H. R. 7776—1547 
restoration, and a cost estimate to implement such rec-
ommendations. 
‘‘SEC. 210. CORAL REEF DISASTER FUND. 
‘‘(a) AGREEMENTS.—The Administrator shall seek to enter into 
an agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (in 
this section referred to as the ‘Foundation’), authorizing the Founda-
tion to receive, hold, and administer funds received under this 
section. 
‘‘(b) FUND.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Foundation shall establish an 
account, to be known as the ‘Coral Reef Disaster Fund’ (in 
this section referred to as the ‘Fund’). 
‘‘(2) DEPOSITS.—The Foundation shall deposit funds 
received under this section into the Fund. 
‘‘(3) PURPOSES.—The Fund shall be available solely to sup-
port the long-term recovery of coral reefs from exigent cir-
cumstances described in section 209(b)— 
‘‘(A) in partnership with non-Federal stakeholders; and 
‘‘(B) in a manner that is consistent with— 
‘‘(i) the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy; 
and 
‘‘(ii) coral reef action plans in effect, if any, under 
section 205. 
‘‘(4) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 
‘‘(A) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.—The Foundation shall 
invest such portion of the Fund as is not required to meet 
current withdrawals in interest-bearing obligations of the 
United States or in obligations guaranteed as to both prin-
cipal and interest by the United States. 
‘‘(B) INTEREST AND PROCEEDS.—The interest on, and 
the proceeds from, the sale or redemption of, any obliga-
tions held in the Fund shall be credited to and form a 
part of the Fund. 
‘‘(5) REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE.—The Administrator shall 
conduct continuing reviews of all deposits into, and disburse-
ments from, the Fund. Each such review shall include a written 
assessment concerning the extent to which the Foundation 
has implemented the goals and requirements of this section. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION TO SOLICIT DONATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to an agreement entered into 
under subsection (a), the Foundation may accept, receive, 
solicit, hold, administer, and use any gift (including, notwith-
standing section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, donations 
of services) to further the purposes of this title. 
‘‘(2) DEPOSITS IN FUND.—Notwithstanding section 3302 of 
title 31, United States Code, any funds received as a gift 
shall be deposited and maintained in the Fund. 
‘‘SEC. 211. RUTH D. GATES CORAL REEF CONSERVATION GRANT PRO-
GRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, 
the Administrator shall establish a program (to be known as the 
‘Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program’) to provide 
grants for projects for the conservation and restoration of coral 
reef ecosystems (in this section referred to as ‘coral reef projects’) 
pursuant to proposals approved by the Administrator in accordance 
with this section.
H. R. 7776—1548 
‘‘(b) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (3), 
Federal funds for any coral reef project for which a grant 
is provided under subsection (a) may not exceed 50 percent 
of the total cost of the project. 
‘‘(2) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share of the 
cost of a coral reef project may be provided by in-kind contribu-
tions and other noncash support. 
‘‘(3) WAIVER.—The Administrator may waive all or part 
of the matching requirement under paragraph (1) if the 
Administrator determines that no reasonable means are avail-
able through which an applicant can meet the matching require-
ment with respect to a coral reef project and the probable 
benefit of the project outweighs the public interest in the 
matching requirement. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity described in paragraph (2) 
may submit to the Administrator a proposal for a coral reef 
project. 
‘‘(2) ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—An entity described in this para-
graph is— 
‘‘(A) a covered reef manager or a covered Native entity; 
‘‘(B) a regional fishery management council established 
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); 
‘‘(C) a coral reef stewardship partnership seeking to 
implement a coral reef action plan in effect under section 
205; 
‘‘(D) a coral reef research center designated under sec-
tion 212(b); or 
‘‘(E) a nongovernmental organization or research 
institution with demonstrated expertise in the conservation 
or restoration of coral reefs in practice or through signifi-
cant contributions to the body of existing scientific research 
on coral reefs. 
‘‘(d) PROJECT PROPOSALS.—Each proposal for a grant under 
this section for a coral reef project shall include the following: 
‘‘(1) The name of the individual or entity responsible for 
conducting the project. 
‘‘(2) A description of the qualifications of the individual 
or entity. 
‘‘(3) A succinct statement of the purposes of the project. 
‘‘(4) An estimate of the funds and time required to complete 
the project. 
‘‘(5) Evidence of support for the project by appropriate 
representatives of States or other government jurisdictions in 
which the project will be conducted. 
‘‘(6) Information regarding the source and amount of 
matching funding available to the applicant. 
‘‘(7) A description of how the project meets one or more 
of the criteria under subsection (e)(2). 
‘‘(8) In the case of a proposal submitted by a coral reef 
stewardship partnership, a description of how the project aligns 
with the applicable coral reef action plan in effect under section 
205.
H. R. 7776—1549 
‘‘(9) Any other information the Administrator considers to 
be necessary for evaluating the eligibility of the project for 
a grant under this subsection. 
