I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5996 
To reauthorize and amend the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 5, 2018 
Ms. BORDALLO (for herself, Mr. SOTO, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. HAS-
TINGS, Mr. CRIST, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. HANABUSA, Ms. 
GABBARD, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N of Puerto Rico, 
Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. PLASKETT, and Mr. MAST) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To reauthorize and amend the Coral Reef Conservation Act 
of 2000, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2018’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO CORAL REEF CONSERVATION ACT OF 
2000 
Sec. 101. Revisions to purposes of Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. 
Sec. 102. Revisions to National Coral Reef Action Strategy. 
Sec. 103. Revisions to Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program. 
Sec. 104. Coral reef public-private partnership. 
Sec. 105. Revisions to emergency assistance. 
Sec. 106. Revisions to National Program. 
Sec. 107. Revisions to effectiveness reports. 
Sec. 108. Establishment of United States Coral Reef Task Force. 
Sec. 109. Agreements. 
Sec. 110. Permits. 
Sec. 111. Regulations. 
Sec. 112. Use of recovered amounts. 
Sec. 113. Revisions to authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 114. Revisions to definitions. 
Sec. 115. Conforming and clerical amendments. 
TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CORAL REEF 
AUTHORITIES 
Sec. 201. Coral reef conservation and assistance. 
Sec. 202. National coral reef action strategy. 
Sec. 203. USGS Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Program. 
Sec. 204. Use of recovered amounts. 
Sec. 205. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 206. Definitions. 
TITLE III—AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL FISHING ENHANCEMENT 
ACT OF 1984 
Sec. 301. Revisions to National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984. 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 401. Stock assessments under Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act. 
Sec. 402. Measures to combat invasive lionfish. 
TITLE 
I—AMENDMENTS 
TO 
CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 
ACT OF 2000 
SEC. 101. REVISIONS TO PURPOSES OF CORAL REEF CON-
SERVATION ACT OF 2000. 
Section 202 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 
2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401) is amended— 
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(1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) to ensure healthy and resilient coral reefs 
for the benefit of island and coastal communities 
and the United States.’’. 
SEC. 102. REVISIONS TO NATIONAL CORAL REEF ACTION 
STRATEGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 203 of the Coral Reef 
Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6402) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘Natural’’ before ‘‘Re-
sources’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘this national strategy’’ 
and inserting ‘‘the national coral reef action 
strategy or any review or revision to such strat-
egy’’; 
(C) by striking ‘‘may consult’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘shall consult’’; and 
(D) by striking ‘‘Executive Order 13089 
(June 11, 1998)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 209’’; 
and 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
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(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘goals and objectives as well as an 
implementation plan’’ and inserting ‘‘goals, ob-
jectives, and an implementation plan’’; 
(B) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(C) by amending paragraph (8) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(8) conservation, including how the use of ma-
rine protected areas to serve as replenishment zones 
will be developed consistent with local practices and 
traditions and in cooperation with, and with respect 
for the scientific, technical, and management exper-
tise and responsibilities of, State fish and wildlife 
management agencies;’’. 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) the condition of coral reefs located within 
maritime areas and zones subject to the jurisdiction 
or control of the United States; 
‘‘(10) emerging threats to coral health, includ-
ing changes in ocean temperature and chemistry and 
such threats identified under section 204(d)(3); 
‘‘(11) adaptive management approaches with 
clearly identifiable, measurable, and science-based 
goals; and 
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‘‘(12) restoration efforts, including improving 
coral reef resiliency.’’. 
(b) DEADLINE.—Not later than 3 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall re-
view and revise the national coral reef action strategy de-
veloped under section 203 of the Coral Reef Conservation 
Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6402). 
SEC. 103. REVISIONS TO CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 
GRANT PROGRAM. 
Section 204 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 
2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403) is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘GRANT’’ be-
fore ‘‘PROGRAM’’; 
(2) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘GEO-
GRAPHIC
AND
BIOLOGICAL’’ and inserting 
‘‘DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS’’; 
(B) in the language preceding paragraph 
(1), by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and inserting 
‘‘subsection (a)’’; and 
(C) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(3) Remaining funds shall be awarded for 
projects that address priorities or emerging threats 
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identified by the Secretary in consultation with the 
United States Coral Reef Task Force, including— 
‘‘(A) bleaching; 
‘‘(B) mortality events; 
‘‘(C) disease outbreaks; 
‘‘(D) harmful algal blooms; 
‘‘(E) invasive or nuisance species out-
breaks; 
‘‘(F) land-based sources of pollution; 
‘‘(G) overfishing; 
‘‘(H) ocean acidification; 
‘‘(I) coral reef restoration efforts; and 
‘‘(J) regional or international priorities or 
threats. 
