SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) several rivers flow between, or are common
to, 2 or more State boundaries;
(2) in many cases, there is not a single entity
which has complete jurisdictional responsibility for
the fisheries resources in these rivers;
(3) a strong partnership between Federal and
State governmental authorities is vital in coordinat-
ing and facilitating cooperative research and in re-
solving 
problems 
associated 
with 
large 
river
ecosystems because, among other reasons, many
fishery management problems are caused by feder-
ally regulated activities (including activities resulting
in point and nonpoint pollution) and federally con-
structed projects (including dams and navigation fa-
cilities);
(4) in some rivers, the once rich assemblages of
fish fauna and diverse habitats have been lost and
formerly abundant native fish now exist only as en-
dangered or depleted populations;
(5) without positive management actions, native
species in some rivers will continue to decline, foster-
ing even greater conflicts among water users;
(6) construction of waterway developments (in-
cluding navigation, flood control, water level fluctua-
tion, power generation, irrigation, and general water
depletion projects) is accelerating and increasingly
degrading large river ecosystems nationwide;
(7) the United States public will face reduced
opportunities for recreational, commercial, subsist-
ence, and aesthetic uses of river systems without de-
monstrable change in management strategies in the
near future;
(8) several programs have been proposed or are
underway to resolve conflicts in these management
strategies;
(9) in one of these programs, Federal, State,
and local fisheries managers in the Mississippi River
drainage basin have entered into the Mississippi
Interstate Cooperative Resource Agreement under
which the managers will share resources, facilities,
and funding for preparation and development of
long-range strategic plans for management of the
drainage basin’s interjurisdictional fisheries;
(10) the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Re-
source Agreement merits detailed evaluation as a
model for the development of long-range strategic
plans for the management of interjurisdictional riv-
ers fisheries resources; and
(11) to ensure that these programs are appro-
priately coordinated and to conserve the fisheries re-
sources in interjurisdictional rivers, there is a need
for strategies to improve coordination, cooperation,
research, and information sharing.
SEC. 3. COUNCIL ON INTERJURISDICTIONAL RIVERS FISH-
ERIES.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a council
to be known as the ‘‘Council on Interjurisdictional Rivers
Fisheries’’ (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Council’’).
(b) DUTIES.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Council shall develop
recommendations for cooperative action strategies on
the management of interjurisdictional rivers fish-
eries.
(2) CONTENTS
OF
STRATEGIES.—The rec-
ommended strategies to be developed by the Council
under this subsection shall at a minimum contain
the following:
(A) A listing of the 10 highest priority
interjurisdictional rivers in need of cooperative
fisheries management.
(B) Comprehensive fishery strategic plans
for the 5 highest priority interjurisdictional riv-
ers identified pursuant to subparagraph (A), in-
cluding goals, objectives, implementation sched-
ules, and estimates of costs necessary to fully
develop and implement the strategic plans.
(3) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing a listing
of the highest priority interjurisdictional rivers in
developing and comprehensive fishery strategic
plans, the Council shall consider the following:
(A) The nature and severity of problems of
the interjurisdictional rivers creating the need
for enhanced cooperation.
(B) The adequacy of existing management
programs for the interjurisdictional rivers to
address these problems.
(C) The status and trends of fisheries re-
sources in the interjurisdictional rivers.
(D) The biological, physical, geologic, and
hydrographic 
characteristics 
of 
the
interjurisdictional rivers and the economic de-
mands (including water uses) on these rivers.
(4) REVIEW
AND
APPROVAL
OF
STRATEGIC
PLANS BY STATES.—The Council may not issue a
cooperative action strategy under this section in
final form unless—
(A) the Council has submitted each com-
prehensive fishery strategic plan contained in
the strategy to each State having jurisdiction
over an interjurisdictional river that is covered
by the plan; and
(B) the director of each State fish and
wildlife agency has been offered the opportunity
to choose whether the strategy will be applicable
to his State.
(c) MEMBERSHIP.—
(1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Council
shall be composed of 13 members as follows:
(A) The Secretary (or the Secretary’s des-
ignee) who shall serve as chairperson of the
Council.
(B) 7 individuals appointed by the Sec-
retary who are qualified to serve on the Council
by virtue of being the director of a State fish
and wildlife agency which represents 1 of the
following major interjurisdictional drainage sys-
tems of the United States: the upper Mis-
sissippi, lower Mississippi, Colorado, Missouri,
Ohio, Pacific Coastal, and Atlantic Coastal Sys-
tems.
(C) The Assistant Administrator for Fish-
eries of the National Marine Fisheries Service
of the Department of Commerce (or the Assist-
ant Administrator’s designee).
(D) The Secretary of the Department of
Energy (or the Secretary’s designee).
(E) The Assistant Secretary of the Army
for Civil Works (or the Assistant Secretary’s
designee).
(F) The Chairman of the Tennessee Valley
Authority (or the Chairman’s designee).
(G) One member of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission to be appointed by the
Secretary (or the member’s designee).
(2) TERMS.—Members shall be appointed for a
term of 3 years.
(3) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Council
shall be filled in the manner in which the original
appointment was made. Any member appointed to
fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the
term for which the member’s predecessor was ap-
pointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of
such term.
