

17 Policy and shall establish, for the 10-year period beginning 

18 in the year the strategy is submitted, the scientific goals 

19 and priorities for research, technology, education, out20 reach, and operations which most effectively advance 

21 knowledge and provide usable information for ocean policy 

22 decisions. 

23 (b) SPECIFIC ACTIONS.—The strategy shall— 

24 (1) provide for a doubling of the Federal invest25 ment in ocean science research over 5 years and for 
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1 additional investments in education and outreach, 

2 technology development, and ocean exploration; 

3 (2) identify and address relevant programs and 

4 activities of the members of the Committee that con5 tribute to the goals and priorities, setting forth the 

6 role of and funding for each such member in imple7 menting the strategy; 

8 (3) establish mechanisms for accelerating the 

9 transition of— 

10 (A) commercial or military technologies 

11 and data to civilian research, education, and op12 erations applications; and 

13 (B) technologies and tools developed by 

14 government and university scientists to oper15 ations, including both governmental and non16 governmental uses; 

17 (4) consider and use, as appropriate, reports 

18 and studies conducted by Federal agencies and de19 partments, the National Research Council, or other 

20 entities; and 

21 (5) make recommendations for the coordination 

22 of Federal ocean science activities with those of 

23 States, regional entities, other nations, and inter24 national organizations. 
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1 (c) ELEMENTS.—The strategy shall include the fol2 lowing elements: 

3 (1) Global measurements on all relevant spatial 

4 and time scales. 

5 (2) Partnerships among Federal agencies, 

6 states, academia, industries, and other members of 

7 the ocean science community. 

8 (3) Oceanographic facility support, including 

9 the procurement, maintenance and operation of ob10 serving and research platforms, such as ships and 

11 aircraft, laboratories, and related infrastructure. 

12 (4) Focused research initiatives and competitive 

13 research grants. 

14 (5) Technology and sensor development, includ15 ing the transition of such technologies to operations. 

16 (6) Workforce and professional development in17 cluding traineeships, scholarships, fellowships and 

18 internships. 

19 (7) Ocean science education coordination and 

20 establishment of mechanisms to improve ocean lit21 eracy and contribute to public awareness of the con22 dition and importance of the oceans. 

23 (8) Information management systems that allow 

24 analysis of data from varied sources to produce in-
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1 formation readily usable by policymakers and stake2 holders. 

3 (d) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—In developing the 

4 strategy, the Committee shall consult with the Advisory 

5 Panel, academic, State, industry, and conservation groups 

6 and representatives. Not later than 90 days before the 

7 Chair of the Council submits the strategy, or any revision 

8 thereof, to the Congress, a summary of the proposed strat9 egy or revision shall be published in the Federal Register 

10 for a public comment period of not less than 60 days. 

11 SEC. 202. NATIONAL OCEAN PARTNERS PROGRAM. 

12 (a) PURPOSE.—Building on the program established 

13 under section 7901 of title 10, United States Code, the 

14 Committee shall establish and maintain a National Ocean 

15 Partners Program that identifies and carries out ocean 

16 science partnerships among the National Oceanic and At17 mospheric Administration, the National Science Founda18 tion, the Office of Naval Research and Oceanographer of 

19 the Navy, other Federal agencies, States, academia, indus20 tries, and other members of the ocean science community. 

21 (b) PROJECT SELECTION.—At least annually, the 

22 Committee shall establish a limited number of topics for 

23 partnership awards and partners may submit projects on 

24 such topics for implementation under the program. Part-
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1 nership projects shall be competitively reviewed, selected, 

2 and allocated funding based on the following criteria: 

3 (1) The project is consistent with the strategy 

4 and addresses— 

5 (A) ocean and coastal observing systems; 

6 (B) ocean education; 

7 (C) ocean infrastructure coordination; or 

8 (D) interagency collaboration on national 

9 ocean science and research priorities. 

10 (2) The project has broad participation within 

11 the ocean community. 

12 (3) The partners have a long-term commitment 

13 to the objectives of the project. 

14 (4) Resources supporting the project are shared 

15 among the partners. 

16 (5) The project includes a plan for education 

17 and outreach. 

18 (6) The project has been subject to peer review. 