‘‘(4) To the extent practicable, the Secretary 
shall prioritize grants to a natural resource manage-
ment authority of a State that is represented on the 
United States Coral Reef Task Force.’’; 
(3) in subsection (f), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(3) APPLICANTS
SEEKING
IMMEDIATE
RE-
LEASE OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of this subsection, if an applicant for assist-
ance under this section seeks an immediate release 
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of such assistance to respond to an emergency, the 
Secretary— 
‘‘(A) shall by not later than 15 days after 
the date of receipt of the application for assist-
ance, conduct a preliminary review of the pro-
posed project and determine whether it qualifies 
for such a release; and 
‘‘(B) if the project so qualifies, may— 
‘‘(i) immediately release up to 50 per-
cent of the total amount of assistance for 
which the Secretary estimates the project 
will qualify; and 
‘‘(ii) release the remainder of the total 
amount for which the project qualifies 
after providing written notification of ap-
proval of the project in accordance with 
paragraph (2)(D).’’; 
(4) in subsection (g)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and re-
silient coral reef ecosystems’’ after ‘‘coral 
reefs’’; and 
(B) by amending paragraph (4) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(4) developing sound scientific information on 
the condition of coral reef ecosystems, threats to 
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such ecosystems or the biodiversity of such eco-
systems, the impacts of such threats, and potential 
interventions to address such threats;’’. 
(C) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘to im-
plement’’ and inserting ‘‘the implementation 
of’’; 
(D) in paragraph (6), by inserting ‘‘, in-
cluding how coral reefs function to protect is-
land and coastal communities’’ after ‘‘conserva-
tion’’; 
(E) by amending paragraph (7) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(7) mapping the location, distribution, and 
biodiversity, including taxonomic classification and 
related research, of coral reefs and coral reef eco-
systems;’’; 
(F) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘and 
coral reef ecosystems’’ after ‘‘reefs’’; 
(G) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘or’’; 
(H) by amending paragraph (10) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(10) preventing or minimizing the likelihood of 
vessel impacts on coral reefs, particularly those 
areas and any at-risk reefs identified under section 
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207(d), including by promoting ecologically sound 
navigation and anchorages near coral reefs;’’; and 
(I) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(11) responding to, or taking action to miti-
gate the effects of, coral bleaching, disease, harmful 
algal blooms, ocean acidification, or other changes in 
ocean temperature and chemistry; 
‘‘(12) developing and implementing innovative 
ecological interventions to build or maintain coral 
reef resistance and resilience to stressors; 
‘‘(13) developing and implementing innovative 
invasive or nuisance species capture, collection, re-
moval, or trapping methods for use around coral 
reefs; 
‘‘(14) developing and implementing cost-effec-
tive methods to restore degraded, native coral reef 
ecosystems, with an emphasis on techniques to ad-
vance coral recovery, growth, or resiliency; 
‘‘(15) research on coral diseases, including the 
prevention and treatment of such diseases; 
‘‘(16) understanding and cataloging coral ge-
netic diversity, including research into traits that 
promote resilience and applying such research to 
coral reef restoration efforts; 
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‘‘(17) developing in situ native coral propaga-
tion sites for use in coral reef restoration projects; 
‘‘(18) developing networks of ex situ coral prop-
agation nurseries for conservation, including genetic 
banking, captive breeding of rare species, and cap-
tive breeding of resilient coral populations for use in 
coral reef restoration projects; 
‘‘(19) developing networks of improved, real- 
time water quality monitoring along coral reefs, es-
pecially reefs impacted by land-based sources of pol-
lution including coastal runoff, sediment erosion and 
turbidity, and harmful algal blooms; 
‘‘(20) implementing research and restoration 
projects that help ensure the population viability of 
listed coral species in United States waters as de-
tailed in the population-based recovery criteria in-
cluded in species-specific recovery plans consistent 
with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (1625 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or 
‘‘(21) supporting community-based planning 
and management initiatives for the protection of 
coral reef ecosystems identified by the community, 
scientific experts, or the United States Coral Reef 
Task Force as a high priority that— 
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‘‘(A) support attainment of criteria de-
scribed in subsection (g); 
‘‘(B) utilize, where applicable, watershed- 
based or ecosystem-based approaches; 
‘‘(C) provide for coordination with Federal 
and State experts and managers; 
‘‘(D) build upon local approaches or mod-
els, including traditional or island-based re-
source management concepts; and 
‘‘(E) complement local action strategies or 
regional plans for coral reef conservation ef-
forts, as applicable.’’; and 
(5) in subsection (j), by striking ‘‘this Act’’ and 
inserting ‘‘the Coral Reef Conservation Reauthoriza-
tion Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 104. CORAL REEF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. 
Section 205 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 
2000 (16 U.S.C. 6404) is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘CORAL REEF 
CONSERVATION
FUND’’ and inserting ‘‘CORAL 
REEF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘FUND’’ and inserting 
‘‘PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP’’; 
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(B) by striking ‘‘, hereafter referred to as 
the Fund,’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘organization solely’’ and 
all that follows and inserting ‘‘organization— 
‘‘(A) to support public-private partnerships 
that further the purposes of this title and are 
consistent with the national coral reef action 
strategy under section 203; 
‘‘(B) to address emergency response ac-
tions undertaken or authorized under section 
206; and 
‘‘(C) to support activities that prevent 
damage to coral reefs, including any at-risk 
reefs identified under section 207(d).’’. 
(3) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Fund’’ and inserting 
‘‘separate interest bearing account’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘The organization is encouraged to solicit dona-
tions, funding, and in-kind services from the 
private sector, including nongovernmental orga-
nizations, for emergency response actions under 
section 206 and for activities to prevent damage 
to coral reefs, including any at-risk reefs identi-
fied under section 207(d).’’. 
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