IIB 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 676 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MAY 10, 2023 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation 
AN ACT 
To amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And 
Monitoring Act of 2009 to require the Secretary of Com-
merce, acting through the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to collaborate 
with State and local governments and Indian Tribes on 
vulnerability assessments related to ocean acidification, 
research planning, and similar activities, and for other 
purposes. 
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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 ‘‘Coastal Communities 
Ocean Acidification Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 12403 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Re-
search And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3702) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (4); 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 
(3) by inserting before paragraph (3), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).’’; 
(4) in paragraph (3), as redesignated by para-
graph (2), by inserting ‘‘an increase of’’ before ‘‘car-
bon dioxide’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) 
SUBCOMMITTEE.—The 
term 
‘Sub-
committee’ means the National Science and Tech-
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nology Council Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 
Technology. 
‘‘(7) UNITED
STATES.—The term ‘United 
States’ means the States, collectively.’’. 
SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF COLLABORATION ON OCEAN 
ACIDIFICATION. 
(a) 
ONGOING
INPUT
MECHANISM.—Section 
12404(c)(2) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research 
And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3703(c)(2)) is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 
and inserting a semicolon; 
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) maintain or establish an ongoing 
mechanism (such as a liaison or other contact 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration, standing meetings, or an online 
platform) to engage affected industry members, 
coastal stakeholders, community acidification 
networks, fishery management councils and 
commissions, indigenous knowledge groups, 
non-Federal resource managers, and scientific 
experts not employed by the Federal Govern-
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ment to provide input on research, data, and 
monitoring that is necessary to support on-the- 
ground management, decision making, and ad-
aptation related to ocean acidification and 
coastal acidification and the impacts of ocean 
acidification and coastal acidification.’’. 
(b) 
ADVISORY
BOARD
MEMBERSHIP.—Section 
12404(c)(3) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research 
And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3703(c)(3)) is 
amended— 
(1) 
by 
redesignating 
subparagraphs 
(G) 
through (Q) as subparagraphs (H) through (R), re-
spectively; 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(G) Two representatives from Indian 
Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal con-
sortia affected by ocean acidification and coast-
al acidification.’’; and 
(3) in subparagraph (H), as redesignated by 
paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Six’’ and inserting 
‘‘Four’’. 
(c) APPOINTMENT
OF
ADVISORY
BOARD
MEM-
BERS.—Section 12404(c)(4)(C) of the Federal Ocean 
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 
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U.S.C. 3703(c)(4)(C)) is amended by striking ‘‘State and 
local’’ and inserting ‘‘State, local, and Tribal’’. 
(d) ENGAGEMENT AND COORDINATION WITH INDIAN 
TRIBES.—Paragraph (9) of section 12404(c) of the Fed-
eral Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 
2009 (33 U.S.C. 3703(c)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(9) ENGAGEMENT AND COORDINATION WITH 
INDIAN TRIBES.— 
‘‘(A) POLICY REQUIRED.—Not later than 
one year after the date on which the Advisory 
Board is established, the Advisory Board shall 
develop and commence maintaining a policy for 
engagement and coordination with Indian 
Tribes affected by ocean acidification and coast-
al acidification. 
‘‘(B) CONSULTATION.—In developing the 
policy under subparagraph (A), the Advisory 
Board shall consult with Indian Tribes affected 
by ocean acidification and coastal acidifica-
tion.’’. 
(e) COLLABORATION
ON VULNERABILITY ASSESS-
MENTS, RESEARCH PLANNING, AND SIMILAR ACTIVI-
TIES.—Section 12404(e)(4)(A) of the Federal Ocean 
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 
U.S.C. 3703(e)(4)(A)) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating clauses (ix) and (x) as 
clauses (x) and (xi), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after clause (viii) the following: 
‘‘(ix) identifies the efforts of the Sec-
retary to collaborate with State and local 
governments and Indian Tribes on commu-
nity vulnerability assessments, research 
planning, and similar activities, pursuant 
to section 12406(e);’’. 