19 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.— Not later than March 1 of 

20 each year, the Committee shall submit to Congress a re21 port on the National Ocean Partners Program. The report 

22 shall contain the following: 

23 (1) A description of activities of the program 

24 carried out during the previous fiscal year, together 

25 with a list of the members of the Advisory Panel and 
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1 any working groups in existence during that fiscal 

2 year. 

3 (2) A general outline of the activities planned 

4 for the program during the fiscal year in which the 

5 report is prepared. 

6 (3) A summary of projects continued from the 

7 previous fiscal year and projects expected to be 

8 started during the fiscal year in which the report is 

9 prepared and during the following fiscal year. 

10 (4) An analysis of trends in the Federal invest11 ment in ocean science research, education and tech12 nology development. 

13 (d) PARTNERS PROGRAM OFFICE.—The Committee 

14 shall establish a program office for the National Ocean 

15 Partners Program. The Committee shall use competitive 

16 procedures in selecting an operator for the partners pro17 gram office and supervise performance of duties by such 

18 office. Responsibilities of the partners program office shall 

19 include— 

20 (1) support for the activities of the Committee 

21 and any working groups or subcommittees under 

22 this section; 

23 (2) management of the process for proposing 

24 partnership projects to the Committee, including the 

25 peer review process for such projects; 
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1 (3) annual preparation and submission to the 

2 Committee of status information on all partnership 

3 projects and program activities; 

4 (4) development and maintenance of a database 

5 on investments by Federal agencies in ocean and 

6 coastal research and education; and 

7 (5) any additional duties for the administration 

8 of the National Ocean Partners Program or to sup9 port Committee activities that the Committee con10 siders appropriate. 

11 (e) CONTRACT, GRANT, AND INTERAGENCY FINANC12 ING AUTHORITY.— 

13 (1) The Committee may authorize one or more 

14 of the members of the Committee to enter into con15 tracts and make grants, using funds appropriated 

16 pursuant to an authorization for the National Ocean 

17 Partners Program, for the purpose of implementing 

18 the program and carrying out the responsibilities of 

19 the Committee. A project or activity under such pro20 gram may be established by any instrument that the 

21 Committee considers appropriate, including grants, 

22 memoranda of understanding, cooperative research 

23 and development agreements, and similar instru24 ments. 
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1 (2) The members of the Committee are author2 ized to participate in interagency financing and 

3 share, transfer, receive and spend funds appro4 priated to any member of the Committee for the 

5 purposes of carrying out any administrative or pro6 grammatic project or activity under the National 

7 Ocean Partnership Program, including support for a 

8 common infrastructure and system integration for 

9 an ocean observing system. Funds may be trans10 ferred among such departments and agencies 

11 through an appropriate instrument that specifies the 

12 goods, services, or space being acquired from an13 other Committee member and the costs of the same. 

14 (3) The Committee shall establish uniform pro15 posal request and application procedures and report16 ing requirements for use by each Committee member 

17 that are applicable to all projects and activities 

18 under the National Ocean Partners Program. 

19 (4) Projects under the program may include 

20 demonstration projects. 

21 (f) TRANSITIONAL PLAN.—The Committee shall sub22 mit a plan and recommendations to the Congress for the 

23 transition of the National Oceanographic Partnership Pro24 gram under chapter 665 of title 10, United States Code, 

25 to the National Ocean Partners Program established 
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1 under subsection (a) of this section not later than 2 years 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

3 (g) SUNSET OF NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PART4 NERSHIP PROGRAM.—Chapter 665 of title 10, United 

5 States Code, is repealed as of the date that is 3 years 

6 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

7 SEC. 203. OCEAN AND COASTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Consistent with the strategy, 

9 the Committee, through the Subcommittee, shall establish 

10 an interagency ocean and coastal education program to 

11 improve public awareness, understanding and appreciation 

12 of the role of the oceans in meeting our Nation’s economic, 

13 social and environmental needs. The ocean and coastal 

14 education program shall include formal education activi15 ties for elementary, secondary, undergraduate, graduate 

16 and postdoctoral students, continuing education activities 

17 for adults, and informal education activities for learners 

18 of all ages. 

