I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5771 
To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 13, 2016 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. CURBELO of Florida, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, 
and Mr. PIERLUISI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees 
on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Judiciary, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To reauthorize 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 
‘‘Conserving Our Reefs and Livelihoods Act of 2016’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
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Sec. 3. Amendment of Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. 
Sec. 4. Definitions. 
TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO THE CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 
ACT 
Sec. 101. Expansion of coral reef conservation program. 
Sec. 102. National program. 
Sec. 103. Report to Congress. 
Sec. 104. Renaming of fund. 
Sec. 105. Vessel grounding inventory; agreements; regulations; application in 
accordance with international law. 
Sec. 106. Amendments to definitions. 
Sec. 107. National coral reef action strategy. 
Sec. 108. Emergency assistance. 
Sec. 109. Prize competitions to promote innovation in coral reef research and 
conservation. 
TITLE II—UNITED STATES CORAL REEF TASK FORCE 
Sec. 201. United States Coral Reef Task Force. 
TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CORAL REEF 
AUTHORITIES 
Sec. 301. Coral reef conservation and restoration assistance. 
Sec. 302. National Park Service fishing access restrictions in State and terri-
torial marine waters. 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 401. Stock assessments under Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act. 
Sec. 402. Lionfish. 
Sec. 403. Billfish conservation. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Coral reefs are an important natural re-
source that provide ecosystem goods and services, in-
cluding high levels of biodiversity, the provision of 
seafood and medicinal compounds, coastal surge pro-
tection and shoreline stabilization, recreational op-
portunities, and the retention of cultural and tradi-
tional lifestyles and practices, all of which are of 
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enormous economic and environmental benefits to 
the United States. 
(2) Coral reef conservation and restoration are 
in the national interest of the United States and its 
citizens. 
(3) Scientific research suggests that the health 
and functioning of coral reef ecosystems may be re-
duced by direct human impacts, deteriorating water 
quality, changing ocean conditions including warm-
ing seas and ocean acidification, invasive species, 
coral bleaching, and coral diseases. 
(4) Due to the complex nature of coral reef eco-
systems, more research is needed to understand 
their structure and function, and their response to 
natural and human disturbance. 
(5) Basic and applied research conducted by 
academic and nonprofit research institutions, Fed-
eral agencies, and State, local, and territorial agen-
cies is indispensable to understanding, conserving, 
and restoring coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems. 
(6) Coral reef restoration is essential for the ef-
fective conservation and recovery of coral reef eco-
systems, and innovative tools, technologies, and 
strategies to aid these efforts are desperately need-
ed. 
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(7) Artificial reefs are not an adequate replace-
ment for lost or degraded coral reefs but may pro-
vide benefits to coral reef ecosystems and local com-
munities in certain contexts. 
(8) Extensive public involvement and con-
sensus-based cooperation and consultation between 
Federal agencies, State, local, and territorial agen-
cies, academic and nonprofit research institutions, 
coral reef-dependent businesses, and coral reef-fo-
cused nongovernmental organizations, are essential 
to furthering the conservation and restoration of 
coral reef and coral reef ecosystems and ensure bal-
anced economic and environmental benefits for the 
American people. 
(9) The development and implementation of 
Marine Reserve fishing closures for the purpose of 
coral reef conservation should represent a last-resort 
option for Federal resource managers, unless they— 
(A) 
are 
developed 
and 
implemented 
through extensive public involvement by local 
citizens and consensus-based cooperation and 
consultation between Federal agencies, affected 
State, local, and territorial agencies, locally 
knowledgeable academic and nonprofit research 
institutions, locally affected coral reef-depend-
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ent businesses, and locally operating coral reef- 
focused nongovernmental organizations; 
(B) are based on rigorous scientific evi-
dence; and 
(C) feature an adaptive management ap-
proach with clearly identifiable, measurable, 
science-based goals. 
(10) The rapid decline of coral reefs in the last 
four decades, both in the United States and globally, 
is unsustainable and requires urgent, renewed atten-
tion toward understanding, conserving, and restoring 
coral reefs. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENT OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION ACT 
OF 2000. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 
this Act 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 Coral Reef Conservation 
Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.). 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
The definitions in section 210 of the Coral Reef Con-
servation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.), as amend-
ed by this Act, shall apply in this Act. 
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TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO THE 
CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 
ACT 
SEC. 101. EXPANSION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 
PROGRAM. 
(a) PROJECT
DIVERSITY.—Section 204(d) (16 
U.S.C. 6403(d)) is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘GEOGRAPHIC 
AND BIOLOGICAL’’ and inserting ‘‘PROJECT’’; and 
(2) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(3) Remaining funds shall be awarded for 
time-sensitive projects that warrant immediate re-
lease of funds for research activities to detect, meas-
ure, and analyze, prevent, or respond to, emerging 
threats and emergencies, including— 
‘‘(A) bleaching or mortality events; 
‘‘(B) disease outbreaks; and 
‘‘(C) invasive species outbreaks.’’. 
(b) APPLICANTS SEEKING IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF 
FUNDS.—Section 204(f) (16 U.S.C. 6403(f)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) APPLICANTS
SEEKING
IMMEDIATE
RE-
LEASE OF FUNDS.—If an applicant for assistance 
under this section seeks an immediate release of 
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