(4) PAY.—Members shall serve without pay.
(5) TRAVEL
EXPENSES.—While away from
their homes or regular places of business in the per-
formance of services for the Council, members shall
receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of
subsistence, in accordance with sections 5702 and
5703 of title 5, United States Code; except that
members shall be entitled to receive such expenses
only to the extent that amounts are made available
for such purpose in advance in appropriations Acts.
(d) TRANSACTION OF BUSINESS.—In resolving mat-
ters before the Council, attempts shall be made to reach
consensus by the members. In the event consensus cannot
be reached, all decisions of the Council will be made by
majority vote of all its members. Provisions shall be made
to include a statement of minority opinion in matters in
which a consensus cannot be reached.
(e) MEETINGS.—The Council shall meet at the call
of the Chairperson or upon the request of a majority of
the members.
(f) STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION.—
(1) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Secretary
shall provide the Council with such administrative
support services as are necessary for the effective
functioning of the Council.
(2) ORGANIZATION.—The Council shall deter-
mine its organization and prescribe the practices and
procedures for carrying out its duties under sub-
section (b).
(g) LIMITATION
ON SPENDING AUTHORITY.—No
money authorized to be appropriated under this Act may
be used to reimburse any agency or governmental unit
(whose employees are Council members) for time spent by
any such employee performing duties of the Council.
(h) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT EXEMP-
TION.—Conduct of business of the Council is exempt from
the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
(i) REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 36
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report containing
the strategies to be developed under this section, together
with all statements of minority opinion received by the
Secretary pursuant to subsection (d).
(j) TERMINATION.—The Council shall terminate 30
days after the date on which a report is submitted under
subsection (i).
(k) LIMITATION ON STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.—
Nothing in this Act shall be construed—
(1) to diminish the authority or responsibility of
a State with respect to interjurisdictional resources
within an interjurisdictional river or which depend
on an interjurisdictional river;
(2) to authorize the Secretary to implement any
strategy developed under this Act which is beyond
the Secretary’s authority on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act; or
(3) to supercede the authority and agreements
of existing commissions or compacts.
SEC. 
4. 
MISSISSIPPI 
INTERSTATE 
COOPERATIVE 
RE-
SOURCE AGREEMENT.
(a) EVALUATION.—The Secretary, in cooperation
with the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource
Agreement Steering Committee, shall conduct a pilot test
of the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Agree-
ment.
(b) CONTENTS.—The pilot test to be conducted under
this section shall include the following:
(1) Identification and description of each of the
river ecosystems of the Mississippi River drainage
system and the associated fishery resources and fish
habitat of such river ecosystems.
(2) Identification and description of the known
impacts of and mitigation techniques for navigation,
flood control, power generation, irrigation, and mu-
nicipal water supplies projects on fishery resources
of the Mississippi River drainage basin, including
the impacts of dredging, channel maintenance, water
level management, sediment and contaminant trans-
port, vessel traffic, water withdrawal, and changes in
salinity and various hydrologic conditions.
(3) Analysis of existing resource data with re-
gard to regional depletion of important fish stocks
(including paddlefish, lake sturgeon, and walleye)
and the potential for restoration of such fish stocks.
(4) Identification of major information gaps
and technological needs to improve the cooperative
management of interjurisdictional fisheries re-
sources.
(5) A comprehensive study of the status, and
the management, research, and restoration needs, of
the interjurisdictional fisheries of the Mississippi
River drainage system.
(6) Development of recommendations regarding
the scope, schedule, regional priorities, and roles of
participants in the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative
Resource Agreement for undertaking cooperative
management and research projects.
(7) Development of plans and testing projects
for the restoration and enhancement of depleted fish
stocks (including lake sturgeon, paddlefish, walleye,
and other high priority nonanadromous species) and
associated habitats of such fish stocks.
(8) Evaluation of the feasibility and expected
success of the program under the Mississippi Inter-
state Cooperative Resource Agreement and the mer-
its of extending such program of cooperative man-
agement strategy to other river basins in the United
States.
(9) Estimates of funds required to implement
recommendations and plans developed under para-
graphs (6), (7), and (8).
(c) REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 36
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report containing
the evaluation of the pilot test to be conducted under this
section.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
For the purpose of this Act, the following definitions
apply:
(1) 
INTERJURISDICTIONAL
FISHERIES
RE-
SOURCES.—The term ‘‘interjurisdictional fisheries
resources’’ means fisheries resources, and associated
river ecosystems, that depend on interjurisdictional
rivers and are under the management of 2 or more
governmental entities.
(2) INTERJURISDICTIONAL
RIVER.—The term
‘‘interjurisdictional river’’ means a river that flows
between, or is common to, 2 or more State bound-
aries.
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the
Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service.
(4) STATE FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCY.—The
term ‘‘State Fish and Wildlife Agency’’ includes any
State department or agency, or a part thereof, that
is empowered under the laws of the State to exercise
the functions ordinarily exercised by a State fish and
wildlife agency.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary for each of fiscal years 1994, 1995, and 1996—
(1) $1,000,000 per fiscal year to carry out sec-
tion 3; and
(2) $2,000,000 per fiscal year to carry out sec-
tion 4.
Such sums shall remain available until expended.
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