19 (b) ELEMENTS.—The program shall use appropriate 

20 interagency coordination mechanisms and shall, at a min21 imum, provide sustained funding for— 

22 (1) a national network of Centers for Ocean 

23 Sciences Education Excellence to improve the acqui24 sition of knowledge by students at all levels; 
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1 (2) a regional education network to support 

2 academic competition and experiential learning op3 portunities for high school students; 

4 (3) teacher enrichment programs that provide 

5 for participation in research expeditions, voyages of 

6 exploration and the conduct of scientific research; 

7 (4) development of model instructional pro8 grams for students at all levels; 

9 (5) student training and support to provide di10 verse ocean-related education opportunities at the 

11 undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels; 

12 and 

13 (6) mentoring programs and partnerships with 

14 minority-serving institutions to ensure diversity in 

15 the ocean and coastal workforce. 

16 SEC. 204. OCEAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SCHOLAR17 SHIP PROGRAM. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

19 (1) The Committee shall establish a National 

20 Ocean Science and Technology Scholarship Program 

21 that is designed to recruit and prepare students for 

22 careers with Federal agencies and departments rep23 resented on the Committee (hereinafter referred to 

24 as ‘‘participating agencies’’). The program shall 

25 award scholarships to individuals who are eligible to 
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1 participate and selected through a competitive proc2 ess primarily on the basis of academic merit, with 

3 consideration given to financial need and the goal of 

4 promoting the participation of individuals identified 

5 in section 33 or 34 of the Science and Engineering 

6 Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 

7 1885b). 

8 (2) To carry out the program, participating 

9 agencies shall enter into contractual agreements 

10 with individuals selected under paragraph (1) under 

11 which the individuals agree to serve as full-time em12 ployees of the participating agency for the period de13 scribed in subsection (d), in positions needed by the 

14 participating agency and for which the individuals 

15 are qualified, in exchange for receiving a scholarship. 

16 (b) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.—In order to be eligible 

17 to participate in the program, an individual shall— 

18 (1) be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a 

19 full-time student at an institution of higher edu20 cation (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher 

21 Education Act of 1965) in an academic field or dis22 cipline described in the list made available under 

23 subsection (c); 

24 (2) be a United States citizen; 
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1 (3) at the time of the initial scholarship award, 

2 not be an employee of the department or agency pro3 viding the award; 

4 (4) not have received a scholarship under this 

5 section for more than 4 academic years, unless the 

6 participating agency grants a waiver; and 

7 (5) submit an application to a participating 

8 agency at such time, in such manner, and containing 

9 such information, agreements, or assurances as the 

10 participating agency may require. 

11 (c) SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABILITY AND LIMITS.— 

12 (1) The Committee shall make publicly avail13 able a list of academic programs and fields of study 

14 for which scholarships under the program may be 

15 used and shall update the list as necessary. 

16 (2) A participating agency may provide a schol17 arship to an eligible individual to cover tuition, fees, 

18 and other authorized expenses as established by reg19 ulation. The dollar amount of a scholarship for an 

20 academic year shall in no case exceed the cost of at21 tendance as such cost is determined in section 472 

22 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

23 1087ll). 

24 (3) The participating agency may enter into a 

25 contractual agreement with an institution of higher 
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1 education under which the amounts provided for a 

2 scholarship under this section for tuition, fees, and 

3 other authorized expenses are paid directly to the in4 stitution with respect to which the scholarship is 

5 provided. 

6 (d) SERVICE.— 

7 (1) Except as provided in subsection (f), the pe8 riod of service for which an individual shall be obli9 gated to serve as an employee of the participating 

10 agency is 12 months for each academic year for 

11 which a scholarship under this section is provided. 

12 (2) Except as provided in subsection (f), obli13 gated service under paragraph (1) may include con14 tract employment if a full time equivalent position is 

15 not immediately available and shall begin not later 

16 than 60 days after the individual obtains the edu17 cational degree for which the scholarship was pro18 vided. 

19 (e) REPAYMENT.— 

20 (1) Scholarship recipients who fail to maintain 

21 a high level of academic standing, as defined by the 

22 participating agency, who are dismissed from their 

23 educational institutions for disciplinary reasons, or 

24 who voluntarily terminate academic training before 

25 graduation from the educational program for which 
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1 the scholarship was awarded, shall be in breach of 

2 their contractual agreement and, in lieu of any serv3 ice obligation arising under such agreement, shall be 

4 liable to the United States for repayment within 1 

5 year after the date of default of all scholarship funds 

6 paid to them and to the institution of higher edu7 cation on their behalf under the agreement, except 

8 as provided in subsection (f). The repayment period 

9 may be extended by the participating agency when 

10 determined to be necessary. 

