IIB 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 958
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MARCH 24, 2004
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation 
AN ACT 
To authorize certain hydrographic services programs, to 
name a cove in Alaska in honor of the late Able Bodied 
Seaman Eric Steiner Koss, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hydrographic Services 
Amendments of 2004’’. 
TITLE I—NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC 
SERVICES IMPROVEMENT 
SEC. 101. REFERENCES. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 
this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 
section or other provision of the Hydrographic Services 
Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892 et seq.). 
SEC. 102. FUNCTIONS OF ADMINISTRATOR. 
(a) REGIONAL NAVIGATION RESPONSE TEAMS.—
Section 303(a) (33 U.S.C. 892a(a)) is amended by strik-
ing paragraphs (7) and (8) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(7) establish, equip, and maintain up to 4 Re-
gional Navigation Response teams in priority coastal 
areas identified by the Secretary, in consultation 
with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, to con-
duct activities related to navigational safety and the 
validation of hydrographic data; 
‘‘(8) to the greatest extent practicable and cost-
effective, fulfill the requirements of paragraphs (1) 
and (7) through contracts or other agreements with 
private sector entities; and
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‘‘(9) participate in the development of, and im-
plement for the United States in cooperation with 
other appropriate Federal agencies, international 
standards for hydrographic data and hydrographic 
services.’’. 
(b) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT VOLUNTEER SERV-
ICES.—Section 303 (33 U.S.C. 892a) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT VOLUNTEER SERV-
ICES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To help fulfill the duties of 
the Administrator, including authorities under the 
Act of 1947 (33 U.S.C. 883a et seq.), this Act, or 
in response to a maritime emergency, the Adminis-
trator may—
‘‘(A) establish a volunteer program; and 
‘‘(B) enter into special agreements with 
qualified organizations to assist in the imple-
mentation of a volunteer program. 
‘‘(2) LEGAL STATUS OF VOLUNTEERS.—
‘‘(A) Paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 
7(c) of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 
U.S.C. 742f(c)) shall apply to volunteers who 
provide services to the Administrator under a
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volunteer program established under paragraph 
(1). 
‘‘(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), 
any reference in section 7(c) of the Fish and 
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(c)) to the 
Secretary of Interior or the Secretary of Com-
merce is deemed to refer to the Administrator. 
‘‘(3) QUALIFIED ORGANIZATION.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘qualified organization’ means a 
nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization, deter-
mined by the Administrator to have demonstrated 
expertise in boating safety and a commitment to im-
proving the quality of hydrographic services and re-
lated oceanographic and meteorological information 
that is made available to mariners. 
‘‘(e) PARTICIPATION IN JOINT INSTITUTE.—The Sec-
retary may participate in a joint institute that develops 
new hydrographic technology and conducts academic, edu-
cational, and outreach activities that assist the Adminis-
trator in fulfilling the functions of the Administrator 
under this section.’’. 
SEC. 103. KOSS COVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law or existing policy, the cove described in sub-
section (b) shall be known and designated as ‘‘Koss Cove’’,
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in honor of the late Able Bodied Seaman Eric Steiner 
Koss of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration vessel RAINIER who died in the performance of 
a nautical charting mission off the Alaskan coast. 
(b) COVE DESCRIBED.—The cove referred to in sub-
section (a) is—
(1) adjacent to and southeast of Point 
Elrington, Alaska, and forms a portion of the south-
ern coast of Elrington Island; 
(2) 3⁄4 mile across the mouth; 
(3) centered at 59 degrees 56.1 minutes North, 
148 degrees 14 minutes West; and 
(4) 45 miles of Seward, Alaska. 
(c) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regula-
tion, document, record, map, or other paper of the United 
States to the cove described in subsection (b) is deemed 
to be a reference to Koss Cove. 
SEC. 104. DEPICTION OF SAME SHORELINES ON CHARTS 
AND MAPPING PRODUCTS. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment 
of the Act, the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary 
of the Interior, in consultation with the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency, shall provide to the Com-
mittee on Resources of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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of the Senate a plan to depict the same shorelines on Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration nautical 
charts and United States Geological Survey mapping 
products. 
SEC. 105. AMENDMENTS TO THE HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES 
PANEL. 
Section 305 of the Hydrographic Services Improve-
ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892c) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Secretary’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Secretary of Commerce’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)(3), subsection (d), and 
subsection (e), by striking ‘‘Secretary’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘Administrator’’. 
SEC. 106. GREAT LAKES WATER LEVEL MEASUREMENTS. 
Section 306(5) of the Hydrographic Services Im-
provement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d(5)) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through 
(E) as clauses (i) through (v), respectively; 
(2) by striking ‘‘(5)’’ and inserting ‘‘(5)(A)’’; 
and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(B) Of the amounts authorized under subpara-
graph (A), $2,000,000 in each fiscal year is author-
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ized for the Great Lakes Water Level Observation 
Network.’’. 
TITLE II—FISHERY SURVEY 
VESSELS 
SEC. 201. FISHERY SURVEY VESSELS. 
Section 302(c) of the Fisheries Survey Vessel Author-
ization Act of 2000 (33 U.S.C. 891b note) is amended 
by striking ‘‘$60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 and 
2003’’ and inserting ‘‘$51,000,000 for fiscal year 2005 
and $39,000,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
SEC. 202. ACQUISITION OF HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY VES-
SEL. 
No later than 6 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit 
to the Committee on Resources of the House of Represent-
atives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate—
(1) a detailed requirements package and cost 
estimate for the construction and equipping of a hy-
drographic survey vessel that is capable of—
(A) staying at sea continuously for at least 
30 days; 
(B) carrying at least 4 hydrographic sur-
vey launches; 
(C) conducting hydrographic surveys; and
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(D) conducting other work necessary to 
provide mariners with the accurate and timely 
data needed to conduct safe and efficient mari-
time commerce; 
(2) an explanation of what vessel or vessels 
would be retired if a vessel described in paragraph 
(1) were to become operational; and 
(3) a comparison of the 10-year estimated costs 
of operation and maintenance of a new vessel de-
scribed in paragraph (1) versus such costs for a ves-
sel or vessels proposed for retirement under para-
graph (2).
Passed the House of Representatives March 23, 
2004. 
Attest: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk. 
By GERASIMOS C. VANS, 
Deputy Clerk.