‘‘(e) PROJECT REVIEW AND APPROVAL.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall review each 
coral reef project proposal submitted under this section to deter-
mine if the project meets the criteria set forth in subsection 
(f). 
‘‘(2) PRIORITIZATION
OF
CONSERVATION
PROJECTS.—The 
Administrator shall prioritize the awarding of funding for 
projects that meet the criteria for approval described in— 
‘‘(A) subparagraphs (A) through (G) of subsection (f)(2) 
that are proposed to be conducted within priority areas 
identified for coral reef conservation by the Administrator 
under the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy; and 
‘‘(B) subparagraphs (E) through (L) of subsection (f)(2) 
that are proposed to be conducted within priority areas 
identified for coral reef restoration by the Administrator 
under the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy. 
‘‘(3) REVIEW; APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL.—Not later than 
180 days after receiving a proposal for a coral reef project 
under this section, the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) request and consider written comments on the 
proposal from each Federal agency, State government, cov-
ered Native entity, or other government jurisdiction, 
including the relevant regional fishery management coun-
cils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Con-
servation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), 
or any National Marine Sanctuary or Marine National 
Monument, with jurisdiction or management authority over 
coral reef ecosystems in the area where the project is 
to be conducted, including the extent to which the project 
is consistent with locally established priorities, unless such 
entities were directly involved in the development of the 
project proposal; 
‘‘(B) provide for the merit-based peer review of the 
proposal and require standardized documentation of that 
peer review; 
‘‘(C) after considering any written comments and rec-
ommendations based on the reviews under subparagraphs 
(A) and (B), approve or disapprove the proposal; and 
‘‘(D) provide written notification of that approval or 
disapproval, with summaries of all written comments, rec-
ommendations, and peer reviews, to the entity that sub-
mitted the proposal, and each of those States, covered 
Native entity, and other government jurisdictions that pro-
vided comments under subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(f) CRITERIA
FOR APPROVAL.—The Administrator may not 
approve a proposal for a coral reef project under this section unless 
the project— 
‘‘(1) is consistent with— 
‘‘(A) the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy; and 
‘‘(B) any Federal or non-Federal coral reef action plans 
in effect under section 205 covering a coral reef or eco-
logically significant unit of a coral reef to be affected by 
the project; and
H. R. 7776—1550 
‘‘(2) will enhance the conservation and restoration of coral 
reefs by— 
‘‘(A) addressing conflicts arising from the use of 
environments near coral reefs or from the use of corals, 
species associated with coral reefs, and coral products, 
including supporting consensus-driven and community- 
based planning and management initiatives for the protec-
tion of coral reef ecosystems; 
‘‘(B) improving compliance with laws that prohibit or 
regulate the taking of coral products or species associated 
with coral reefs or regulate the use and management of 
coral reef ecosystems; 
‘‘(C) designing and implementing networks of real-time 
water quality monitoring along coral reefs, including data 
collection related to turbidity, nutrient availability, harmful 
algal blooms, and plankton assemblages, with an emphasis 
on coral reefs impacted by agriculture and urban develop-
ment; 
‘‘(D) promoting ecologically sound navigation and 
anchorages, including mooring buoy systems to promote 
enhanced recreational access, near coral reefs; 
‘‘(E) furthering the goals and objectives of coral reef 
action plans in effect under section 205; 
‘‘(F) mapping the location and distribution of coral 
reefs and potential coral reef habitat; 
‘‘(G) stimulating innovation to advance the ability of 
the United States to understand, research, or monitor coral 
reef ecosystems, or to develop management or adaptation 
options to conserve and restore coral reef ecosystems; 
‘‘(H) implementing research to ensure the population 
viability of coral species in United States waters listed 
as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973 as detailed in the population-based recovery 
criteria included in species-specific recovery plans estab-
lished under such Act; 
‘‘(I) 
developing 
and 
implementing 
cost-effective 
methods to restore degraded coral reef ecosystems or to 
create geographically appropriate coral reef ecosystems in 
suitable waters, including by improving habitat or pro-
moting success of keystone species, with an emphasis on 
novel restoration strategies and techniques to advance coral 
reef recovery and growth near population centers threat-
ened by rising sea levels and storm surge; 
‘‘(J) translating and applying coral genetics research 
to coral reef ecosystem restoration, including research 
related to traits that promote resilience to increasing ocean 
temperatures, changing ocean chemistry, coral bleaching, 
coral diseases, and invasive species; 
‘‘(K) developing and maintaining in situ native coral 
propagation sites; or 
‘‘(L) developing and maintaining ex situ coral propaga-
tion nurseries and land-based coral gene banks to— 
‘‘(i) conserve or augment genetic diversity of native 
coral populations; 
‘‘(ii) support captive breeding of rare coral species; 
or