11 (2) Scholarship recipients who, for any reason, 

12 fail to begin or complete their service obligation 

13 after completion of academic training, or fail to com14 ply with the terms and conditions of deferment es15 tablished by the participating agency pursuant to 

16 subsection (f), shall be in breach of their contractual 

17 agreement. When recipients breach their agreements 

18 pursuant to this paragraph, the recipient shall be 

19 liable to the United States for an amount equal to 

20 the total amount of scholarships received by such in21 dividual under this section; plus the interest on the 

22 amounts of such awards which would be payable if 

23 at the time the awards were received they were loans 

24 bearing interest at the maximum legal prevailing 
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1 rate, as determined by the Treasurer of the United 

2 States, multiplied by 3. 

3 (f) DEFERRAL, CANCELLATION, OR WAIVER.—The 

4 participating agency shall by regulation provide for the de5 ferral or the partial or total waiver or suspension of any 

6 obligation of service or payment incurred by an individual 

7 under the program (or a contractual agreement there8 under) whenever the participating agency determines that 

9 such a deferral, waiver or suspension is appropriate, com10 pliance by the individual is impossible or would involve ex11 treme hardship, or if enforcement of such obligation with 

12 respect to the individual would be contrary to the best in13 terests of the Government. 

14 TITLE III—NOAA OCEAN 

15 SCIENCE AND EDUCATION 

16 PROGRAMS 

17 SEC. 301. RESEARCH PLAN. 

18 The Administrator of the National Oceanic and At19 mospheric Administration shall develop a 20-year inte20 grated research plan for the agency setting forth research 

21 goals and priorities, as well as programmatic actions to 

22 carry out those goals and priorities. The plan shall— 

23 (1) articulate goals, priorities, and pro24 grammatic actions for the agency in 5-year phases; 
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1 (2) identify linkages between Administration re2 search activities and missions; 

3 (3) identify how Administration laboratories, 

4 joint institutes, cooperative institutes, joint centers, 

5 and the extramural scientific community will partici6 pate and assist in achieving the goals of the plan; 

7 (4) consider the recommendations of relevant 

8 reports prepared by the National Research Council 

9 and international scientific institutions and organi10 zations; 

11 (5) be developed in consultation with pro12 grammatic offices, the extramural scientific commu13 nity, and interested members of the public; and 

14 (6) be revised or updated every 5-to-7 years. 

15 SEC. 302. MARINE ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH. 

16 (a) MARINE ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 

17 The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos18 pheric Administration, in cooperation with the National 

19 Science Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, 

20 the Office of Naval Research, and other members of the 

21 Committee, shall establish and maintain a 10-year inter22 agency marine ecosystem research program, including 

23 competitive research grants to the scientific community, 

24 that complements or strengthens the Federal program for 

25 the purposes of— 
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1 (1) improving national understanding of marine 

2 ecosystem status and trends, including the patterns, 

3 processes, and consequences of changing marine bio4 logical diversity; 

5 (2) improving the linkages between marine eco6 logical and oceanographic sciences and providing a 

7 basis for ecosystem-based management of the oceans 

8 and coastal resources; 

9 (3) increasing the effectiveness of ocean, coastal 

10 and fisheries conservation and management through 

11 application of ecosystem-based approaches; 

12 (4) facilitating and encouraging the use of new 

13 technological advances, predictive models, and his14 torical perspectives to characterize and assess ma15 rine ecosystems and to investigate marine biodiver16 sity; 

17 (5) strengthening and expanding the field of 

18 marine taxonomy, including use of genomics and 

19 proteomics; 

20 (6) using new understanding gained through 

21 the program to improve predictions of the impacts of 

22 human activities on the marine environment, includ23 ing pollution and coastal development, and of the 

24 impacts of changes in the marine environment on 

25 human well-being; and 
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1 (7) providing Federal, regional, and State deci2 sion makers with usable information and products to 

3 support policy and technical decisions under existing 

4 authorities, including the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

5 Conservation and Management Act, the Marine 

6 Mammal Protection Act, the National Marine Sanc7 tuaries Act, and the Coastal Zone Management Act. 

8 (b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The research program 

9 established under this section shall provide for the fol10 lowing: 

11 (1) Dynamic access to biological and other data 

12 through an integrated ocean biogeographic informa13 tion system that— 

14 (A) links marine databases; and manages 

15 data generated by the program; and 

16 (B) supports understanding of marine sys17 tems required for ecosystem-based conservation 

18 and management, including analysis of biodiver19 sity and related physical and ecological param20 eters. 

