I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2604
To establish a Wetlands Center at the Port of Brownsville, Texas, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 1, 1993
Mr. ORTIZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Merchant Marine and Fisheries
A BILL
To establish a Wetlands Center at the Port of Brownsville,
Texas, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Brownsville Wetlands
Policy Act of 1993’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WETLANDS POLICY CENTER AT
THE PORT OF BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTER.—For purposes of
utilizing grants made by the United States Fish and Wild-
life Service there may be established in accordance with
this Act, on property owned or held in trust by the
Brownsville Navigation District at the Port of Browns-
ville, Texas, a wetlands policy center which shall be known
as the ‘‘Brownsville Wetlands Policy Center at the Port
of Brownsville, Texas’’ (in this Act referred to as the
‘‘Center’’). The Center shall be operated and maintained
by the Port of Brownsville with programs to be adminis-
tered by the University of Texas at Brownsville.
(b) MISSION OF THE CENTER.—The primary mission
of the Center shall be to utilize the unique wetlands prop-
erty at the Port of Brownsville and adjacent waters of
South Texas to focus on wetland matters for the purposes
of protecting, restoring, and maintaining the Lagoon
Ecosystems of the Western Gulf of Mexico Region.
(c) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—The Center shall be gov-
erned by a Board of Directors to oversee the management
and financial affairs of the Center. The Board of Directors
shall be cochaired by the Port of Brownsville, the Univer-
sity of Texas at Brownsville, and the designee of the Di-
rector of the Fish and Wildlife Service, and shall include
as members other representatives considered appropriate
by those cochairs.
(d) OVERSIGHT OF THE CENTER.—
(1) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Board of Directors
of the Center shall prepare an annual report and
submit it through the Director of the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service to the Congress.
(2) CONTENTS.—Annual reports under this
subsection shall cover the programs, projects, activi-
ties, and accomplishments of the Center. The reports
shall include a review of the budget of the Center,
including all sources of funding received to carry out
Center operations.
(3) 
AVAILABILITY
OF
INFORMATION.—The
Board of Directors of the Center shall make avail-
able all pertinent information and records to allow
preparation of annual reports under this subsection.
(4) 
GENERAL
ACCOUNTING
OFFICE.—The
Comptroller General of the United States shall peri-
odically submit to the Congress reports on the oper-
ations of the Center.
SEC. 3. GRANTS.
The Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service shall, subject to the availability of appropriations,
make grants to the Center for use for carrying out activi-
ties of the Center.
SEC. 4. LEASE.
The Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, subject to the availability of appropriations, may
enter into a long-term lease with the Port of Brownsville
for use by the Center of wetlands property owned by the
Port of Brownsville. Terms of the lease shall be nego-
tiated, and the lease shall be signed by both parties, prior
to the disposal of any Federal funds pursuant to this Act.
The lease shall include a provision authorizing the Direc-
tor to terminate the lease at any time.
SEC. 5. OTHER REQUIREMENT.
As conditions of receiving assistance under this Act—
(1) the University of Texas at Brownsville shall
make available to the Center for fiscal years 1994,
1995, 1996, and 1997—
(A) administrative office space;
(B) classroom space; and
(C) other in-kind contributions for the
Center, including overhead and personnel; and
(2) the Port of Brownsville shall make available
up to 7,000 acres of Port Property for the pro-
grams, projects, and activities of the Center.
The Board of Directors of the Center shall include in their
annual report under section 2(d) a statement of whether
these conditions have been met.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Direc-
tor of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, $4,000,000 for fiscal year
1995, $4,000,000 for fiscal year 1996; and such sums as
may be necessary for fiscal year 1997, for making grants
to the Center under section 3, including for use for the
establishment, operation, maintenance, and management
of the Center.
SEC. 7. RELATIONSHIP OF CENTER WITH THE CENTER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SERVICES,
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS.
None of the funds appropriated pursuant to this Act
may be used to relocate any of the administrative oper-
ations of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service from
the Center for Environmental Studies and Services Build-
ing on the campus of Corpus Christi State University, to
the Brownsville Wetlands Policy Center at the Port of
Brownsville, Texas, established pursuant to this Act.
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