(f) CONTENTS OF STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN.— 
Section 12405(b) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Re-
search And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3704(b)) 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘section 
12404(c)(4)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 12404(e)(4)’’; 
and 
(2) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘potentially 
affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, 
fishery management councils and commissions, Trib-
al governments, non-Federal resource managers, and 
scientific experts’’ and inserting ‘‘affected industry 
members, coastal stakeholders, community acidifica-
tion networks, fishery management councils and 
commissions, indigenous knowledge groups, non- 
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edge groups, non-Federal resource managers, 
and scientific experts not employed by the Fed-
eral Government’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘State, 
local, and Tribal governments’’ and inserting 
‘‘State and local governments, Indian Tribes,’’; 
and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 
or’’ and inserting a semicolon; 
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph 
(B) as subparagraph (C); 
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(A) the following: 
‘‘(B) on ocean acidification and coastal 
acidification research, data, and monitoring 
from affected industry members, coastal stake-
holders, community acidification networks, fish-
ery management councils and commissions, in-
digenous knowledge groups, non-Federal re-
source managers, and scientific experts not em-
ployed by the Federal Government; or’’; and 
(iv) in subparagraph (C), as redesig-
nated by clause (ii), by striking ‘‘State 
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governments, local governments, Tribal 
governments’’ and inserting ‘‘State and 
local governments, Indian Tribes’’; 
(3) in subsection (d)(1)(C), by striking ‘‘Tribes 
or Tribal governments’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian 
Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia’’; 
and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) BETTER COLLABORATION ON VULNERABILITY 
ASSESSMENTS, RESEARCH PLANNING, AND SIMILAR AC-
TIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pro-
gram under subsection (a), and in support of vulner-
ability 
assessments 
transmitted 
under 
section 
12404(e)(4) and recommendations included in the 
strategic 
research 
plan 
described 
in 
section 
12405(b)(10), the Secretary shall build upon exist-
ing activities and collaborate with State and local 
governments and Indian Tribes that are conducting 
or have completed vulnerability assessments, re-
search planning, climate action plans, or other simi-
lar activities related to ocean acidification and coast-
al acidification and the impacts of ocean acidifica-
tion and coastal acidification on coastal commu-
nities, for the purpose of— 
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‘‘(A) supporting collaborative interagency 
relationships and information sharing at the 
State, local, and Tribal levels; and 
‘‘(B) assisting State and local governments 
and Indian Tribes in— 
‘‘(i) improving existing systems and 
programs to better address ocean acidifica-
tion and coastal acidification; and 
‘‘(ii) identifying whether such activi-
ties can be used as a model for other com-
munities. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In carrying out paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall prioritize underserved popu-
lations and entities in the use of resources of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.’’. 
SEC. 4. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 
The Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Moni-
toring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 12402(1) (33 U.S.C. 3701(1)), by 
striking ‘‘development coordination and implementa-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘development, coordination, and 
implementation’’; 
(2) in section 12404 (33 U.S.C. 3703)— 
(A) in subsection (b)(5), by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ and inserting a period; 
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(B) in subsection (c)(2)(A)— 
(i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘sub-
section (d)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(e)(2)’’; and 
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘sub-
section (d)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(e)(3)’’; 
(C) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ‘‘this 
section’’ and inserting ‘‘this subsection’’; and 
(D) in subsection (e)— 
(i) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking 
‘‘interagency’’ and inserting ‘‘the’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (3), by striking 
‘‘years until 2031 thereafter’’ and inserting 
‘‘years thereafter until 2031’’; and 
(3) 
in 
section 
12406(d)(2) 
(33 
U.S.C. 
3705(d)(2)), by striking ‘‘The Secretary to,’’ and in-
serting ‘‘The Secretary, to’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives May 9, 2023. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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