I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 730
To establish a National Center for Biological Resources (Research and Devel-
opment) to facilitate the collection, synthesis, and dissemination of infor-
mation relating to the sustainable use, research, development, and con-
servation of biological resources.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 2, 1993
Mrs. MORELLA introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the
Committees on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and Science, Space, and
Technology
A BILL
To establish a National Center for Biological Resources (Re-
search and Development) to facilitate the collection, syn-
thesis, and dissemination of information relating to the
sustainable use, research, development, and conservation
of biological resources.
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 ‘‘National Biological
Resources Research and Development Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
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(1) existing information regarding the abun-
dance and distribution of biological resources is in-
adequate and often inaccessible;
(2) the loss of biological resources may have se-
rious consequences for human welfare as raw mate-
rial for research and agricultural, medicinal, and in-
dustrial development are irretrievably lost;
(3) existing laws and programs relevant to the
loss of indigenous biological resources in the United
States are largely uncoordinated and inadequate,
and sometimes result in duplication of efforts, con-
flicts in goals, and gaps in geographic and taxo-
nomic coverage; and,
(4) increased research in biological resources is
needed to provide adequate knowledge to maintain
and to ensure the sustainable use of natural re-
sources.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘biological resources’’ means the
full range of variety and variability within and
among living organisms (including both terrestrial
and aquatic) and the ecological complexes in which
they occur, and encompasses ecosystem or commu-
nity diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity;
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(2) the term ‘‘genetic diversity’’ means the dif-
ferences in genetic composition within and among
populations of a given species;
(3) the term ‘‘species diversity’’ means the rich-
ness and variety of indigenous species in a particular
location of the world;
(4) the term ‘‘community diversity’’ means the
variety between different integrated assemblages of
species inhabiting different locales; and
(5) the term ‘‘United States’’ means all of the
several States, the District of Columbia, the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin
Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and any other
commonwealth, territory, possession, or area of legal
or economic jurisdiction of the United States.
SEC. 4. PURPOSES.
It is the purpose of this Act—
(1) to undertake a nationally coordinated effort
to survey, collect, inventory, synthesize, and dissemi-
nate adequate data and information for—
(A) the understanding of the full range of
biological resources;
(B) assessing the rate and scale of change
in biological resources;
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(C) developing tests and making available
cost effective methodologies for scientific and
economic inventories of biological resources; and
(D) evaluating the potential economic im-
plications of the sustainable use of biological re-
sources.
(2) to support basic and applied research nec-
essary for a full understanding of the nation’s bio-
logical resources; and
(3) to promote better understanding of the im-
portance of biological resources and foster actions
that 
prevent 
biological 
impoverishment 
and
sustainably preserve biological resources.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES
(RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT).
(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—There is es-
tablished within the Smithsonian Institution, in coopera-
tion with the Environmental Protection Agency and the
National Science Foundation, a National Center for Bio-
logical Resources (Research and Development) (the Cen-
ter), whose purpose shall be to set research priorities, to
provide leadership and coordination for the understanding
and promotion of knowledge of the biota within the United
States with respect to its composition, systematics, dis-
tribution, status, biological properties, ecological relation-
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ships (including environmental significance), and economic
value, and the effect of human activities on the biota, and
to make this knowledge accessible to the people of the
United States and others working on research and devel-
opment in biological resources throughout the world. The
Center shall be administered by a Director.
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the Center shall
be—
(1) to summarize and enhance the knowledge of
the distribution, status, and characteristics of the
biota in a manner that can be used in the sustain-
able development of natural products;
(2) to prepare, with the assistance of agencies
and other sources, lists and, where appropriate,
maps of—
(A) indigenous biotic communities, species,
and populations that appear to be in significant
decline or in imminent danger of loss of viabil-
ity;
(B) areas of outstanding indigenous biotic
importance; and,
(C) factors, including the legal status and
applicable laws, affecting the potential develop-
ment of such communities, species, and popu-
lations;
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(3) to publish information, such as floral and
faunal treatises, resource inventories, vegetation
maps, atlases, and guides for practical use of biologi-
cal information, and especially publications that syn-
thesize information relevant to national goals of un-
derstanding biological resource use and its sustain-
able development;
(4) to identify taxonomic groups, ecological
communities, and geographical areas in need of
study, and to develop a strategic plan for, initiate,
and provide financial support toward an ongoing
survey of the biota;
(5) to provide for the conducting of research,
through grants, contracts, or otherwise, by Federal,
State, and private agencies, institutions, organiza-
tions, and individuals;
(6) to make recommendations to Federal agen-
cies and others on the technical management of data
collection, storage, and retrieval;
(7) to provide training and technical assistance
to Federal agencies and others regarding collection
and interpretation of biological data;
(8) to raise additional funds through grants
and contracts as necessary to support the activities
of the Center; and