21 (2) Integrated national and regional studies and 

22 products that focus on appropriate scales to support 

23 ecosystem-based management; including habitat 

24 mapping and assessment. 
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1 (3) Improved biological sensors for ocean and 

2 coastal observing systems. 

3 (4) Investment in exploration and taxonomy to 

4 study little known areas and describe new species. 

5 (5) Studies of earlier changes in marine popu6 lations to trace information on biological abundance 

7 and diversity to the earliest historical periods of 

8 minimum human impact. 

9 (6) Improved predictive capability to enhance 

10 the effectiveness of conservation and management 

11 programs and to facilitate and minimize adverse im12 pacts of human activities and natural processes on 

13 marine and coastal ecosystems. 

14 (7) Pilot projects focused on priority informa15 tion needs for critical living marine resource man16 agement decisions under existing statutory authori17 ties. 

18 (c) BASELINE REPORT AND BIENNIAL ASSESS19 MENTS.—The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 

20 Atmospheric Administration, through the Committee, 

21 shall prepare and submit to the President and Congress— 

22 (1) a baseline report on the state of knowledge 

23 concerning marine ecosystems and their sub-compo24 nents, including recommendations for improving 

25 such knowledge base, considering the recommenda-
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1 tions of the United States Commission on Ocean 

2 Policy and the priorities established under sub3 section (a) not later than 1 year after the date of 

4 enactment of this Act; and 

5 (2) a biennial assessment not later than 2 years 

6 after the date of submission of the baseline report 

7 required under subsection (d)(1) and every 2 years 

8 thereafter that— 

9 (A) integrates, evaluates, and interprets 

10 the findings of the program and discusses the 

11 scientific uncertainties associated with such 

12 findings; and 

13 (B) analyzes current trends in marine and 

14 coastal ecosystems, both human-induced and 

15 natural, and projects major trends for the sub16 sequent decade. 

17 SEC. 303. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN18 ISTRATION EDUCATION PROGRAM. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

20 (1) The Administrator of the National Oceanic 

21 and Atmospheric Administration shall conduct, de22 velop support, promote, and coordinate education ac23 tivities that meet the defined program scope under 

24 section 203(b) and that enhance public awareness 

25 and understanding of the science, service, and stew-
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1 ardship missions of the National Oceanic and At2 mospheric Administration. In planning the program, 

3 the Administrator shall consult with the Sub4 committee and build upon the educational programs 

5 and activities of the National Sea Grant College 

6 Program, The National Marine Sanctuaries Pro7 gram, the National Estuarine Research Reserve Sys8 tem, and programs relating to ocean exploration, un9 dersea research, and oceans and human health. 

10 (2) Authorized activities for the program shall 

11 include education of the general public, teachers, 

12 students at all levels, and ocean and coastal man13 agers and stakeholders. 

14 (3) In carrying out educational activities, the 

15 Administrator may enter into grants, contracts, co16 operative agreements, resource sharing agreements 

17 or interagency financing with Federal, State and re18 gional agencies, tribes, commercial organizations, 

19 educational institutions, non-profit organizations or 

20 other persons. 

21 (b) GOALS.—The Administrator of the National Oce22 anic and Atmospheric Administration, in consultation with 

23 the appropriate program directors, shall ensure that edu24 cational activities and programs conducted pursuant to 

25 subsection (a) shall— 
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1 (1) integrate agency science into high-quality 

2 educational materials; 

3 (2) improve access to National Oceanic and At4 mospheric Administration educational resources; 

5 (3) support educator professional development 

6 programs to improve understanding and use of agen7 cy sciences; 

8 (4) promote participation in agency-related 

9 sciences and careers, particularly by members of 

10 underrepresented groups; 

11 (5) leverage partnerships to enhance formal and 

12 informal environmental science education; and 

13 (6) build capability within the agency for edu14 cational excellence. 

15 (c) EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.—The 

16 Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

17 Administration shall establish an educational partnership 

18 with minority serving institutions to provide support for 

19 cooperative science centers, an environmental entrepre20 neurship program, a graduate sciences program and an 

21 undergraduate scholarship program. 

22 (d) NOAA OCEAN EDUCATION PLAN.—The Adminis23 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis24 tration shall develop an ocean education plan setting forth 

25 ocean education goals and priorities for the agency, as well 
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1 as programmatic actions to carry out such goals and prior2 ities over the next 20 years. The plan may be prepared 

3 as part of the research plan required by section 301 or 

4 may be prepared separately and shall— 

5 (1) set forth the Administration’s goals, prior6 ities, and programmatic activities for ocean edu7 cation in 5-year phases; 

8 (2) identify linkages between NOAA ocean edu9 cation activities and NOAA programs and missions; 

10 (3) consider the recommendations of ocean 

11 science and education experts, as well as those of 

12 professional education associations or organizations; 

13 (4) be developed in consultation with pro14 grammatic offices, ocean science and education ex15 perts, and interested members of the public; and 

16 (5) be revised or updated every 5-to-7 years. 

17 SEC. 304. AMENDMENT TO THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COL18 LEGE PROGRAM ACT. 

19 Section 212(a) of the National Sea Grant College 

20 Program Act (33 U.S.C 1131(a)) is amended by adding 

21 at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(3) MARINE AND AQUATIC SCIENCE EDUCATION.— 

23 In addition to the amounts authorized for each fiscal year 

24 under paragraphs (1) and (2), there are authorized to be 
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1 appropriated for marine and aquatic science education in 

2 each of fiscal years 2005 through 2010— 

3 ‘‘(A) $6,000,000 in increased funding for the 

4 educational activities of sea grant programs; 

5 ‘‘(B) $4,000,000 for competitive grants for 

6 projects and research that target national and re7 gional marine and aquatic science literacy; 

8 ‘‘(C) $4,000,000 for competitive grants to sup9 port educational partnerships under the national 

10 Coastal and Ocean Education Program to be funded 

11 through the National Ocean Partners Program or 

12 other appropriate mechanism; and 

13 ‘‘(D) $3,000,000 in increased funding for en14 hanced outreach and communications activities of 

15 sea grant programs. 

16 TITLE IV—AUTHORIZATIONS 

17 SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

18 (a) PARTNERS PROGRAM PROJECTS AND ADMINIS19 TRATION.—Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated 

20 annually to the Department of the Navy, the National 

21 Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmos22 pheric Administration, and the National Aeronautics and 

23 Space Administration for fiscal year 2005 through fiscal 

24 year 2010— 
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1 (1) up to $25,000,000 from each agency may 

2 be made available for National Ocean Partners Pro3 gram projects under section 202; and 

4 (2) at least $600,000 or 3 percent of the 

5 amount appropriated for the National Oceano6 graphic Partners Program, whichever is greater, 

7 shall be available for operations of the partners pro8 gram office established under section 202(d). 

9 (b) NATIONAL OCEAN AND COASTAL EDUCATION

10 PROGRAM.—Of the amounts authorized annually to the 

11 Department of the Navy, the National Science Founda12 tion, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra13 tion, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administra14 tion for fiscal year 2005 through fiscal year 2010, up to 

15 $25,000,000 from each agency may be made available for 

16 the National Ocean and Coastal Education Program 

17 under section 203. 

18 (c) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.—Of the amounts au19 thorized annually to the Department of the Navy, the Na20 tional Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and At21 mospheric Administration, and the National Aeronautics 

22 and Space Administration for fiscal year 2005 through fis23 cal year 2010, up to $15,000,000 may be made available 

24 for National Ocean Science and Technology Scholarships 

25 under section 204. 
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1 (d) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN2 ISTRATION.— 

3 (1) MARINE ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH.—For de4 velopment and implementation of the research pro5 gram under section 302, there are authorized to be 

6 appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmos7 pheric Administration $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 

8 years 2005 through 2010. 

9 (2) OCEAN EDUCATION.—In addition to the 

10 amounts authorized under subsection (a), (b), and 

11 (c) and under the National Sea Grant College Pro12 gram Act, there are authorized to be appropriated to 

13 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At14 mospheric Administration.— 

15 (A) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 

16 years 2005 through 2010 for education ac17 tivities under section 303(a); and 

18 (B) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal 

19 years 2005 through 2010 for education ac20 tivities under section 303(c). 

21 (e) AVAILABILITY.—Sums appropriated pursuant to 

22 this section shall remain available until expended. 

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